Who doesn't like to laugh? Well until last fall, it appeared Fox executives would have had to raise their hands. Since the sad departure of Arrested Development from their airwaves, Fox has been dreadfully chuckle free during the week. Save for its Sunday animated line up, the network has been void of successful comedies (sorry Gleeks, the show is not a comedy no matter what the Golden Globes say). If you're like me and find yourself too old for cartoons no matter how 'adult' they try to make them, you've gone elsewhere to get your laughs. Heck, even if you can latch on to cartoon comedy, The Simpsons hasn't been funny since before Y2K. However, with the success of the comedies during the 2009-2010 TV season, family oriented comedy especially (thank you Modern Family), Fox gave the green light to a couple of projects. One was the hugely unsuccessful Running Wilde, starring Will Arnett and Kerri Russell. The other, was Raising Hope.
I'm a big fan of comedy that makes you uncomfortable. The Office was a master at this when it was at its creative peak. Raising Hope, from My Name Is Earl creator Greg Garcia, is shining this year by making you squirm. It's the story of the Chance family, a white trash (not to worry, the Earl comparisons mostly stop there) clan whose son Jimmy impregnates a serial killer. The criminal, played by Bijou Phillips, is sentenced to die and Jimmy is given custody of the baby. Jimmy works for his father Burt's lawn maintenance company and his mom, Virginia, cleans houses. Virginia is masterfully played by Martha Plimpton, whose most known role prior to Raising Hope was Stef in The Goonies for God's sake! Seriously, Martha, where have you been since the eighties? She is perfection in this role. I sincerely hope she gets the Emmy nomination she deserves.
Burt, Virginia, Jimmy and the new baby live with Virginia's mother, the affectionately named Maw Maw. The remarkable Cloris Leachman plays the dementia ravaged matriarch who is often seen in her underwear, saying and doing the most peculiar things. Kudos to Leachman for setting dignity aside in the name of comedy. Sure, some may find it cruel that they're poking fun at senility, but come on, let's not get crazy here people. This show never pretends to be rooted in much reality, a perfect example being when the infant's deranged mother had decided to name the child Princess Beyonce. As Jimmy will tell you in the pilot episode, he's thinking of changing that (which he did, naming her Hope of course).
Added into the mix is Sabrina, the sarcastic grocery store clerk that Jimmy has a crush on. She's played by relative unknown Shannon Woodward. The casting director did a good job of giving Jimmy a pretty but attainable girl in Ms. Woodward. The second half of the season has seen a decrease in the Jimmy/Sabrina crush story. They should play it up more if you ask me. Woodward is pretty funny when given the material.
Having had Jimmy at such a young age (around 15 or 16), Virginia and Burt can relate to the things Jimmy is going through, which lends itself to some of the shows heartwarming moments. Burt is essentially a big kid himself, and his antics provide a lot of the physical comedy for the show. Virginia's character is the one that normally delivers the more subtle laughs.
All in all though, Raising Hope works on a lot of levels. It has enough of that Earl feel to satisfy the fans of Garcia's previous work, but not so much that those who could take or leave the former Jason Lee comedy (yours truly included) would be turned off. It's ridiculous, it's absurd, and it's awkward. All of this makes it the best new comedy on television. Raising Hope airs Tuesdays at 9 P.M. Eastern on Fox.
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