Hope and Faith is the best of the new sitcoms this year. At a time when everyone is bemoaning the overhyped endings of Frasier and Friends, I have to say that not once have those shows ever made me laugh. This one does. Kelly Ripa is so over the top it's refreshing to see how far she has taken this character. It's her first real acting job after 12 years of soap opera and talk shows and she shows some marvelous chops. Ted McGinley's an old pro who fills in nicely but Faith Ford is surprisingly wacky in what is supposedly the straight man role. Ford and Ripa get to do a lot of physical comedy which few shows have any more. Jim Carrey built a career on shamelessly mugging and Ripa is right up there with him. The kids aren't given much to do but they are perfect in their roles and provide a nice counterpoint. The show is also pulling in a lot of big guest stars with funny in-jokes. Definitely worth a look.
Review of Hope & Faith
