"My Name Is Earl" (2005) TV series 2005-????

Creator:

Gregory Thomas Garcia

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

20 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Karma is a funny thing.

Plot:

A ne'er do well wins $100,000 in the lottery and decides to right all the wrongs from his past with his newfound realization.

Plot Keywords:

Karma | Ne'er Do Well | Beer | Claim In Title | Narrated By Title Character

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 9 wins & 46 nominations

Cast

Jason Lee	...	Earl Hickey (96 episodes, 2005-2009)
Ethan Suplee	...	Randy Hickey (96 episodes, 2005-2009)
Jaime Pressly	...	Joy Turner / ... (96 episodes, 2005-2009)
Nadine Velazquez	...	Catalina (96 episodes, 2005-2009)
Eddie Steeples	...	Darnell Turner / ... (96 episodes, 2005-2009)

Runtime:

30 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | Australia:PG (some episodes) | UK:12 (Season 1 DVD) | Australia:M (some episodes) | Ireland:12 | Malaysia:U | Singapore:NC-16 (season 1) | Finland:K-11 (DVD) (2007) | Singapore:PG (season 2) | New Zealand:M (seasons 1-2) | Netherlands:6 | Singapore:M18 (season 3) | Canada:G (Quebec) (VHS/DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

City Studios, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Part of the show's ad campaign before the series aired included billboard ads with Earl's picture and one of the items from his list printed on the billboard (i.e. "Cheated my way through the seventh grade...twice", "Stole a car from a one-legged girl", "Faked my death to break up with a girl" etc.), with the tag line "...I'm sorry".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scenes where pregnant "Joy" is in the shower, the body double is wearing flesh colored panties, just barely visible at the bottom of the screen. This goof is likely not visible on CRT televisions that over-scan.

Quotes:

Randy: I should be on that show where you have to remember the names of things. What's it called again?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Entourage: Drive (#6.1)" (2009)

Great new show! If you like the Coen brothers films, you might love this

I saw the first episode of "My Name Is Earl" last night, (9 p.m. on NBC) and I just had to plug it. I thought it was brilliant - wonderfully cast, written, and directed. I hope the show is a hit and keeps it up.

If the Coen brothers wrote and directed a TV sitcom, it could be very much like this show.

The premise is simple: Earl (the very likable Jason Lee, often seen in Kevin Smith films, and whose on screen demeanor sometimes reminds me of Chevy Chase in his youthful prime) is Earl, a small-time raggedy thief who snags a $100,000 winning lottery ticket. Seconds later he's mowed down by a car, and the ticket floats away in the breeze. While recovering in the hospital, doped up on morphine, he watches a TV show with MTV host Carson Daly talking about doing good deeds so that good things will happen to you...and he comes up with the the idea of repairing his mess of a life by making a list of all the people he's harmed in the past, tracking them down one by one, and making amends however he can.

When Earl briefly thinks of backing out on his plan, the ticket miraculously floats back seemingly out of nowhere..inspiring him to keep up the good work. Karma is a funny thing, as the tagline says.

The inimitable evil vixen Jaime Pressley (as his trashy ex-wife Joy) is part of a great supporting cast, and the superior writing and directing of the show gives it a comedic, quirky quality that reminded my husband and myself of Coen brothers' films such as "Raising Arizona". I hope the show can keep the quality up as the season progresses. The bar's been set pretty high with this first episode.

Anyway, "My Name Is Earl" is on NBC on Tuesdays at 9:00. Give it a whirl, and let's keep this one on the air, as long as the creators can maintain the quality of its premiere. As long as it keeps its sharp wit and avoids sinking into maudlin sentimentality, it should stay a winner.