'Raising Hope' wants its baby back

FOX's Raising Hope presents the second half of a two-part episode as their season finale this week. Entitled "I Want My Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back," this installment finds Jimmy (Lucas Neff) and family locked in a court battle for custody over Hope (Baylie and Rylie Cregut) with his "wife," Lucy (Bijou Phillips). This follows an episode of Inside Probe, in which Nancy Grace (herself) tells the family's story, and reveals that Lucy survived her execution. Lucy wins the legal battle, and Jimmy has to leave his parents and Sabrina (Shannon Woodward) behind in order to stay with his daughter.

If a comedy series is hilarious enough, it does not need to follow the rules of realism. This is a relief, because Raising Hope leaves such constraints far behind in the dust during these final two episodes. Not only does Lucy survive the electric chair, there is a jailhouse wedding, complete with a prisoner allowed a knife to cut the cake, a jury made up purely of miners who were trapped underground for six months, and so don't know Lucy is a serial killer, Shelley (Kate Micucci) is allowed to testify with a ukelele, and Lucy will most likely survive being hit by a bus. The last of which is welcome, because Phillips is such a joy during her guest stints on the show. And with Jimmy needing a divorce, she will have to return again.

But honestly, the fact that the events of "I Want My Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back" would never happen does not lessen the enjoyment of the episode in the slightest. Part of this is the comedic writing, which is just as sharp, tight, and unexpected as it ever has been, if not sharper. Part of it is nostalgia, as this week's installment and the one before it reference many of the show's earlier events and gags, as well as bringing back a large number of guest stars.

Best of all, most of the cast of My Name Is Earl, a previous show by Raising Hope's creator, Greg Garcia, appears again. Earl is alluded to as well, and the tone of both shows are similar. In fact, the Inside Probe stunt feels just like Earl's Cops episodes! So it all comes across as one big, happy, funny universe, drawn closer together with each crossover, of which there have been many.

Should Raising Hope have concentrated on pathos instead? Sure, there are tears and heartbreak when Jimmy leaves Sabrina so that he can stay with Hope. Viewers would be heartless not to feel for Sabrina as tears stream down her face, and the situation really evokes something inside of oneself. However, instead of capitalizing on these dramatic moments, leaving a heck of a cliffhanger, Lucy is hit by a bus, and Jimmy gets to return home.

Nor does it appear that Burt (Garret Dillahunt) and Virginia (Martha Plimpton) will face legal charges for fighting with law enforcement in the court room, as they are seen to be in their house and doing just fine.

And that's OK. Some sitcoms need the drama to infuse with comedy in order to keep their fans invested. Raising Hope does not. It's tongue-in-cheek style, with meta elements and constant self-referencing, has created a unique world that deserves to be on television. One can drop in to see what the Chances are doing each week, and continuously be very taken in by their spell.

What kind of show dares to have Nancy Grace lampooning herself, Ed Begley Jr. playing both god and the devil, and "introduces" Cloris Leachman each episode? Raising Hope, that's who, and it does so proudly. Never before has white trash been made look so attractive. The show doesn't just play on stereotypes, it redefines them. It will change the way you think about many things, and if the show contributes anything to society, it assists in tearing down the barriers of hate and judgment.

Does this make Raising Hope sound too important? Perhaps. But it deserves the accolades. There is absolutely nothing else currently running like it, and it continues to hit all of the right notes week after week. That is a laudable feat.

Is it the sharp writing or the amazing cast, which includes Gregg Binkley and a slew of talented, recurring players to fill out the world, that makes Raising Hope work so well? It's both, as well as everyone else in the crew who builds this specific place and time. There is really nothing to complain about in Raising Hope. It's that rare gem that knows what it is, and delivers extremely well on a remarkably consistent basis.


Thank you to Raising Hope for an awesome second season, and I am greatly looking forward to years of more terrific comedy. Raising Hope will return to FOX this fall.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! To buy Raising Hope DVDs or streaming episodes, please click here. Article first published as TV Review: Raising Hope - "I Want My Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back" on Blogcritics.

Raising Hope first season now on DVD

     FOX's Raising Hope recently released its complete first season on DVD. It is a three-disc set containing all 22 episodes that aired last year. The series follows a lower middle class family as they raise a baby. This is refreshing, considering many television characters certainly live above realistic means for many of their viewers. It also focuses on the kooky friends and relatives that surround the primary clan, creating a rich, becoming vast, world of interesting characters. After one mere season, Raising Hope has become TV to watch.

     The series begins when Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff) unknowingly hooks up with a crazy murderer named Lucy (Bijou Phillips). Lucy is arrested and executed, but not before giving birth to Jimmy's daughter, Princess Beyonce, whom he renames Hope (Bayley and Rylie Crecut). Jimmy is in his early twenties, and lives with his parents Virginia (Martha Plimpton) and Burt (Garret Dillahunt), who had him when they were teenagers. Jimmy really wants to take care of the baby, and Burt and Virginia see a second chance to raise a child correctly; it thus becomes a team effort.

     Adding to the chaos is Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman), Virginia's senile grandmother, in whose house they live. She is only lucid for short periods of time, but resents her family, worrying they are taking advantage of her. In fact, they take good care of her during her crazy periods.

