State of Grace (TV series)

State of Grace
Genre	Sitcom
Starring	Mae Whitman Faye Grant Alia Shawkat Michael Mantell Dinah Manoff Erica Yohn
Narrated by	Frances McDormand
Opening theme	"Do You Believe in Magic" performed by Lovin' Spoonful
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
Production
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Ladybug Productions ABC Family Original Productions
Distributor	Disney–ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original network	ABC Family
Original release	June 25, 2001 – December 4, 2002

State of Grace is an American comedy-drama series that ran for two seasons on the Fox Family channel during 2001 and 2002.

Plot

It is centered on two 12-year-old girls from very different backgrounds, Hannah and Grace, who are best friends. Hannah is from a middle class Jewish family and lives with her parents, her grandmother, and her uncle. Her parents are the owners of a furniture factory in the fictitious town of Ashmore, North Carolina, where they have recently moved to from Chicago. Grace is from a wealthy Catholic family and lives with her mother, a socialite. Typically, they are depicted as more intelligent, thoughtful, funny, and rebellious than other children of their age. Set in 1965, the show was compared by some to another look-back-through-the-years show, The Wonder Years. Fred Savage, the star of that hit ABC series, even appeared in the series' final episode.

The theme song is the original version of "Do You Believe in Magic" by The Lovin' Spoonful. The show was taped at Ren-Mar Studios stage 4.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Alia Shawkat: (12-year-old Jewish-American girl Hannah Rayburn)
• Mae Whitman: (12-year-old Emma 'Grace' McKee, Hannah's best friend)
• Dinah Manoff: (Evelyn Rayburn, Hannah's mother)
• Michael Mantell: (David Rayburn, Hannah's father)
• Faye Grant: (Tattie McKee, Grace's mother)
• Jason Blicker: (Uncle Heschie, Hannah's uncle)
• Erica Yohn: (Grandma Ida, Hannah's grandmother)
• Frances McDormand: (Narrator, voice of Adult Hannah)

Guest stars

• Bryan Neal (Walker Adams, Grace's older half-brother)
• Bonnie Bailey-Reed (Shirley, the Rayburns' receptionist)
• Carl M. Craig (Greer, the McKees' chauffeur)
• Patricia Forte (Cookie, the McKees' maid)
• Tom Verica (Tommy Austin, Tattie's fiancé)
• Adrian Neil (Nigel Grenville III, Tattie's friend)

Cast collaborations

The two main actresses, Shawkat and Whitman, went on to co-star on Fox's Arrested Development. Shawkat was in the main cast and Whitman was a recurring guest star in season two and the beginning of season three (2004–2005). Shawkat played Maeby Funke on the show, while Whitman played Ann Veal, the girlfriend of Maeby's cousin George Michael Bluth (Michael Cera). Shawkat, Manoff and Mantell would later have roles in the film Bart Got a Room.

Awards and nominations

The series was created by Brenda Lilly and Hollis Rich and was recipient of many awards including The Parents Television Council, the Humanitas Award, and a Jewish Image Award. Shawkat and Whitman were both nominated for the Young Artist Award for the Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Leading Young Actress in 2002.

External links

• State of Grace at the Internet Movie Database