Raising Hope: The Complete First Season

In Fox's heartwarming working-class comedy Raising Hope, Jimmy (Lucas Neff) lives at home with his mother, Virginia (Martha Plimpton), a maid; his father, Burt (Garret Dillahunt), a lawn and pool man; and his delusional great-grandmother, Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman). After a one-night stand, 22-year-old Jimmy finds himself a father, much like his parents before him. Since the mom (Bijou Phillips) was a serial killer, she gets the electric chair and Jimmy gets the titular baby. Over the course of the season, Jimmy navigates the rapids of parenthood, lands a job at a grocery store, and falls for fellow clerk Sabrina (Shannon Woodward), only she has a boyfriend. Other recurring characters are daycare operator Shelley (Kate Micucci) and store manager Barney (Gregg Binkley), while guest stars include Jason Lee as a has-been rocker, Amy Sedaris as Virginia's competitive cousin, and J.K. Simmons as Burt's judgmental brother. While the actors are game, the show sometimes crosses the line between creative and creepy with jokes about topics like senility and capital punishment. Fortunately, the feel-good moments hit the spot, the flashbacks are funny, and the season finale successfully grapples with the show's thorniest issues. Compiling all 11 episodes from the 2010–11 debut, DVD extras include the unaired pilot, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)