Reviewed by Stuart O'Connor
Stars Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Nadine Velazquez,
Eddie Steeples, Giovanni Ribisi, Marlee Matlin, Christian Slater,
Roseanne Barr, John Waters, Michael Rapaport, Dale Dickey
Created by Gregory Thomas Garcia
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £34.99
DVD Region 2 | Runtime 574 minutes
Directed by Marc Buckland & others
The traditional sitcom — a studio, four cameras, a dad on a couch and a laugh track — is dead, killed by the likes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, Scrubs, Frontline, Entourage and Arrested Development. Joining that esteemed collection is My Name Is Earl, the story of a rednecked criminal who changes his life when he wins the lottery and decides to make up for all the wrong he's done (with a little help from karma). So Earl (Lee) writes himself a list and with the help of brother Randy (Suplee) sets out to become a better person.
After a clever, and pretty hilarious, first season, I wondered if what is ostensibly a one-joke show could go the distance. I needn't have worried — the second season is just as good as, if not better than, the first. This is a very smart show about some very stupid people. While season one was primarily setting up the situation and the characters, along with its list-item-of-the-week, season two tries to mix things up a bit, as well as adding in a story arc or two — the main one being ex-wife Joy's (Pressley) legal problems after she steals a truck. So we get some trrific sub-plots such as Earl falling for Joy's hot lawyer (Matlin), and Randy finally working up the courage to tell "jumping" stripper and motel maid Catalina (Velazquez) that he loves her. We also learn a little more about Darnell "Crabman" Turner (Steeples) and his mysterious past, get an episode where the TV series COPS visits Camden County and Beau Bridges returns as Earl and Randy's put-upon father. Speaking of guest star's, this year's roster is a corker — as well as the afore-mentioned Marlee Matlin, there's also Christian Slater, Burt Reynolds, John Leguizamo, Rosanne Barr, Sean Astin, Norm Macdonald, John Waters and Jenny McCarthy.
With shades of the Coen brothers' classic Raising Arizona, My Name Is Earl owes the bulk of its success to the performances of its main three stars — Lee, Suplee and Pressley. The first two were already familiar to many of us from their stints in the indie films of writer/director Kevin Smith — Lee in particular as cult favourites Brodie in Mallrats, Banky in Chasing Amy and Azrael in Dogma. But this is the first major part for Pressley, who until now has had guest roles in TV series (such as Silk Stalkings, Charmed and Becker) or bit parts in movies like Joe Dirt, Can't Hardly Wait and Not Another Teen Movie. But on Earl this lady proves she has real talent — she's got that Britney-style trailer trash down pat, and make this evil, twisted, selfish character almost lovable. But the glue that really holds it all together is Jason Lee as Earl. This is a role he was born to play, and he carries it off with such laid-back ease it's almost as though he isn't acting at all.
EXTRAS **** Oh, the things you can learn from DVD commentaries. The main nugget of gold I came away with? That Jason Lee's farts can clear a set. Hmmm. As well as commentaries, you also get deleted scenes, a very funny blooper reel, a behind-the-scenes "making of" doco on the claymation episode (Robbed a Stoner Blind), some cam snippets from the "wide wide world of webs" (including a VERY sexy dance from Catalina) and a trailer for My Name Is Earl as a Mexican telenovela. Good stuff.