IGYPRH wrote that if Eli Stone wasn’t the best examination of faith on TV, he’d sell his TiVo.  Well, he can keep his TiVo, but Eli Stone does have some fairly strong competition in Saving Grace, the cable, female version of Eli Stone.  TNT’s drama (Mondays, 10/9pmC) is now in its second season, and it’s still as strong as was when it made its first splash last summer.

Grace has its flaws.  It’s yet another police procedural, one part Law & Order and one part CSI.  It tries way too hard sometimes to be hip, and Holly Hunter isn’t kidding anyone.  She’s 50, and she looks it, no matter how skinny she is and how many times she has to punch guys out for coming on too strong.  Most jarring is the bar scenes when there’s way too much laughter and not enough real dialogue to reveal what the people behind the caricatures.

But despite all this, the acting is generally very good.  The supporting characters aren’t as interesting as Eli Stone’s supporting cast, but the actors do their jobs well despite a lack of material.  Holly Hunter is an Academy Award-winning actress, and she shows why here.  Finally, of course, the premise is compelling.  Grace is much more unwilling to respond to her George Michael, in this case an angel named Earl, but that’s what keeps this imperfect but interesting show worth watching.

In the early days of TV drama, two-dimensional characters were the norm, and viewers didn’t mind.  It was all about the stand-alone story of the week.  These days, though, we ask for a background story, recognizable quirks, idiosyncrasies or traits, and believable and interesting relationships for each character.

This is where Burn Notice (Thursday 10/9C) fails.  The producers and writers make an attempt, but there’s just not enough here.  We’ve seen these characters before, and they were more interesting.  Burn Notice is about a former CIA spy who has been cut off (burned) by the agency.  Now, he must find out who burned him and clear himself of the wrongdoing or disloyalty that caused the burn.

We’re about halfway through the summer, but the regular fall TV season probably won’t be starting for real for a couple of months (only CBS has announced its premiere schedule as far as I can tell).  So, how should your TiVo busy until then?  I’ll give you a few suggestions over the next week or so.