History Trivia / RaisingHope

** In the Episode "A Germ of a Story" when watching home movie from Virginia's childhood, Burt says Maw Maw looks like the horny neighbor from ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' -- Cloris Leachman portrayed Phyllis Lindstrom on that show.

** In the first season finale we meet Lucy's first victim, who is played by Bijou Phillips' actual husband, [[Series/That70sShow Danny Masterson]].

** Creator/GregGarcia's sons appear on the show as well: Trace Garcia (credited as Trace!) plays the child version of Jimmy, Nathan Garcia (credited as Nathan!) appeared in the episode "Sleep Training"[note] as Hope's mouth[/note] and "Killer Hope" [note] as the paperboy[/note] and Camden played Barney's stepson Trevor in five episodes.

* TheCastShowoff: More of a guest-star showoff, but if Creator/KateMicucci (Shelly) is in an episode, she would likely be singing and playing the ukelele.

* Creator/RichardDeanAnderson and his daughter, Wylie, played father and daughter in Season 2.

* ActingForTwo: Cloris Leachman plays both Barbara-June "Maw Maw" Thompson and her 104 year old mother Norma June Mayfair in "Mother's Day".

* TheCastShowoff: More of a guest-star showoff, but if [[Music/GarfunkelAndOates Kate Micucci]] (Shelly) is in an episode, she would likely be singing and playing the ukelele.

** In the third season premiere, Melanie Griffith plays Sabrina's mother as they gather for the funeral of Sabrina's grandmother, who is played by Griffith's real mother, Tippi Hedren.

* ActingForTwo: Cloris Leachman plays both Barbara-June "Maw Maw" Thompson and her 104 year old mother Norma June Thompson in "Mother's Day".

** Virginia calls the whipped husband played by Ethan Suplee from the episode "Baby Monitor", "...a skinny version of the dude from ''Film/{{Mallrats}}''." Ethan Suplee ''did'' play that character in the movie.

** "Happy Halloween" reveals that Burt would routinely dress up in costume on Halloween ''just'' to scare Jimmy (so he'd come to him for a hug). Considering that Garret Dillahunt usually plays scary figures...
*** To drive it further, Jimmy ''explicitly'' says that Burt tortured Jimmy by doing this...
* TheCastShowoff: More of a guest-star showoff, but if Kate Miccuci is in an episode, she'll likely be singing and playing the ukelele.
* FridayNightDeathSlot: The fourth (and final) season moved to Friday.

* RealLifeRelative: In the first season finale we meet Lucy's first victim, played by Bijou Phillips' actual husband, [[Series/That70sShow Danny Masterson]]. In the episode "Anniversary", the cowboy running the dude ranch is veteran character actor Keith Carradine, Martha Plimpton's (Virginia) father. And in the third season premiere, Melanie Griffith plays Sabrina's mother as they gather for the funeral of Sabrina's grandmother- played by Griffith's real mother, Tippi Hedren.

** In the Episode "A Germ of a Story" when watching home movie from Virginia's childhood, Burt says Maw Maw looks like the ''hot'' neighbor from ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' -- Cloris Leachman portrayed Phyllis Lindstrom on that show.

* RealLifeRelative: In the first season finale we meet Lucy's first victim, played by Bijou Phillips' actual husband, [[Series/That70sShow Danny Masterson]]. In the episode "Anniversary", the cowboy running the dude ranch is veteran character actor Keith Carradine, Martha Plimpton's (Virginia) father.

** In the Episode "A Germ of a Story" when watching home movie from Virginia's childhood, Burt says Maw Maw looks like the neighbor from TheMaryTylerMooreShow - Cloris Leachman's character on that show.

** Smokey Floyd, played by Jason Lee A.K.A Earl Hickey, calls Barney (Gregg Binkley) "Kenny" by accident. Guess the name of the character Binkley played in ''Series/MyNameIsEarl''...

** In the ItsAWonderfulPlot episode, Maw Maw plays the angel. Cloris Leachman once played this role in ''It Happened One Christmas'', a gender-flipped version of ItsAWonderfulLife. There was also a version of the ItsAWonderfulPlot when Leachman was on ''Series/TheFactsOfLife''.
** In "Yo Zappa Do", Brian Doyle-Murray appears as [[Series/YesDear a president of a movie studio]]. Of course considering who appear next, it could have been the actual Mr. Savitsky. In the same episode, Virginia points out that child actors never last. They appear in a [[Film/TheGoonies Steven Spielberg movie]] and then end up "as the mom on a wacky sitcom."

* RealLifeRelative: In the first season finale we see Lucy's first victim, played by Bijou Phillips' actual husband, [[Series/That70sShow Danny Masterson]]. In the episode "Anniversary", the cowboy running the dude ranch is veteran character actor Keith Carradine, Martha Plimpton's (Virginia) father.

** Smokey Floyd, played by [[MyNameIsEarl Jason Lee A.K.A Earl Hickey]], calls Barney (Gregg Binkley) "Kenny" by accident. Guess the name of the character Binkley played in MyNameIsEarl...
*** Smokey Floyd returns in "Making The Band" with a list of people he's wronged that he is making amends to, complete with ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'' theme music, he is joined by the actors who played Randy, Darnell, Joy and Catalina as well as TV's Tim Stack.

* SeparatedAtBirthCasting: Teenage Virginia, Kelley Heyer, looks uncannily like Martha Plimpton. The show later recast teenage Burt with Corey Eid, who similarly resembles Garret Dillahunt.

* ActorAllusion: In the Episode "A Germ of a Story" when watching home movie from Virginia's childhood, Burt says Maw Maw looks like the neighbor from TheMaryTylerMooreShow - Cloris Leachman's character on that show.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Uncle Bruce is Creator/JKSimmons.

** Virginia calls the whipped husband played by Ethan Suplee from the episode "Baby Monitor", "...a skinny version of the dude from ''[[Film/{{Mallrats}}]]''." Ethan Suplee ''did'' play that character in the movie.

* RealLifeRelative: In the first season finale we see Lucy's first victim, played by Bjou Phillips actual husband Danny Masterson. In the episode "Anniversary" the cowboy running the dude ranch is veteran character actor Keith Carradine, Martha Plimptons (Virginia) father.

** Virginia calls the whipped husband played by Ethan Suplee from the episode "Baby Monitor", "...a skinny version of the dude from ''[[Film/Mallrats]]''." Ethan Suplee ''did'' play that character in the movie.

** Virginia calls the whipped husband played by Ethan Suplee from the episode "Baby Monitor", "...a skinny version of the dude from Film/MallRats." Ethan Suplee ''did'' play that character in the movie.

* FridayNightDeathSlot: The fourth (And final) season moved to Friday.

** Virginia calls the whipped husband played by Ethan Suplee from the episode "Baby Monitor", "...a skinny version of the dude from MallRats." Ethan Suplee ''did'' play that character in the movie.

* RealLifeRelative: In the first season finale we see Lucy's first victim, played by Bjou Phillips actual husband Danny Masterson. In the episode "Anniversary" the cowboy running the dude ranch is veteran character actor Keith Carradine, Martha Plimptons (Virginia) father.