The 2010-2011 season was not a good one for comedies. While most of last year’s offerings died a well-deserved death, a small minority delivered enough laughs to carry them through for another year.
Raising Hope, about to begin its second season on FOX, is arguably the best of these survivors.
This isn’t the kind of show that makes for an obvious hit. Raising Hope revolves around multiple generations of the blue-collar Chance family. A baby conceived during a one-night stand with a serial killer, immature grandparents still in their 30s and a senile great-great grandmother all lend to the show’s insane humor.
Yet, somehow, it all works in Raising Hope.
The season 2 premiere, “Prodigy,” continues the funny. Why should you watch? We’ve put together five reasons why you really can’t miss Raising Hope:
1. Hope
Simply put, Hope Chance is the cutest, funniest and most-expressive baby on television. Played by twins Rylie and Baylie Cregut in both season 1 and season 2, Hope has naturally aged from an adorable infant to an equally-engaging toddler. Babies are rarely independently-entertaining aspects of television. But Hope is an exception to this.
2. Greyson Chance as Young Jimmy
Raising Hope loves its flashbacks, and the season 2 premiere has plenty to offer. When Jimmy (Lucas Neff) finds out that he was a teenage musical prodigy, we’re treated to an extended sequence of yesteryear. Whether you’re a fan of the Internet music sensation or not, Greyson is definitely an impressive performer.
3. Maw Maw and Her Puppet
One of the highlights of any Raising Hope flashback is the chance to see Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman) before she lost her marbles. In these flashbacks, Maw Maw is Jimmy’s music teacher. A teacher with a rather odd hand puppet as a sidekick…
4. No one has matured
There are no adults on Raising Hope. Jimmy is still basically a child, despite having fathered Hope. And his parents, Virginia (Martha Plimpton) and Burt (Garret Dillahunt), aren’t much better. Throw in Maw Maw and her senility, and we get to watch a group of lovable children negotiating the stormy waters of reality.
5. Shelly sings
Of all the musical acts seen in this episode of Raising Hope, the best one by far is from Shelly (Kate Micucci), Hope’s daycare teacher. Not only is the tune as clever and silly as anything Shelly has sung in the past, it’s accompanied by video footage of a quickly-growing baby Hope.
In its first season, Raising Hope was a quirky, sweet and often hilarious look at one messed-up (but happy!) family. And season 2 promises to keep raising the hilarity of Hope.
Also premiering tonight is FOX’s new comedy New Girl. Check out our 5 reasons to watch the adorable and hilarious comedy.
(Images courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Laurel grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, Grosse Pointe, MI and Bellevue WA. She then went on to live in places like Boston, Tucson, Houston, Wales, Tanzania, Prince Edward Island and New York City before heading back to Seattle. Ever since early childhood, when she became addicted to The Muppet Show, Laurel has watched far too much TV. Current favorites include Chuck, Modern Family, Supernatural, Mad Men and Community. Laurel received a BA in Astrophysics (yes, that is possible) from Colgate University and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and History of Science from Columbia University before she realized that television is much better than studying.
