Over the winter break, I happened to catch the “New Men of Natesville” episode of Raising Hope. It wasn’t long before I caught up with the previous season-and-a-half. I never really had much of an intention to watch it, since I’m not a huge fan of Greg Garcia’s previous work, but I ended up falling hard for the Chance family.

Flashback to a little over a year ago when I was introduced to Corner Gas, a Canadian sitcom that ran from 2004 to 2009. This lackadaisical little show played out in a similar course, one where I was initially skeptical, yet the townspeople eventually warmed my little robot heart. I still haven’t seen every episode of Corner Gas—maybe someday—but I know that Brent, Wanda, Lacey, and the crew had a wonderful impact on my life. The comedy was solid even if the plots were a little slow. I didn’t mind because I had such a great time with the people of Dog River. They were nuanced and dealt with real issues, even if that fact was sometimes hidden under the veneer of the sitcom format.

I’m sure you can tell by now that I feel the same way about Raising Hope. The thing that first stood out to me was how the characters were all kind of weird. They run at a level of quirkiness that I associate with the comedy of Greg Daniels. (In one particularly funny bit from last night’s episode, Burt was trying to keep Jimmy from becoming the smart one in the household and urged him to stay away from “PBS and those NBC sitcoms.”) I agree with the praise that people heap on Parks and Recreation for having a town with recognizable characters and backstory. I would also extend that compliment to Raising Hope. For instance, the grocery store clerk, Frank, adds just the right amount of local weirdness to the show. He’s the Hank Yarbo of the Raising Hope set without a doubt. (How can I get a spin-off show with the two of them? It’d be called Hank and Frank and it would be hysterical.)

There’s a self-awareness that saves Raising Hope from being too saccharine. From the faux My Name Is Earl poster at the movie theater to the nod that shows about babies never last more than a year, Greg Garcia is like this evil puppet master that happens to love his creations a whole awful lot.  There have been concerns about how the show deals with family’s lower-lower-lower income status. While the first few episodes of the show were bumpy and felt like they were verging into laughing-at-them territory, I no longer have any qualms about how we view the Chance family.

Speaking of the Chances, let’s examine the main characters for the uninitiated. Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff) is the young father of the titular Hope. He got a serial killer pregnant and right after she gave birth to their daughter, she got fried in the electric chair. (It's a very dark concept, but it never brings the show down.) Jimmy’s kind of a doofus, but he tries his darnedest and he wouldn’t be able to manage without the help of his parents. Virginia (Martha Plimpton) plays the grandmother to Hope. Her acerbic wit has cooled down somewhat since becoming a grandma. She likes to think that she’s the smartest one in the family and she’s mostly right. Burt (Garrett Dillahunt) is wonderful. He’s Jimmy’s dad and Virginia’s husband. He loves his family so much, but he tends to be the opposite of Father Knows Best. The marriage between him and Virginia is one of the most realistic on television. Maw Maw (cheekily referenced to in every title sequence as “special guest star Cloris Leachman”) is the certifiably crazy great-great-grandmother of Hope. The writers have mercifully toned her down. You learn to love her. And lastly, there’s Sabrina (Shannon Woodward). She’s pretty, quick on her toes, and based on those two things alone you can probably guess that Jimmy is in love with her. She’s got a boyfriend, so Jimmy’s pining for Sabrina makes Season Two Jim Halpert look downright ruthless. I'm sure something will happen with that soon, but then again, I'm not holding my breath either. Kate Micucci pops up at the ukulele-strumming daycare leader and Gregg Binkley plays the grocery store manager. All in all, it’s a delightful little cast that work extremely well together.

Here’s the thing about Raising Hope. It catches you off guard. Since I had literally zero expectations for the show, I’m constantly delighted with the way that plots merge together. The jokes are deceptively layered and the comedic abilities of the actors seem to get better with every episode. Raising Hope is one to watch out for. You may be surprised at how quickly you fall for it.