Raising Hope

CHICAGO – When so much of your already-limited primetime schedule is devoted to reality singing competitions and animated programming, it gives a network little room to play. FOX only has a few timeslots once one takes “The X Factor”/”American Idol” and “Animation Domination” out of the equation. But play they will.

CHICAGO – FOX announced today that they have renewed their three biggest critical hits, the Tuesday night comedies “New Girl,” “Raising Hope,” and “Glee.” Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, made the announcement via press release, in advance of the company’s official May Fall schedule announcement. The renewals for smash hit “New Girl” and reliable performer “Glee” came as a surprise to no one. “Raising Hope” was closer to the bubble and so the early renewal makes for good news for its fans.

CHICAGO – Networks have long attempted four consecutive comedies on one night but it’s not a common thing to find on FOX (at least not live-action). So when it was announced that FOX would try to replicate what CBS has on Mondays, ABC has on Wednesdays, and NBC has on Thursdays with their own four-in-a-row on Tuesday nights, TV watchers were curious.

CHICAGO – I fall a bit more in love with “Raising Hope” every week. I went as far as to suggest that the series deserved Emmy nominations for Best Comedy Series, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Martha Plimpton), and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Garrett Dillahunt) — one out of three came true as Plimpton actually made a run at the trophy. This show just kept getting better as the first season progressed. Check it out now on DVD and see what the growing buzz is about.

CHICAGO – With new shows, it’s always about week two. How far do you drop from the highly-promoted week one numbers when there aren’t as many ads or reviews to remind viewers you’re on the air? CBS’s “Unforgettable” and FOX’s “New Girl” held strong from their week one numbers while “Glee” continued to slide from year to year.

CHICAGO – Demographic numbers aren’t in yet and there certainly isn’t a story as huge as Monday night’s ludicrous ratings for “Two and a Half Men,” but we thought you might want to know that FOX’s “New Girl” and CBS’s “Unforgettable” seem to be off to good starts. “Glee” was down in its season premiere while “Ringer” dropped in its second week.

CHICAGO – One of the nice twists of the Fox sitcom “Raising Hope,” is that it doesn’t so much rely on the cute baby named Hope, preferring to focus on the strange people who are in charge of “nurturing” her upbringing. The wackiness continues for a second season starting September 20th on FOX.

CHICAGO – It’s that time of year again – the time when the TV industry‘s chosen few try to determine which of their peers delivered the best performances of the past twelve months before handing in their Emmy ballots this Friday, June 24th, 2011.

CHICAGO – After a few misfires recently, FOX seems to have found a program to be proud of in the promising sitcom “Raising Hope,” which they announced today will be renewed for the 2011-12 season. The Tuesday night program airs at 8pm CST.

CHICAGO – Like the last show from its creator (“My Name is Earl”), the new FOX sitcom “Raising Hope” too-often feels like its underlining and pushing its jokes through the screen in desperation for a laugh but the cast of this new comedy entry is the best of the season and their talent alone should overcome the occasional bit of flop sweat.