Raising Hope

I got a chance to see the pilot of Raising Hope, which was originally called Keep Hope Alive, and I loved it. I was laughing pretty hard at pretty much the entire show. Most of the things that were going on during the program were things I haven't seen before on a cable television show. It is very original and has a lot of visual comedy also some very funny dialogue. The characters go together well and the acting is very believable. If you liked My Name Is Earl(RIP) then you are going to love Greg Garcia's newest creation! Raising Hope gives you almost the same feeling as My Name Is Earl when you watch it but it's definitely not going to be the exact same show. It's on Fox premiering September 21, 2010. I can't wait to watch it again and see other episodes!

Many series have ceased to exist, most running their course and production ending, but Raising Hope brings new potential.

The shows currently alive on my list are Modern Family, House, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Raising Hope.

The story is about raising a child in a dysfunctional family with little money to spare. Although parallels can be made with My Name is Earl (namely the same creator), I find them to be completely different. This series seems to be fresh, more modern, without the accents as well.

The comedy is hilarious, the dialog is inventive, and the show is enjoyable. I suppose I'd call this the opposite of Modern Family, seeing as how everyone in Modern Family is extremely wealthy, this show depicts the lives of an impoverished family, but with the humor abundant.

This isn't a long series, 21 minutes an episode or 30 minutes on television, give the pilot a chance, you will enjoy it!

The reason I didn't notice is that I was too busy laughing...out loud...A LOT! There is not a sour note or a bad performance in the all too short four season run of this gem. Garret Dillahunt, usually cast as the resident baddie, is fantastic as the patriarch of the Chance family, even managing to one up Brian Cranston from Malcolm In The Middle, and that's no easy feat! Watch it... YOU'LL LOVE IT!

My Name Is Earl-verse continues with this brilliant warm-hearted show about a family dealing with the unexpected challenge of an unplanned baby that comes into their lives. You will see many callbacks and similarities to past shows combined into 4 seasons of good-natured hilarity.

The cast is terrific with leads Lucas Neff (Jimmy) and Shannon Woodward (Sabrina) being the will they won't they couple. Martha Plimpton (Virginia) and Garret Dillahunt (Burt) as the young simple uneducated parents to Lucas' Jimmy Chance character. We get flashbacks showing Burt and Virginia's early life raising a young Jimmy and the mistakes teenage parents make.

A shout-out needs to go to the late Cloris Leachman who played Maw Maw; the grandmother who raised Virginia as her own daughter but who now suffers from the onset of dementia. She plays this character with pure joy and hilarity with many of the shows comedic moments coming from her. I will say I'm sure the ridiculous Cancel Culture would come for this show over some whiny "my feeling are hurt on behalf of those suffering from dementia" garbage if this show was made today.

This, like My Name is Earl, was a show cut too soon from TV-land and was never able to fully conclude the way it should have in 3 or 4 more seasons. As long as it is able to will be put in my rotating lineup of comedy shows that I run through.

The writers of Raising Hope must have lived in or visited South Carolina, because the characters are not too far off from the folks one would encounter at the local Wal-Mart in these parts. In terms of wit and timing, this show is dead on. The characters may seem pathetic upon first view, but by the end of the episode one is witness to the depth of their humanity. This is the first of the new shows that is on my static viewing schedule.

Cloris Leachman has a surprising role for such a legacy actor, but that is what makes the show brilliant. Her appearances are like the exclamation point in a sentence...though her appearance is brief, it is what elevates the scene from a smile to a laugh out loud. Looking forward to the next episode.