Raising Hope's Lucas Neff Has Been Standing Behind You the Entire Time

Genuinely, if you’d asked me a month ago whatever happened to the lead in Raising Hope, Lucas Neff — who played Jimmy — I’d have probably guessed that he either left the business to pursue a real job, or he’s continued a career in low-budget straight-to-digital as a 6th billed actor in John Cusack martial arts films. But here’s the thing about Lucas Neff: He never left us. He just lurks around in corners, waiting for someone to notice.

And the thing is: I should notice. I was such a Lucas Neff fan that I am maybe the only person on the Internet — genuinely — who spotted him in the background of a shot on AMC’s Preacher (his character, unfortunately, was cut from the show, but his existence still exists for a residual moment). Dude got Brother Chuck’d.

That was the last I’d heard of Lucas Neff … or so I thought. A few weeks ago, I was going through the IMDB of American Primeval — a series I watched in its entirety — and spotted Lucas Neff’s name. I didn’t remember Neff being in the series, but after revisiting it, there he was. Plain as day, disguised only by a period mustache.

Is this the first time I’d seen Lucas Neff and didn’t realize it? As it turns out, no it was not! He was actually in four episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale in the fifth season. I watched the entire fifth season. I have no recollection of Lucas Neff. And yet, there he is, playing Paul Ryan, apparently.

Neff was also a series regular in a comedy that I don’t think I’d ever even heard of until this moment called Carol’s Second Act. It only ran for one season, but the cast was insane for a show I have no memory of: Patricia Heaton, Kyle MacLachlan, Ashley Tisdale, and Cedric Yarbrough, among others. I’m not sure I’d have realized it was Neff even if I had watched.

In 2017, he starred opposite Alison Tolman in Downward Dog, a comedy with a talking dog that had no right to be as good as it was. No one watched it, alas, although I did see the entire series. I have zero recollection of Lucas Neff, who was the love interest.

I was kind of blown away by all of this, but then this week, I stumbled across Tim Allen’s new sitcom Shifting Gears, and there he is again! He’s the deadbeat ex-husband of Kat Dennings’ character. And, again, his name is Jimmy!

What is going on? Is he following me? Because yesterday, I reviewed Amy Schumer’s Kinda Pregnant. Three days ago, Neff was at the Kinda Pregnant red carpet premiere. By himself. Just haunting me.

What’s going on? Why is he there? I thought maybe he has a girlfriend or a wife who is in the movie, and after doing some digging, I discovered that he was married to Caitlin Stasey for six years. You may recognize her from Smile.

And now I have officially creeped myself out.