TNT has announced that their Holly Hunter drama is coming to an end. Interestingly, it wasn’t exactly the network’s decision. But, regardless of who’s responsible, the fans will have to wait quite awhile to see the story wrap up.
Saving Grace focuses on a police detective, Grace Hanadarko (Holly Humter), wo’s great at her job but finds her personal life far more challenging. The series also features Leon Rippy, Kenny Johnson, Bailey Chase, Laura San Giacomo, Gregory Cruz, Lorraine Toussaint, Dylan Minnette, Bokeem Woodbine, Mark L. Taylor, and Tom Irwin.
The show debuted in July 2007 and attracted 6.4 million viewers, making it the highest-rated cable premiere so far that year.
Season two’s debut attracted 5.2 million and, this past June, season three’s return drew just 3.5 million. TNT remained very positive about the series, likely because it consistently rates first with adults 25-54.
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Last season, the network ordered a second season of 15 episodes. The first nine aired during the Summer of 2008 and the other six began running last March. TNT ordered the same number for season three and the first grouping finishes its summer cycle this Tuesday.
According to THR, TNT wanted to pick the series up for a fourth season but Fox TV Studios actually declined the offer. The drama is an expensive one to produce and there’s apparently not enough profit in the cable deal for the studio to continue.
A spokesperson for Fox told Variety, “In today’s rapidly changing television world, shows need to drive revenue off too many sources in order to be profitable for all the partners. Unfortunately, the economics of the series mandated stronger international and ancillary revenue than the show was able to generate. We thought an appropriate ending after three extremely successful seasons was the best outcome for all parties involved.”
Since the series has several ongoing storylines, Fox and TNT agreed to produce three additional episodes to wrap up any loose ends. The network will combine them with the remaining installments from this season and hold them until next Summer. So, fans will get some closure to the series but they’ll have to wait a few extra months to get it.
Michael Wright, TNT’s Executive VP head of programming, is sorry to see the show end. In a statement, he said, “The show’s continued success is thanks to the amazing talents of Holly Hunter and [series creator] Nancy Miller, along with a tremendous ensemble cast and a highly skilled production team. They have taken us on a unique journey, and we look forward to seeing where it will ultimately lead.”
What do you think? Are you ready t say goodbye to Grace Hanadarko? Would you like to see the cast return, perhaps in TV movies?
Image courtesy TNT.
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Its a well known fact that Fox TV is run by idiots. They cancel great shows all the time. If a show is slightly cerebral, Fox TV execs are incapable of processing it so it gets canceled. I don’t think its economics as I don’t think any of them muster the mental processing power to understand economics much less the need to sometimes fund something that may not make a fortune but is a worthwhile endeavor. Saving Grace is just such an endeavor. Its a great story that should be told, to its proper end. Further, the moron from Fox that talked about international revenue…what? Ancillary I will give you DVD sales and such, but international? From a TV show? From a TV show on a smaller cable network? Which is precisely the utter stupidity I am talking about with FOX television. It is just run by idiots. On their own network a show gets about 3 episodes to be as popular as American Idol, 24, or the Simpsons. If its not they dump it. In fact had I know Saving Grace was produced by FOX for TNT I would have never started watching it as I would have expected it to get dumped far before the story was over. I originally got hooked for the show by a trailer at a movie theater before its debut. Continued promotion like that would have helped generated more viewers and revenue, but international revenue…man there are some morons in FOX tv.
@fiona…you are a moron too. Perhaps you could see a professional to help with your Bush Derangement Syndrome. I swear this syndrome will one day make it to the DSM-IV. Now Saving Grace is a Bush product? Reign of ignorance? Have you witnessed the utter ignoramus in the White House now, he makes Bush look like Einstein, or are you too stupid to understand this idiot and his like minded goons are sinking us at a rate never before witnessed in this nation?
@Roddog – I was with you, all the way to your political comments, which are confusing…it sounds like you don’t like EITHER of the presidents you mentioned! And, I agree with you, Bush did provide us with a reign of ignorance. And yes, we seemed to be overrun with televangelists setting policy for that administration…and yes Obama has a lot of stuff to fix, but he inherited it, he didn’t create it….AND this is not the forum for political statements. I’m certain you can find one or ten thousand elsewhere on the ‘net.
I agree that Fiona apparently doesn’t believe in angels and doesn’t like being confronted with anything resembling redemption or changing of a life for the good. Sounds to me like she doesn’t want prayer in schools, either. So I ignored her comments as being dim-witted and ignorant; my guess is she’s an atheist and is afraid to admit that there is an unseen power in the Universe and that It wants to help us help ourselves. And that’s where Grace and Earl come in: to show us that no matter what our lifestyle, God loves us anyway. BUT THAT IS NOT ALL THAT THIS SHOW IS ABOUT!!!
