Hey you! It’s part 2 of 3 of “Returning Shows You Should Watch.” Read part 1 here. And read below to see why I think you should tune into RAISING HOPE and THE VAMPIRE DIARIES this fall.
RAISING HOPE (FOX)
I wasn’t addicted to Greg Garcia’s MY NAME IS EARL, but I can’t get enough of his new blue collar comedy, RAISING HOPE. The single-camera sitcom focuses on the 23-year-old Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff) and his family as they raise Jimmy’s baby, Hope. The premise is a dark one. Jimmy has a one-night stand with a serial killer and receives custody of Baby Hope (born Princess Beyonce, of course) shortly before the baby’s mother is given the death penalty. Such a light-hearted family sitcom! But beyond the series’ gruesome beginnings, RAISING HOPE really is a touching family comedy. Jimmy lives with his parents, Virginia (Martha Plimpton) and Burt (Garret Dillahunt), and his great-grandmother, Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman). They raise Hope together, and they have a little help from Jimmy’s co-worker and crush, Sabrina (Shannon Woodward).
For me, half the fun of the show is delving into the quirky world Garcia has created. Jimmy works at the local grocery store where we see his boss, Barney (Gregg Binkley), and his creepy co-worker Frank (Todd Giebenhain). The grocery store is like CHUCK’s Buy More, providing lighter B and C stories. Then there’s Sabrina’s cousin, Shelly, portrayed by Kate Micucci of Garfunkel & Oates. Shelly runs a daycare center for babies, seniors and dogs, and the show is smart to use Micucci’s musical talents:
But one of the biggest reasons to watch is for Martha Plimpton. She was on my Emmy nomination wish list, so I was thrilled she received a nod in the category for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series. Plimpton brings a lot of heart to a show that flirts with being unrelatable. (I know, it’s shocking that I can’t relate to someone who has impregnated a serial killer.) But the whole cast deserves credit for making us feel the love between these characters. The Chances are a different kind of modern family, and they’re a refreshing and real alternative to a certain wildly popular upper middle class TV family that had an overhyped second season. (Too harsh?)
Can you watch Season 2 without having seen Season 1? Definitely. There is very little serialization in RAISING HOPE.
Returns Tuesday, September 20 at 9:30/8:30c on FOX.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (THE CW)
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES holds the honor of being the only CW show I watch (even though I fully intend on catching up with NIKITA). I initially stayed away from the series because I was afraid it would be a TWILIGHT clone, but eventually critics and friends wore me down. Now I’m kicking myself for staying away for so long. I mean, look at what I was missing out on:
It's Vampire Boone!
I know that a shirtless man isn’t the only reason to watch a TV show, but hey, it’s the only reason I watch TRUE BLOOD nowadays. THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (which I promise is better than TRUE BLOOD) takes place in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, and revolves around high school student Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev). Dobrev pulls double duty by portraying Elena’s (not very nice) vampire ancestor, Katherine. Brothers and vampires Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) protect Elena and investigate supernatural events with the help of witches and vampires and werewolves (Oh my!). Naturally, there’s a central love triangle. Really it’s more like a quadrangle: Damon loves Elena. Elena loves Stefan. Stefan loves Elena. Katherine loves Stefan. Damon loves Katherine. Damon sometimes hates Stefan because everyone loves Stefan and not Damon.
My favorite character in the series is Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola), which is something I never would have said in the beginning of the first season. (SPOILER ALERT!) Caroline didn’t become interesting until Damon turned her into a vampire, a move I was sad about until vampire Caroline turned out to be totally awesome and funny. Caroline struggles to maintain the life of a normal high school girl and to keep her secret from her sheriff mother and sweet boyfriend, Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig). But now that Caroline is a vampire, she’ll never be able to escape the supernatural and her family and friends will always be in harm’s way. Oh, and she’s kind of in love with her boyfriend’s best friend, Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino), who just so happens to be a werewolf. But a werewolf bite can kill a vampire, so that’s a pretty deadly forbidden love.
Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood
Can you watch Season 3 without having seen Seasons 1 and 2? Hmm…maybe? Do yourself a favor and just watch the first two seasons. It’s a primetime soap, so there’s so much serialization. And this is the perfect show to binge on because you get addicted very quickly. But the following clip is a pretty decent summary if you want to start watching the show immediately:
Returns Thursday, September 15 at 8/7c on The CW.
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