My Name Is Earl

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My Name Is Earl
Title card featuring Jason Lee as Earl Hickey
Created byGreg Garcia
StarringJason Lee
Ethan Suplee
Jaime Pressly
Eddie Steeples
Nadine Velazquez
Narrated byJason Lee
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes96 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersGreg Garcia
Marc Buckland
Tom Palmer
Camera setupSingle camera
Running time21 minutes
"Super-sized" episodes: 29 minutes
Two part and hour-long episodes: 42 minutes
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 20, 2005 (2005-09-20) –
May 14, 2009 (2009-05-14)

My Name Is Earl is an American comedy created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005 to May 14, 2009 in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television.

Overview

Set in fictional Camden County, the series stars Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Eddie Steeples and Nadine Velazquez. Lee stars in the title role as Earl J. Hickey, a petty crook with occasional run-ins with the law, whose newly won $100,000 lottery ticket is lost when he is hit by a car. Lying in a hospital bed, under the influence of morphine, he develops a belief in the Americanized concept of karmic retribution when he hears about karma during an episode of Last Call with Carson Daly. He decides he wants to turn his life around, and so makes a list of every bad thing he's ever done in an attempt to correct them, as he believes that this is the only way he can gain positive karma. After doing his first good deed, he finds the $100,000 lottery ticket he had previously lost. He sees this as a sign and, with his new lucky money, he proceeds to cross items off the list, one by one, by doing good deeds in correspondence to the list items to atone for them.[1]

Conception

Creator and head writer Greg Garcia wrote the pilot while working on another sitcom, Yes, Dear. He initially pitched the series to Fox, which passed on the series. He then approached NBC, which optioned the pilot on a cast-contingent basis, meaning they would order the pilot provided a suitable cast could be assembled. Jason Lee was approached for the lead role, but was uninterested in working in television and passed on the series twice before finally agreeing to read the pilot script. Though he liked the pilot, he was hesitant to commit to his first TV starring role until after meeting with Garcia, after which he signed on to play Earl Hickey.

Ratings

The series premiered on September 20, 2005, drew in 14.9 million viewers in the United States, earning a 6.6 rating. By the airing of the third episode it was apparent that My Name Is Earl was the highest rated of NBC's new fall offerings, and a full season (22 episodes) was ordered. In its first month, it was also the highest rated new sitcom of the season to air on any network and was the highest rated sitcom on any network in the 18–49-year-old demographic. The show was renewed for a second season (2006-07), a third (2007-08), and a fourth (2008-09).

Season Timeslot (EDT) Season Premiere Season Finale TV Season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
1 Tuesday 9:00 P.M. (September 20 - December 6, 2005)
Thursday 9:00 P.M. (January 5 - May 11, 2006) 		September 20, 2005 May 11, 2006 2005-2006 #40 10.9[2]
2 Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 21, 2006 - May 10, 2007) September 21, 2006 May 10, 2007 2006-2007 #58 8.9[3]
3 Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 27, 2007 - May 15, 2008) September 27, 2007 May 15, 2008 2007-2008 #75 7.3[4]
4 Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 25, 2008 - May 14, 2009) September 25, 2008 May 14, 2009 2008-2009 #85 6.56[5]

Cancellation

NBC canceled the series on May 19, 2009. Season four had ended with the caption 'To Be Continued'. The series' producer, 20th Television, approached the Fox, ABC,[6] TBS[7] and TNT[8] networks to continue the series, but they were unable to come to terms without "seriously undermining the artistic integrity of the series."[7][9][10][11][12][13] Although the show's cancellation came just four episodes away from the coveted 100 episode mark which is typically seen as the point when a series becomes able to be syndicated, My Name Is Earl is syndicated on TBS. Long negotiations with TBS ended with the show not being resolved and classified as "dead".

Ion Television began reshowing the series on January 30, 2010 at 10pm EST.[citation needed]

