'Raising Hope' on Fox is a Great Show About a Zany but Caring Family … and Oh Yeah, a Baby!

Raising Hope snagged me from the very first episode in its' debut season, and hasn't let go since!

Typically, a FOX sitcom usually means "filler" TV at best, and bad TV at worst (unless it's animated: then there's some hope). But Raising Hope is different. First and foremost, it's a show that relies on cast chemistry. There are no real stars here, just a lot of very good comic actors who know what it means to be in an ensemble.

Lucas Neff (Jimmy), Garret Dillahunt (Jimmy's dad Burt) and Shannon Woodward (Jimmy's co-worker/love interest Sabrina) are fine actors, but not household names. Martha Plimpton (Jimmy's mom Virginia) would most likely merit a higher billing, but is still not as well known as Cloris Leachman (Virginia's grandmother "Maw Maw"), star of television, movies, stage and, most recently, Dancing With The Stars.

The beauty of this particular ensemble lies their ability to make their fellow castmates shine, even while delivering stand out performances. That's what makes this show special.

The show revolves around Jimmy, who lives at home with his parents while taking care of his daughter Hope, the product of his union with a murderer who was caught and executed…leaving Jimmy to raise their daughter. Since Jimmy is basically a kid himself who is now raising a kid, taking care of Hope becomes a family project. This allows Burt and Virginia to step in and deliver great performances as Hope's caring but educationally-challenged grandparents.

Maw Maw is the Alzheimer's-afflicted elder who's behavior provides nice comic relief. And Sabrina is the cute girl at work that Jimmy has a crush on, but is willing to settle for a good friendship. And then there's Hope, the non-talking but vital "star" of the show. I'm usually not partial to shows with babies, but there's something special about Hope. She's a cute baby, but not in the traditional way. She's got character that shows in her expressions. And that characters fits in perfectly with her well-meaning but young dad, her nutty grandparents, her over-the-top great-great-grandmother, and other assorted characters in their loves.

This show makes me laugh like few others on TV these days. Like when the family is at the doctor trying to figure out how to get Jimmy to sing and play piano the way he did before Burt hit him on the head with an errantly thrown golf putter. Or the time they went to a lawyer to make a will and figure out who would take care of Hope in case anything happened to either of them, only to leave Hope at the lawyer's office as they left.

Their shenanigans are over-the-top, but still kinda' believable. And in the end they really care about one another. I guess that's why I keep coming back to the Chance household every week for some laughs and touching moments. Maybe you should too.