Everyone says that Raising Hope is lame.  It’s a C-Rated comedy, that doesn’t seem to have much hope for a second season.

The story follows a young and confused slacker, Jimmy, who knocks up a serial killer. The serial killer is then put to death, and Jimmy becomes a single father. Still living with his dad, his mom, and his crazy grandma, Maw Maw, completes the show as a white trash comedy, set in a simple and white trashy town.  Sound familiar? It does if you were a My Name Is Earl fan.

The writer of My Name is Earl, Greg Garcia, transferred the same sort of red neck America humor into Raising Hope. 

Personally, I enjoy the show. I’m not a fan of blue collar comedy, and I’m not a fan of My Name is Earl, but there is something sweet about Raising Hope.  I think it has to do with the innocence of the characters.

Each character in the show seems to be adorably clueless.  Jimmy doesn’t know how to raise a child, so he asks his parents for help. Coincidentally, neither do his parents. But both families worked through their problems anyway. 

The burdens that are put on parents of bringing up a human who has their own life, problems and everything else that goes into day-to-day life is something that, we as sprouting adults, can’t even begin to imagine. We have barely got anything figured out ourselves.

“Raising Hope” does a good job of portraying the struggle, because Hope’s father is barely an adult himself.  The love that he shows for his daughter is very mature though, and the theme of family overcoming obstacles is very uplifting. Even if the obstacles seem stupid, and are written in with simple minded commentary.

So yes, the show is kind of lame. But the story is sweet, and it portrays an American family and the love and support they show for each other, which is not something aired as often any more.