My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl | |
---|---|
![]() Title card featuring Jason Lee as Earl Hickey. | |
Created by | Greg Garcia |
Starring | Jason Lee Ethan Suplee Jaime Pressly Eddie Steeples Nadine Velazquez |
Narrated by | Jason Lee |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 96 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Greg Garcia Marc Buckland Tom Palmer |
Camera setup | Single camera |
Running time | Approx. 21 min. (30 min. with commercials) "Super-sized" episodes: Approx. 29 min. (40 min. with commercials) Two part and hour long episodes: Approx. 42 min. (1 hour with commercials) |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | September 20, 2005 – May 14, 2009 |
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 | #59 | 6.1 |
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,[5] TBS[6] and TNT[7] networks to continue the series, but they were unable to come to terms without "seriously undermining the artistic integrity of the series."[6][8][9][10][11][12]
Characters
Main characters
- Earl Jehosophat Hickey [13](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 (he believes déjà vu is a 'french disease' that has the same effect as déjà vu) and frequently demonstrates poor judgment, 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 which has a driver's door he stole from a blue Camino; the door remains blue. 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.
- Randall "Randy" Doo Hickey [13](Ethan Suplee)—Earl's younger brother. He is thought to be very dimwitted and simple, bordering on mild mental retardation, with a childlike naivety that manifests as both sweetness toward others, and 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. He is afraid of birds and allergic to cats.
- Joy Farrah Darville Hickey Turner (Jaime Pressly)—Earl's 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".
- 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. His 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 but this ended when they slept together and he appreciated her more as a friend. 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
- Carl Hickey (Beau Bridges)—Earl and Randy's father. Earl was supposed to be named after him, but the nurses misread Carl's cursive. 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.
- 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.
- 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 a male police officer.
- Patricia Michelle Weezmer aka 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.
- 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.
- 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 who similar to Darnell wears a tanktop and 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.
- 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 Camden County is located in. 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, which led Earl to escape from prison.
- 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. However 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.
- 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.
- Little Chubby (Norm MacDonald)— Little Chubby currently 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
- Jane Seymour
- Johnny Galecki
- Juliette Lewis
- Brett Butler
- Burt Reynolds
- Norm MacDonald
- Rosanne Barr
- Jenny McCarthy
- Christian Slater
- John Leguizamo
- Jon Heder
- Seth Green
- Jerry Van Dyke
- David Arquette
- Jenna Elfman
- Christine Taylor
- Courtney Gains
- Jason Priestley
- Ewen Bremner
- Erik Estrada
- Adam Goldberg
- Danny Glover
- Betty White
- Geraldo Rivera
- Paris Hilton
- John Waters
- Carson Daly
- Trace Adkins
- Seth MacFarlane
- Dave Attell
- Michael Waltrip
- Michael Rapaport
- Dax Shepard
- Gil Christner
- Timothy Olyphant
- Marlee Matlin
- Duane Chapman
- Paul Teutul Sr.
- Paul Teutul Jr.
Location
My Name Is Earl is set in Camden County, a fictional location in the Central Time Zone of the United States.[14] 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.[14] 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.[15] 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[16] and bigoted humour.[17]
Some critics have claimed the series has a Scientologist bias or message, with actors Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee being Scientologists.[18] 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.[19]
DVD releases
Season Releases Overview
DVD Name | Release dates | Ep # | Additional Information | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Region 1 | Region 2 | |||
Season One[20] | 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[21] | 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[22] | September 30, 2008[23] | October 20, 2008[24] | 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[25] | 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.[26]
- At Best Buy locations the set came wrapped in a miniature replica of Earl's flannel shirt.[27]
- The DVD set at Target stores featured a limited-edition bonus DVD with extra bloopers and other bonus features.[citation needed]
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".[28]
- 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.[29]
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
- ^ a b DeWolf Smith, Nancy (2005-09-16). "Arts and Entertainment Review". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ "Series". The Hollywood Reporter. 2006-05-26. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
- ^ "2006–07 primetime wrap". The Hollywood Reporter. 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
- ^ Justin Van De Kamp (2008-06-01). "TV Ratings: 2007-2008 Season Top-200". televisionista. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- ^ Fernandez, Maria Elena (May 19, 2009). "'My Name Is Earl' creator is OK with being 'thrown off the Titanic'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
- ^ a b Littleton, Cynthia (June 8, 2009). "TBS may give new 'Earl' segs a whirl". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- ^ Flint, Joe (May 20, 2009). "TBS ready to be lifeboat for 'My Name Is Earl'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- ^ Suplee, Ethan (May 23, 2009). "Thanks for the effort guys…". Retrieved May 23, 2009.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help)[self-published source?] - ^ Chambers, Elizabeth; Godwin, Jennifer (June 9, 2009). "Could My Name Is Earl Be Saved?". E!. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- ^ O'Connor, Mickey (June 10, 2009). "My Name Is Earl in Talks to Move to TBS". TV Guide. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- ^ Godwin, Jennifer (June 11, 2009). "My Name Is Earl Dead, Deal with TBS Won't Work Out". E!. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (June 11, 2009). "This just in: 'My Name is Earl' will NOT live on". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
- ^ a b "Inside Probe, Part 1". My Name Is Earl. Season 4. Episode 25. 2009-04-30. NBC.
- ^ a b "Inside Probe, Part 2". My Name Is Earl. Season 4. Episode 26. 2009-05-07. NBC.
- ^ My Name is Earl Metacritic score.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Donaghy, James (2007-06-29). "My name is L Ron Hubbard". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
- ^ Spiegelman, Ian (2009-04-17). "Greg Garcia Responds to Baldwin: 'I'm Not a Scientologist.'". 'Gawker.com.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "My Name Is Earl - The Complete 1st Season DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
- ^ "My Name Is Earl - The Complete 2nd Season DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
- ^ "My Name Is Earl - The Complete 3rd Season DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
- ^ Amazon.com: My Name is Earl - Season Three: My Name Is Earl: Movies & TV
- ^ Play.com (UK) : My Name Is Earl: Season 3 (4 Discs) : DVD - Free Delivery
- ^ "My Name Is Earl - The Complete 4th Season DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
- ^ "My Name Is Earl - Season 1 DVDs To Have New Bonus Mini-Ep with Family Guy Crossover!". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
- ^ Klein, Eric. "My Name Is Earl - The Complete First Season". UGO Networks. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
- ^ "People's Choice Awards Past Winners: 2008". Sycamore Productions. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ Paige Albiniak (2009-01-08). "Twentieth Clears 'Earl' In Half The Country". Broadcasting & Cable. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
Further reading
- Fry, Kim (November 28, 2005). "California church plays role in My Name Is Earl TV series". United Methodist News Service.
- "Nominations and Winners". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved January 13, 2006.
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