Hope and some Joy

Did you like ‘Raising Arizona’, the Eighties Coen Brothers flick? Did you think ‘this is a very funny movie’? Did you also think; ‘hmm, this is so good, I’d like to see it turned into a tv series’? Probably not.Yet this is precisely what has been done with ‘Raising Hope’ (SKY 1). They’ve even taken the first part of the movie title, spot what they’ve done there? Alright, maybe ‘thetvreviewguy’ is being too critical; it’s a not too bad, nowhere near ‘The Simpsons’; it's trailer-park comedy that has endearing characters and some excellent lines. However, homage, imitation and plagiarism are all related concepts and it can be hard to know where one flows into the other. ‘Raising Hope’ is funny and reflects the down-turn zeitgeist; money is too tight to mention for this amiable family of eccentrics and the humour is affectionate and not mocking. Slices of Americana have always appealed to ‘thetvreviewguy’ and this is no different; not, as stated, highly original but nevertheless and good take on the American white working class (more likely now, sadly, to be working part-time or being unemployed). ‘Raising Hope’ is perfectly acceptable as Sunday evening fare; it should raise a few laughs too.