Characters

Main characters

  • Earl Jehosaphat Hickey[14](Jason Lee)—The protagonist and narrator of the show. He has a long history of petty crime (mostly theft), for which he is trying to atone. Although he lacks a good education and frequently demonstrates poor judgement, he has a clouded grasp of right and wrong which he tries to impart to his friends. His conversion to an understanding of Karma now drives his life, as he seeks to make up for his past wrong-doing. He is afraid of flying and needles. Earl has a 1973 red El Camino with a blue driver's side door (stolen by Earl from a blue model of the same car). Earl is married and divorced three times in the course of the series. Earl's father intended to name him Carl, but his cursive letter 'C' was read as an 'E' by the hospital where Earl was born. In many flashbacks, he is seen wearing an AC/DC shirt in Joy's trailer. He also appears to be incapable of keeping his eyes open when photographs are taken. He moved out of his parent's house on 14th March 1989 (which his father was so thrilled about that he made 3.14.89 the combination to his gun case).
  • Randall "Randy" Do Hickey[14](Ethan Suplee)—Earl's younger brother. He is thought to be very dimwitted and simple, bordering on mild mental retardation. Described as "borderline artistic" by his elder brother for his creativity, Randy possesses a childlike naivety that manifests as both sweetness toward others, and an unawareness of the potentially harmful consequences of his actions. He doesn't fully understand Earl's List, and sometimes resents the importance it plays in Earl's life, but he supports his campaign out of brotherly love. Randy is a huge fan of H.R. Pufnstuf. He is afraid of birds and allergic to cats. He has been shown to be an excellent singer (particularly at opera) many times. He also is very good at acting. He is a fan of Michael J. Fox
  • Joy Farrah Darville Hickey Turner (Jaime Pressly)—Earl's first ex-wife, now married to Darnell. She is unsophisticated "trailer trash", self-centered, manipulative and aggressive. She tricked Earl into marrying her when she became pregnant with another man's child, then had an affair - and apparently a child - with Darnell while she and Earl were still married. (In the final episode of the series, her first son, Dodge Hickey was revealed to be Earl's son, and her second son was revealed not to be Darnell's.) However she is very protective of her family. She is openly scornful of Earl's List. She has a strong dislike for Catalina. She drives a Subaru BRAT painted with the American flag. Her frequent catchphrases are "Oh Snap", "What the Hell", and she frequently calls both Earl and Randy "Dummy". In the episode Pinky it was revealed that Joy (under the alias 'Pinky') and Randy (under the alias 'Skipper') fell in love when they were kids staying by a lake; though this initially horrified Joy, she later kissed Randy (after they spent time together, like they did as kids).
  • Darnell 'Crabman' Turner, formerly Harry Monroe (Eddie Steeples)—Joy's husband, and still one of Earl's best friends despite apparently impregnating Earl's then-wife Joy. He now acts as father to Joy's two sons (In the final episode of season 4 , Earl Hickey, Jr. was revealed not to be Crabman's biological son after a DNA test). He works in the local dive, "The Crab Shack" where he acts the part of a good-natured fool, but is actually a former assassin for a secret government organization. He was placed in the witness protection program when he refused to kill the child leader of a socialist nation and testified in court against his former employers. Darnell demonstrates greater intelligence than those around him. A running gag within the show is that Darnell smokes marijuana. He had a sister Pam who was killed by what Joy said is honesty. Darnell's dad is called Thomas Monroe and works for the agency. Darnell's nickname comes from the fact that Earl couldn't remember his name when they first met and referred to him by his job. Another running gag is that whenever the two run into each other, Darnell greets Earl with "Hey, Earl," and Earl responds with "Hey, Crabman".
  • Catalina Rana Aruca (Nadine Velazquez)—The beautiful housekeeper at Earl and Randy's motel. She is also the number one dancer at Club Chubby. She shares a green card marriage with Randy who had a huge crush on her until she ended it by sleeping with him and purposefully making the experience unenjoyable. She has a strong dislike for Joy since Joy called her a whore when she first saw her. She occasionally breaks the fourth wall when supposedly shouting insults to Joy in Spanish which are actually notes for the fans.