And to remove this cast and their storylines from my week, forever, is just NOT RIGHT!!!
i agree fox is run by idiots, that is why i don’t watch anything on that channel! how come tnt can’t divy up and put out the money for saving grace?
i am really disappointed. i really liked the show. i would love to see it stay on the air. there is so much of the same tv on all the local channels that it is a shame that the only show that is different is going to be canceled. i did love the show and will miss it.
Have you seen the ads for one of the new shows TNT will be introducing this week? We can’t have Saving Grace, so they are giving us ‘WHY DID I GET MARRIED” – another show in which people will be sitting around or running around complaining about their spouse.
What is wrong with these people????
They take away our angel and give us devils???
Is this really all they think we are worth?
NANCY MILLER – ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANOTHER PRODUCTION STUDIO? Please don’t let those foreigners take away our SAVING GRACE!!! (Murdoch, a billionaire from England and Emiliano, the studio head from Italy, are the ones who made this decision)
There must be SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, who can jump in and fix this grievous error!!!
@Admin: you told me that the network sees these posts (when I asked about Castle) – does TNT see them? Do they give a flip??
I admit I was very late in seeing the article and learning of this travesty, but since they still have at least a partial season ready to be aired, all they have to do is shelve the final episode, or add a scene that would make it a cliffhanger instead of a finale, and find a studio that CARES about the fans! I am amazed that TNT would allow itself to be run by a production studio…unless, of course they are both owned by the billionaire at News Corp and he is so out of touch with or disdainful of his audience that he pulls the strings and gives us tripe instead of steak. Oh, that’s right, he’s English and likes tripe! Once again we see proof that America is no longer run by Americans…
What, is the network scared because Grace talks to an Angel. In a time when God is being thrown out of schools, that means no Angels on television too? Highway to Heaven played for five years. If you don’t like it, or agree with it, don’t watch it. But don’t take the show away because of an Angel, the show is about much more. Keep the show because it is a great show, “kill off” the angel if that makes you feel better. Grace is the best, and what woman wouldn’t want to be her! If TNT takes away Saving Grace and or The Closer I won’t be watching that station EVER again.
@Darlene – It is not TNT that is cancelling Grace. It is Fox Studio, owned by News Corp, run by Rupert Murdoch (an Englishman)who hired Emiliano someone from ITALY that refused to continue production of the show. Maybe they are part of a religion that denies angels, or maybe they think that Earl is too “strange” to be an angel, or maybe they are simply too money-hungry to let us have this show. We met Grace at rock-bottom, and have seen her learn and grow in every episode. Maybe they don’t want us to see that inner change is possible. I am afraid that we are too late, though. The announcement was made last summer and they have filled the timeslot with a bad-cop show that was so bad it was cancelled by its original network. They do not care about us, they don’t have to. Rupert is a billionaire and Emiliano is his lackey. WE do not count. If you visit the News Corp website you will see how much of OUR media is controlled by this foreigner-run company. Even America’s airwaves are no longer controlled by Americans. They decided that Saving Grace would not make them as much money (as if they need more!!) as some cheap knock-off cop show (Southland). So we lost our SAving Grace. I have no idea if there is a way to keep her; I’m afraid it is a lost cause. Maybe Rupert sees himself as the King and this is his revenge for the Boston Tea Party.
Rupert: if you should ever be made aware of these comments, I promise to retract every one of them and sing your praises (not that you need them!) if you will tell that idiot Emiliano that he has made a big mistake and make him start production of season five. And please do not tell us that the final episode cannot be turned into a cliffhanger instead of the finale. I have been in television and around studios and know that it can be done if you want it to be done.
Saving Grace was the freshest show on TV, the characters with all their flaws grew on us. Now the powers that be want to STOP production and the reasons are not valid. I for one am sick and tired of getting drawn into a show only to have the networks or whomever pull the plug. They don’t even allow a show the time to gather a regular following before it gets yanked off the air. Here’s a list of shows the I watched over the past 1-1 1/2 years that are no longer around.
Dirty, Sexy Money
Cane
Lipstick Jungle
Boston Legal
This is a partial list, but the point is they were good shows with excellent cast members that got the axe.
Older viewers are sick and tired of STUPID REALITY TV, we want shows that have plot line and tell stories. I am ready to stop watching TV all together if the NETWORK heads don’t stop this.
A really pissed off viewer.
This really pisses me off, it’s a good series, why end it…who hell runs Fox TV anyways, idiots?
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