Watch Raising Hope

When the Fox network first introduced Raising Hope it looked like a typical, cute sitcom about a dysfunctional family trying to raise a baby. The show does revolve around a family with many quirks but is not solely cute. Raising Hope uses a mix of tender moments and dark comedy to draw in viewers.

The Chance family are a group of low income screw ups who enjoy the simple pleasures in life because they cannot afford anything else. Virginia (Martha Plimpton) and Burt Chance (Garret Dillahunt) both work menial service jobs while supporting their grown up son Jimmy (Lucas Neff). They all stay with Virgina's mother Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman) against her will. However, she suffers from dementia and often does know what her will is or what decade she is in. Jimmy is content mooching off his family and slacking off until an encounter with a serial killer changes his life.

Jimmy thinks his luck has reversed when he meets a beautiful woman one night. It is soon revealed that she murders all her boyfriends. Jimmy survives the encounter but is surprised nine months later when he meets his daughter Princess Beyonce. The mother is on death row and the baby goes to Jimmy. This leads Jimmy to realize that his life is leading nowhere. Instead of dropping the baby at the fire station like many young dads in his area do, he thinks that raising his daughter may give him a purpose. He changes the girl's name to Hope and embarks on the journey to fatherhood with reluctant help from his family.

Sinister humor is always present because of a serial killer girlfriend, unflinching jokes about the true hardships of being poor, Maw Maw's mental issues and more. The blunt nature of these jokes are offset by the sweetness of the Chances as they fall in love with Hope and begin to raise her. They are all committed to ensuring she has more opportunities than them even if they have no clue how to give her said opportunities. Sabrina (Shannon Woodward) comes from a wealthy background and tries to help them. She is a sweet yet sarcastic girl that rounds out the cast as Jimmy's love interest.

Anyone who likes oddball situations and wants to add a unique show to their viewing lineup will love Raising Hope. The strong cast, adorable infant and outlandish comedy continues to interest fans and draw new viewers to the show.

Raising Hope is a series that ran for 4 seasons (89 episodes) between September 21, 2010 and on FOX