Recurring characters

Main article: List of minor characters on My Name Is Earl
  • Carlton "Carl" Hickey (Beau Bridges)—Earl and Randy's father. Earl was supposed to be named after him, but Carl panicked and changed the 'C' to an 'E'. At the start of the series he refused to have anything to do with Earl, but gradually realizes his son's efforts to improve his life were sincere and they have since become close again.
  • Katherine "Kay" Hickey (Nancy Lenehan)—Earl and Randy's mother, a friendly woman who gently chides Earl to be nicer to his father. In Season 4, it was revealed she once slept with a neighbor, causing Carl to leave home for a while before he returned and they made up.
  • Eric "Dodge" Chaz Hickey (Louis T. Moyle)—Joy's oldest son. Named Dodge because all she could remember about the father was he drove a Ford pickup truck. In the Season 4 final episode, Earl is revealed as his father.
  • Earl Hickey Jr. (Trey Carlisle)—Joy's son due to an affair. Father is Darnell Turner, but Season 4 ended on a cliffhanger, suggesting that Darnell may not be the real father.
  • Kenny James (Adult—Gregg Binkley, child —Andy Pessoa)— Kenny is a childhood victim of Earl's bullying and a formerly suppressed homosexual, who became the first person Earl helped with the List. He is now dating Stuart, a male police officer.
  • Patricia Michelle Weezmer, also known as Patty the Daytime Hooker (Dale Dickey)—A friendly Camden prostitute who also works as a night-time waitress. She got 1500 on her SATs, holds a Masters degree and speaks Bengali. In the episode "Witch Lady", her full name was revealed to be Patricia Weezmer. In the episode "Inside Probe", her middle name was revealed to be Michelle.
  • Ralph Mariano (Giovanni Ribisi) — Earl's childhood friend. He is constantly in trouble with the law and has betrayed Earl and Randy for as little as $175, but they always forgive him. In season two Earl married Ralph's mom but later had the marriage annulled. He was in jail with Earl but quickly escaped. He was not seen at all in the fourth season.
  • Willie the One-Eyed Mailman—(Bill Suplee, Ethan Suplee's father). He lost an eye when Joy broke Earl's Def Leppard mirror with a bowling ball and the glass shot into his eye.
  • Billie Cunningham (Alyssa Milano) — Earl's third wife. She is a little crazy and gets very jealous of Earl spending so much time with his List instead of her. After finding inner peace on an Amish-type location near Camden, she not only divorced Earl but gave him $72,000 she'd received after being hit by a car.
  • Officer Stuart (Mike O'Malley)—An inept Camden County police officer who ended up on the list when Earl stole his badge and started abusing its authority. He comes from a family of female cops, who often make fun of him from his professional ineptness. He is revealed to be a talented bowler and has aspirations to go pro. He is later revealed to be homosexual and has a relationship with Kenny James.
  • Liberty Washington (Tamala Jones)—Joy's mixed race half-sister. They hated each other for years but eventually bonded to the point where Joy became a surrogate mother for Liberty and her husband Ray-Ray's baby. She tends to treat Ray-Ray exactly the way Joy treats Darnell: with full measures of both hostility and love.
  • Ray-Ray Washington (DJ Qualls)—Liberty's husband ,similar to Darnell, wears a tanktop; whenever Earl sees him he says "Hey, Ray-Ray", similar to "Hey, Crabman" to Darnell. He also owns a bearded dragon named "Mr. Bearded Dragon" whom he treats in the same fatherly manner that Darnell treats Mr. Turtle. His father's name was "Ray" and named him "Ray-Ray", that is why he would like to name his unborn child "Ray-Ray-Ray".
  • Jeremiah "Jerry" Hazelwood (Craig T. Nelson)—The Camden County prison warden. He is an immature, whiny man who has his job because his wife is the Governor of the unnamed state in which Camden County is located. He gave Earl numerous "time off" certificates when Earl helped him out with prison problems, but later broke Earl's spirit by reneging on the agreement. Hazelwood was then revealed to be a former porn star, so he restored Earl's "time off" certificates to keep the scandal quiet.
  • Mr. Sydney Turtle—He is the beloved pet turtle of Darnell. He is apparently Jewish and was born in 1913. In "Made A Lady Think I was God", Darnell mentions that Mr. Turtle had no first name. On the grave made for Mr. Turtle in "Got the Babysitter Pregnant", it states 'Mr. Sydney Turtle'.
  • Donny Jones (Silas Weir Mitchell)—An intimidating reformed thug who went to jail for a crime that Earl committed. He forgave Earl for committing the crime that he was accused of doing because while Donny was in prison, he read the Bible and started believing in Jesus. His mother (Kathryn Joosten) did not forgive Earl for 'taking her son away for 2 years' until he helped her quit smoking (effectively giving her 2 extra years of life).
  • Didi (Tracy Ashton)—She is a one-legged girl whom Earl claimed to love. She hates Earl since he stole her car. She was #86 on Earl's List, and he crossed her off when she made him walk all day on one leg, and buy half of a pair of shoes.
  • Little Chubby (Norm MacDonald)— Little Chubby owns most of Camden. He appeared on Earl's list after Earl kicked him in the nuts. Little Chubby then proceeded to get them fixed, he then became evil like his father. After deciding to change his evil ways, he took a baseball to the nuts. He appeared in season 4 (Dodge's Dad) and said he got a ball transplant with a bull and is once again evil.