     To help pay for the child's care and feeding, Jimmy takes a job at the local supermarket after falling for cashier Sabrina (Shannon Woodward). They work for enthusiastic, geeky Barney (Gregg Binkley, a recurring character in season one, but promoted to series regular in season two). These two help Jimmy keep his own sanity, and provide some fun, outside-the-home stories. In addition, babysitter Shelley (Kate Micucci) keeps Hope when the Chance family are all working.

     There are many great episodes in this freshman run. "Dead Tooth" introduces Sabrina's cousin, Shelley, and finds Burt helping Virginia to quit smoking. The latter is a necessity, since smoking is now strictly limited in primetime broadcast network television. In "Dream Hoarders," Hope crawls into the maze of a junk-filled shed. "Burt Rocks" lets Burt meet his singer idol, Smokey (Jason Lee). In "What's Up, Cuz?" Virginia's gold digging cousin, Delilah (Amy Sedaris), who has a crush on Burt, visits. And the season finale takes a look at how different life was for all of the characters, main and supporting, only five short years ago.

     The first season DVD set (not currently available in Blu-ray) has quite a few bonus features. There are 20 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, and the essential gag reel. The broadcast "Pilot" has a commentary track with series creator Greg Garcia (My Name is Earl), Neff, Plimpton, and Dillahunt, who talk about the constantly changing babies in the episode. The original, unaired version of "Pilot," with a different actress playing Sabrina, and featuring Micucci as a cousin that lives with the Chances, is also included. Additionally, there is an extended version of the season finale, "Don't Vote for This Episode," with three minutes of cut footage inserted back in.

     As far as featurettes go, "Adorable Stars: Meet the Hopes" gives viewers more than six minutes of focus on the adorable twins that play the titular baby. Fans get a look at their personalities, and their work environment. "Moments with Mrs. Chance" is a package of clips from the first season featuring Virginia in many of her best, and funniest, moments. It's an apt choice, considering Plimpton's vast talent, but one hopes that other performers will be featured similarly in later releases.
     "Taking Chances: Shooting the Season Finale" spends only a little bit of time talking about the season's last episode, but gives lots of attention to the usual environment on the set, and how everyone gets along. It also has Neff and Plimpton complaining of  Garcia's (My Name is Earl) alcoholism and sexcapades on set. Garcia argues in his own interview that he doesn't usually start getting drunk until at least 9 a.m. One assumes this is all a joke, but it is filmed in Hollywood, so you never know. But yeah, pretty sure they are kidding.

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Article first published as DVD Review: Raising Hope The Complete First Season on Blogcritics.

Raising Hope asks "Don't Vote for This Episode"

     For the season finale of FOX's Raising Hope, the series goes back in time five years. Jimmy (Lucas Neff) is a goth, attracting the attention of a the new awkward, braces-wearing cashier at the grocery store, Sabrina (Shannon Woodward). Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman) still seems fully lucid, and is tired of supporting her immature granddaughter, Virginia (Martha Plimpton), and Virginia's equally clueless husband, Burt (Garret Dillahunt). So on Jimmy's 18th birthday, which is also Maw Maw's 80th, she kicks the trio out on the street. At the grocery store, a morbidly obese Barney (Gregg Binkley) hunts for the "gypsy" squatting in the shop at night (it's Jimmy), while Shelley (Kate Micucci) and Frank (Todd Giebenhain) are expert shelf stockers until an accident leaves the former with a dead tooth. And Lucy (Bijou Phillips) begins to get awfully tired of her boyfriend.

     An episode like this is purely gratuitous, but it's such fun, so that can be easily forgiven. No plots arcs or ongoing stories are furthered, but the origin of many relationships and familiar characteristics are explored. This episode also bridges the gap between other past exploits that have been briefly shown and the modern incarnations of the characters, helping explain away some major life changes.

     The title is "Don't Vote for This Episode," which can only be a message for Emmy voters. Why the minds behind the series do not want this very special entry to be considered for awards is anyone's guess, but perhaps they want to be judged on their general merits, rather than one, far from representative, effort. It's too bad, because despite all of the perfectly logical arguments against doing an episode such as this, it is wonderfully executed and very entertaining, much as Raising Hope is almost every week.

     Perhaps the neatest thing about "Don't Vote for This Episode" is Sabrina's infatuation with Jimmy. Throughout season one, Jimmy has exhibited feelings for Sabrina that she doesn't return. While some may wonder if she just isn't interested in him, others may point out that her boyfriend could be a deterant, and were he not in the equation, the pair may have a chance. This episode supports the latter reasoning, as under different circumstances, Sabrina is very much attracted to Jimmy. Also, the elaborate goth makeup is a neat device so that Sabrina will not recognize her former crush years later when they meet under more ordinary circumstances.

     It is also nice to see Maw Maw in a transitional state. She appears more vulnerable and layered than the usual one-note jokes the character is often subjected to. Maw Maw used to be a complete individual, and it's illuminating to see some of that spirit before it is tempered by age and disease.

     Finally, "Don't Vote for This Episode" provides very good development for Burt and Virginia. Jimmy always complains about the mistakes they made with him, and they are often shown as irresponsible parents in flashback. Being put in a situation where they have to care for a sick relative, and have thier own safety net removed, is a reasonable explanation for their current (relative) maturity. Their story is actually one with an emotional impact, melding seamlessly with this mostly-for-laughs episode.

     Raising Hope has already been given a second season, and will return to FOX next fall.

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     To buy Raising Hope DVDs or streaming episodes, please click here.

Article first published as TV Review: Raising Hope - "Don't Vote for This Episode" on Blogcritics.