Why was sitcom Raising Hope cancelled after four seasons? Greg Garcia is the creator behind cult series My Name Is Earl, a colorful sitcom about the title character - played by Jason Lee - who wins the lottery only to immediately lose his ticket. He believes this is down to his own karma for living a poor life, so he makes a big list of every crummy thing he's ever done and sets out to make things right. My Name Is Earl's mix of laughs and drama saw it became beloved among devotees, and it was unexpectedly cancelled after four seasons in 2009.
Garcia followed up with the equally unconventional sitcom Raising Hope in 2010. This revolved around Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff), who learns that after a one-night stand he's fathered a daughter named Hope with a serial killer. When Hope's mother lands on Death Row, Jimmy has to adjust to life as a new father with help from his oddball family, including mother Virginia (Martha Plimpton) and father Burt (Garret Dillahunt, Fear The Walking Dead).
The series got great mileage out of the antics of the Chance clan, with Raising Hope providing an even blend of gags and heart. It even gave a little resolution to My Name Is Earl in the form of an easter egg news report heard during the first episode. It also attracted good reviews, but despite this, Raising Hope came to an end in 2014 after four seasons.
Ahead of Raising Hope season 4, Greg Garcia left the series as showrunner and was succeeded by Mike Mariano. It was also moved to a new timeslot by FOX, which saw its ratings take a noticeable dip. This slide in viewership combined with the fact Raising Hope passed the syndication threshold with the season 4 finale, which brought its episode count up to 88, is likely why the network decided the time was right to end it. While 100 episodes is usually considered the ideal number, 88 just about tips a show over the line.
Raising Hope had a good run too, with the season 4 finale providing a sense of closure for the series. While there have been rumors over the years of a potential revival of My Name Is Earl, there don't appear to be any discussions to bring back Raising Hope. It would interesting to see how the lives of the Chance family evolved beyond the season 4 finale, but for now, a return doesn't seem to be on the cards.