A coarse, chaotic, and sweet ‘Raising Hope’

“Raising Hope’’ is a lot like “My Name Is Earl,’’ though far from a clone. The single-camera show has a similarly madcap tone, and it also revolves around people — the Chance family — who work menial jobs and don’t have much money. Plimpton’s Virginia is a hotel maid, her husband, Burt (Garret Dillahunt), is a pool cleaner, and their 23-year-old son, Jimmy (Lucas Neff), helps him out. They live together in grandma’s home — they call her Maw Maw, and she’s played by Cloris Leachman — and Neanderthal cousin Mike (Skyler Stone) is also under the same roof, in a tent in the laundry room. They’re a boatload of affectionate chaos, with provider Burt acting more like a big kid than son Jimmy.

As if this weren’t crowded enough, Jimmy unexpectedly brings home his infant daughter, adding yet another level to the multigenerational insanity. He had a one-night-stand with a wanted felon, and, well, long story short, he now has possession of the 6-month-old whom the felon named Princess Beyonce. Virginia is quite displeased about this new addition, to put it mildly. She was 15 when she had Jimmy, and she’s longing to be free of child-rearing. She knows she’s the one who’ll wind up taking care of the baby — even though she’s as poorly equipped to do that as she was at 15 — so she suggests Jimmy drop Princess Beyonce at the fire station.

But in a moment of grace reminiscent of Earl’s awakening in “My Name Is Earl,’’ Jimmy feels that the presence of his baby is offering his family a new chance (as such, her name changes to Hope). And that’s how “Raising Hope’’ expands from a funny portrait of eccentrics — which also includes Jimmy’s new love interest, a supermarket check-out girl with a subversive streak — into something special. While Leachman is at her scary-crazy best, since Maw Maw has lost her memory and kisses her grandson like he’s her late husband, this show has a lot of genuine heart to balance the broad humor. And even better, the warm moments are never pushed in our faces; they remain just below the surface, unarticulated by the inarticulate characters.