Raising Hope

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.

I have to admit, from the previews, I wasn't planning on watching this show. I was simply setting up my DVR to record another Fox show and figured, why not record this one too since I have been a fan of Martha Plimpton since the Goonies. I am so glad I did.

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!! The show is hilarious. I go from laughing out loud, thinking, "I can't believe they did that" to feeling warm and fuzzy. Garret Dillahunt is absolutely hilarious, Lucas Neff is adorable, and I love watching Martha Plimpton's character capture both a roughness and sweetness at the same time. She is brilliant. I find myself watching the episodes twice and laughing out loud each time. Looks like a great show and I hope it continues to stay as funny as the first two episodes have been.

First really smart, funny, well written, and performed comedy in years. As the story progressed it just stayed funny and they didn't have to rely on off color jokes or language. Martha Plimpton (Virginia) is Lucas Neff's (Jimmy) mother. She was apparently very young when he was born because both she and his father seem to be in there late 30's and Jimmy is 23. They live with Virginia's great grandmother maw maw (Cloris Leachman) who is demented, but has lucid moments. Jimmy, his father Burt (Garret Dillahunt), and his cousin have a lawn care business that they try to keep going in spite of lack of ability. Jimmy accidentally saves a young girl charged with murder from arrest, his family catches on, and she's arrested. But after she's convicted and sentenced to death; we find out she's pregnant. After his daughter is born, he brings her home in a prison onesy. His family tries to convince him he should leave the baby at the fire house, but he is determined to raise the little girl. Her mother gave her a rather unusual name (Princess Beyonce), as the pilot finishes her new name is decided on: Hope. This looks like a fresh, and funny new show. Highly recommended.

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!