Other recurring characters include Electrolarynx Guy, Bruce, Nescobar Aloplop, Doug, Jasper and his Russian mail-order bride, Joy's deaf lawyer and her interpreter, DJ Dave, Slow Roger, Bob Smiley, and TV's Tim Stack. Stack usually appears in his Son of the Beach costume, completely intoxicated, or both—he is also a writer for the show.

Several of the show's characters appeared on the July 8, 2008 episode of Celebrity Family Feud. One team, the Hickey family, consisted of Earl, Joy, Randy, Crabman, and Catalina. The other team, dubbed "Camden County," consisted of Tim Stack, Patty, Wilford (Tim's agent), Kenny James, and Nescobar Aloplop. The Camden County team defeated the Hickey family, but lost to the cast of The Office in the finals.

Notable guest stars

Location

My Name Is Earl is set in Camden County, a fictional location in the Central Time Zone of the United States.[15] In the series, it is described as a place that was called "Central" during the American Civil War which supported neither side and seceded from both the United States and the Confederacy. Darnell remarks that the Central only lasted from 3:30 to 3:45 on March 10, 1861 as a nation before the North and the South massacred the citizens.[15] As to the exact location, creator Greg Garcia says:

The show doesn’t technically take place anywhere....we like to think it’s anywhere. We don’t really say exactly where it is.

In the episode titled "Inside Probe" Earl's lawyer's phone number is displayed during a commercial ad and has a Connecticut state area code. However, actual outdoor set filming was completed in Lake Balboa, California.

Critical reception

The show has been on the whole well-received by critics and audiences alike, on Metacritic it garnered a 77% "generally favorable" critics' metascore; 8.7 out of 10 users' rating.[16] One reviewer has noted the significance of the fact Earl's very confession to having led a life of idiocy is what endears him to the viewer, and is what suggests there is more to his character than the surface persona that the viewer initially sees.[1] Most of the negative and ambivalent reviews center on what are perceived to be base[17] and bigoted humour.[18]

Some critics have claimed the series has a Scientologist bias or message, with actors Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee being Scientologists.[19] Reports in the British press incorrectly identified series creator Greg Garcia as also being a Scientologist, but Garcia himself has denied any affiliation with Scientology.[20]

DVD releases

Season releases overview

DVD Name Release dates Ep # Additional Information
Region 1 Region 2
Season One[21] September 19, 2006 September 25, 2006 24 The four disc box set includes all 24 episodes. Bonus features include deleted scenes, commentary tracks on selected episodes, selections from the season's gag reel, and a "mini-episode" vignette where Stewie Griffin from Family Guy influences Earl to get revenge on everyone who wronged him.
Season Two[22] September 25, 2007 January 28, 2008 23 The four disc box set includes all 23 episodes. Bonus features include deleted scenes, commentary tracks on selected episodes, as well as other featurettes.
Season Three[23] September 30, 2008[24] October 20, 2008[25] 22 The four disc box set includes all 22 episodes. Bonus features include a gag reel, "Creating the characters" featurette and deleted scenes.
Season Four[26] September 15, 2009 October 5, 2009 27 The four disc box set includes all 27 episodes. Bonus features include deleted scenes, a gag reel, "Earl's Fan Mail" featurette and a movie trailer inspired by the premiere episode.

Season 1 DVD set

The season one "mini-episode", titled Bad Karma, is an alternate version of the events of the pilot episode featuring what would have happened if, instead of seeing Carson Daly talking about karma while in the hospital, Earl saw Stewie Griffin of Family Guy talking about vengeance.[27]

Awards and nominations

  • Nominated for 2006 Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
  • Jason Lee nominated for 2006 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
  • Jason Lee nominated for 2005/06 Screen Actors Guild award for best actor in a comedy series.
  • Cast nominated for 2005/06 Screen Actors Guild award for best ensemble in a comedy series.
  • Jaime Pressly nominated for a 2005/06 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
  • Marc Buckland won the 2005/06 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (episode: "Pilot").
  • Gregory Thomas Garcia won the 2005/06 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (episode: "Pilot").
  • Jason Lee nominated for 2007 Kid's Choice Award for Best Actor.
  • Nominated for 2007 BAFTA TV Awards for International Programme of the Year.
  • Jaime Pressly won the 2007 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
  • Nominated for the 2008 People's Choice Award for "Favorite TV Comedy".[29]
  • Nominated for 2008 GLAAD Media Award for Best Individual Episode ("The Gangs of Camden County")
  • Nominated for 2008 BAFTA TV Awards for International Programme of the Year
  • Michael Goi, ASC, nominated for 2008 Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography For A Half Hour Series/Episode "Stole A Motorcycle"
  • Betty White nominated for 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress("Witch Lady")In A Comedy Series
  • Al Jones nominated for 2009 Emmy Award for Stunt Coordination in "Bullies."

