Earl Hickey
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. 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.
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.
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
Clint Howard
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.
Charles Mauk
Location
My Name Is Earl is set in Camden County, a fictional location in the Central Time Zone of the United States. 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. 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. 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. Most of the negative and ambivalent reviews center on what are perceived to be base and bigoted humour.
Some critics have claimed the series has a Scientologist bias or message, with actors Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee being Scientologists. 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.
DVD releases
Season releases overview
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.
At Best Buy locations the set came wrapped in a miniature replica of Earl's flannel shirt.
The DVD set at Target stores featured a limited-edition bonus DVD with extra bloopers and other bonus features.
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".
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.
http:www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002576393. http:uk.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b128264_could_my_name_earl_be_saved.html.