ShareThisWhen Jill Scott landed the lead in HBO's "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency," she was looking for something hopeful.
"I needed something to believe in," says Scott. "I had gotten a divorce. I felt very lost."
She found a bright spirit in her role as Precious Ramotswe, one of the most beloved characters in contemporary fiction. Precious has an optimistic view of life, even when she sees the worst in humanity.
After her father dies, she moves to the city and opens up the first detective agency in her native Botswana. She does the usual cases: cheating husbands, thefts and impostors. Yet she also finds the shining points at the end of the day.
"This is a woman who has such faith in Botswana. She has such faith in her country, in its people."
"Agency" (premiering 9 p.m. EDT Sunday) is no ordinary mystery series. Precious's background includes an ex-husband and a child who has died. Her home community is poverty-stricken. She has overcome adversity to make a new and happier life for herself.
"The mysteries are absolutely a huge part of it," Scott says, "but another large part of this series is about this woman's faith and her life."
"Agency" is based on the best-selling books of the same name. This seven-part series was shot in Botswana during the summer while Scott was pregnant.
"It was a challenge. I was put on bed rest once," she says. "I didn't want my firstborn child to think I was a quitter, although it was really hot and tiring.
"I kept on. The work on set was really fun. But it was a real challenge to me personally. I think about being in my first trimester, under the heat, under the lights, working long hours.
"I can't believe I did it. Sometimes I thought: 'I am either really diligent or I am really stupid.' "
Scott is due at the end of April.
She credits Precious with getting through it all.
"Reading the scripts and the books, I thought, 'What if I try to bring some of her spirit and her life in my life?' She is what being part of a village, a community, is all about. She wants the best for her people.
"I think it is very inspiring."
Other highlights for the week of March 29 to April 4 (all times EDT; listings subject to change; check local listings):
SUNDAY
-- "Predator X" (8 p.m., History). A 50-foot-long creature that is 150 million years old is discovered in a pretty cool place.
TUESDAY
-- "Osbournes: Reloaded" (9:20 p.m., Fox). Ozzy Osbourne and his family are back to headline a variety of pranks, stunts and songs.
-- "Pretty Wicked" (10 p.m., Oxygen). A contest looking at someone's inside beauty has contestants confronting their ugly sides.
WEDNESDAY
-- "Reno 911!" (10:30 p.m., Comedy Central). The cops are back on the beat for a sixth season.
THURSDAY
-- "Free Radio" (11 p.m., VH1). The comedy about a really awful radio personality with a hit show returns for a second season.
SATURDAY
-- "Love Comes Softly" (9 p.m., Hallmark Channel). An illness has devastated a frontier town, and the doctor doesn't know what to do.
(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)
TV HILIGHTS
