“My Name Is Earl” — #28301-016
The total number of Earl episodes I’ve seen in my life can be counted on the right hand of a magical seven-fingered fairy (or dwarf). I’ve always found the show to seem funnier than it actually ever was. That being said, I also like the idea of comedy on television that isn’t shot in front of a studio audience, so I’m in – at least for a while. More after the jump…
My biggest problem with My Name Is Earl is that the main cast isn’t nearly as entertaining (or interesting) as the secondary characters, with the possible exception of (EMMY WINNER) Jaime Presley – who I liked in Poison Ivy 3, but who I love here. For example, last season the only episode I saw involved Earl working at an appliance store where he was the first person to ever move from the docks to the sales staff. Jason Lee was his typical just-kinda-saying-the-lines-but-with-some-sort-of-nondescript-accent self and mildly amusing. The real comedy came from the rest of the employees at the store – characters I assume were only in that one episode. This is obviously problematic in the grand scheme of things, though it can also give each episode a certain charm in its complete unpredictability. That being said, unevenness has rarely been a virtue on television.
This season started with Earl in prison. Apparently he confessed to a crime he didn’t commit in order to protect Joy. This would also qualify him for his own cop show on Wednesday nights. Luckily, none of this really matters. One of my early complaints with the series was that every episode fell into the same “cross something off the list†pattern. There was little plot movement outside of his list which continued to expand as fast as it would contract. Somewhere along the way they seemed to have abandoned this for a more straightforward serialized formula – and by straightforward I mean completely haphazard and random. I have to admit, I like the idea of a show that is wholly serialized and yet requires absolutely no prior knowledge to enjoy. There is still the list, but it doesn’t seem to matter as much.
Or I could be completely wrong. Again, I’ve only seen seven episodes (now eight).
This season’s premiere was decent enough. I didn’t laugh all that much, but I also never found myself looking at the clock and regretting the decision to watch. It’s an enjoyable half-hour (on in this week’s case, an hour) if ultimately a little unfulfilling. In a way, it’s the perfect match for The Office and 30 Rock. To steal from myself, it’s a TV dinner: salad, steak, dessert. Mmmmmm.
