Cloris Leachman Promoted to "Raising Hope" Series Regular

[JamesG]

Exclusive: "Raising Hope" Gives Cloris Leachman a Promotion
Jun 1, 2011
by Michael Shanks


Make room for more Maw Maw.

As "Raising Hope" starts planning for Season 2, Cloris Leachman — who plays the show's confused octogenarian — has been elevated to series regular status on the Fox comedy.

Leachman was billed as a "special guest star" throughout Season 1.






For the show's second season, "Raising Hope" creator Greg Garcia says it was time to give Leachman a promotion, given her amount of screen time. And he'll have some fun with the veteran actress, who will now be billed this way: "... and introducing Cloris Leachman as Maw Maw."

"I thought it would be funny to make it 'introducing Cloris Leachman,' and she thought it was hilarious," Garcia says.





What took so long to name Leachman a full-fledged series regular?

"It just worked out that way with her schedule and stuff. And in the first season we didn't know how much we would use her and where the stories would go."









Turns out, they used her quite a bit. Leachman — who was just coming off a well-publicized stint on "Dancing With the Stars" — remains a force of nature, even at 85.

"I am inspired by her," Garcia says. "She's sharp as a tack and here working all hours of the night... She's fun and funny and has great ideas. Her rule is if it's funny, she'll do it. And she trusts us."






Garcia says "Raising Hope's" writers are trying not to simply play Maw Maw's dementia for laughs.

"It's a constant challenge for us. We don't want it to get old and be the same joke."



That's why we're seeing a bit more lucidity in the character, as well as more flashbacks (like in the show's season finale), back when Maw Maw was still fully awake.

"We'll play with it more in Season 2," Garcia adds.








Meanwhile, the "Raising Hope" writers returned to the room this week to start mapping out Season 2. Besides more flashbacks, Garcia says the show will also explore how Hope's growth as a toddler impacts the family.

"Everyone bought the book 'What to Expect: The Toddler Years'. We'll sit down with the parents of the babies and see what they're capable of. But we're sticking with the same Hopes. We're a little family here, and we'll let them age as they age."

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Cloris-L...e-1033809.aspx

[catlover79]

[Marvo301]

I thought she always was a regular! Anyway this seems to be a great time to be 80 something in show business. First Betty White and now Cloris Leachman!

[Mr. Television]

Well Deserved.

[McGillicuddy]

Originally Posted by Marvo301

I thought she always was a regular! Anyway this seems to be a great time to be 80 something in show business. First Betty White and now Cloris Leachman!

That's right! Betty was initially to be a part-time or reocurring cast member on Hot in Cleveland, before they realized she could handle being the star!

[70s show watcher]

i always thought that she was already a regular too anyway good for her she is really funny on the show