Most of the new TV shows this season suck pretty badly, but My Name Is Earl stands out as one of those shows that really stands out and will develop a big following. Maybe it already has, I don’t check TV ratings.
In this show, a petty criminal wins a $100,000 on a scratch off ticket and is then hit by a car. As he lays in the hospital, he learns about karma by watching Carson Daly and realizes that in order for good things to happen to him, he needs to offset the bad things he’s done in life. He makes a list of 250+ things he’s done and there’s your plot: each episode he makes amends for a new item on his list.
The line-up is phenomenal: Jason Lee as Earl, Ethan Suplee (who you’ll surely remember as Frankie Stechino from Boy Meets World) as Earl’s goofy-but-goodhearted brother, and Jaime Pressly as Earl’s trailer trashy ex-wife. The writing is sharp, the acting is perfect, and the show manages to end on a happy note each week without feeling sappy or forced. It’s just a genuinely good show.
Jason Lee was on SNL last night, but I haven’t watched it yet. I bet he was good, though.
Posted in Television, Movies, and Music
Paul October 20, 2007, 1:13 pm
Last week’s episode of “My Name is Earl” – “Creative Writing” – was incredibly bad. So bad. So so bad. SO BAD.
I think a new rule should be that when a show resorts to animation and/or claymation (they did last season), it’s an automatic shark-jump.
I’m going to suggest that keeping Earl in jail – while bucking sitcom conventions – is killing this show. The list! The list!