Syndication

Twentieth Television has cleared My Name is Earl in nearly 50% of the U.S., said Bob Cook, the company’s president and chief operating officer. Twentieth has sold the off-net sitcom to the Fox, Tribune, CBS, Hearst-Argyle and Sinclair station groups for a fall 2009 debut.[30]

In September 2009, The Comedy Network in Canada began to show My Name is Earl on a nightly basis at 8:30 PM EST.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b DeWolf Smith, Nancy (2005-09-16). "Arts and Entertainment Review". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  2. ^ "Series". The Hollywood Reporter. 2006-05-26. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  3. ^ "2006–07 primetime wrap". The Hollywood Reporter. 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  4. ^ Justin Van De Kamp (2008-06-01). "TV Ratings: 2007-2008 Season Top-200". televisionista. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  5. ^ "Season Program Rankings from 09/22/08 through 05/17/09". ABC Medianet. May 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
  6. ^ Fernandez, Maria Elena (19 May 2009). "'My Name Is Earl' creator is OK with being 'thrown off the Titanic'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  7. ^ a b Littleton, Cynthia (8 June 2009). "TBS may give new 'Earl' segs a whirl". Variety. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  8. ^ Flint, Joe (20 May 2009). "TBS ready to be lifeboat for 'My Name Is Earl'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  9. ^ Suplee, Ethan (23 May 2009). "Thanks for the effort guys…". Retrieved 23 May 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |publis friendher= ignored (help)[self-published source?]
  10. ^ Chambers, Elizabeth; Godwin, Jennifer (9 June 2009). "Could My Name Is Earl Be Saved?". E!. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  11. ^ O'Connor, Mickey (10 June 2009). "My Name Is Earl in Talks to Move to TBS". TV Guide. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  12. ^ Godwin, Jennifer (11 June 2009). "My Name Is Earl Dead, Deal with TBS Won't Work Out". E!. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  13. ^ Ausiello, Michael (11 June 2009). "This just in: 'My Name is Earl' will NOT live on". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  14. ^ a b "Inside Probe, Part 1". My Name Is Earl. Season 4. Episode 25. 2009-04-30. NBC.
  15. ^ a b "Inside Probe, Part 2". My Name Is Earl. Season 4. Episode 26. 2009-05-07. NBC.
  16. ^ My Name is Earl Metacritic score.
  17. ^ "We learn that the items on Earl's list include No. 86, "stole a car from a one-legged girl," and No. 22, "peed in back of cop car." Gosh, what swell episodes those ought to make." Quote by Shales, Tom (2005-09-20). "Earl Defines What It Takes To Be Sorry". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  18. ^ "My Name Is Earl is not a stupid sitcom - that is what makes its sexist and homophobic jokes so maddening ... Viewers aren't encouraged to laugh at Earl, as much as they are with him - at the people on his list." Citation from Will karma smile on NBC's 'My Name Is Earl'?, Baltimore Sun, by David Zurawik, 20 Sept 2005; text retrieved from AV Science Forum, Feb 2009.
  19. ^ Donaghy, James (2007-06-29). "My name is L Ron Hubbard". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
  20. ^ Spiegelman, Ian (2009-04-17). "Greg Garcia Responds to Baldwin: 'I'm Not a Scientologist.'". 'Gawker.com. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "My Name Is Earl - The Complete 1st Season DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  22. ^ "My Name Is Earl - The Complete 2nd Season DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  23. ^ "My Name Is Earl - The Complete 3rd Season DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  24. ^ Amazon.com: My Name is Earl - Season Three: My Name Is Earl: Movies & TV
  25. ^ Play.com (UK) : My Name Is Earl: Season 3 (4 Discs) : DVD - Free Delivery
  26. ^ "My Name Is Earl - The Complete 4th Season DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  27. ^ "My Name Is Earl - Season 1 DVDs To Have New Bonus Mini-Ep with Family Guy Crossover!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  28. ^ Klein, Eric. "My Name Is Earl - The Complete First Season". UGO Networks. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  29. ^ "People's Choice Awards Past Winners: 2008". Sycamore Productions. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  30. ^ Paige Albiniak (2009-01-08). "Twentieth Clears 'Earl' In Half The Country". Broadcasting & Cable. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2009-10-28.

Further reading

External links

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