Raising Hope

I have to be completely honest...i didn't want to invest any more of my precious time watching another boring sitcom.. Was i surprised! The premise though a bit far fetched, ala the serial killer mother who is executed... and someone actually naming their child "Princess Beyonce" I was absolutely entertained. The writing is fun and imaginative, the characters are complex and real at the same time. I can bet we have all known one family in our neighborhood just like this. Dysfunctional and slightly psychotic and yet like a train wreck you cant look away. The actors are delightful and i find myself quoting lines the next day to my kids and husband. Oh god I'm dysfunctional and psychotic....oh well :-)

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.

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!

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.

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.