Most people don't turn to a mustachioed redneck to learn sage moral lessons, but maybe more people should. "My Name Is Earl," the new NBC comedy starring Jason Lee, tackles issues like karma, alcohol abuse, and baby mama drama - in the first episode. Coupled with the brilliant comedy "The Office," which airs right after, the show just might turn Tuesday into the new Thursday as far as must-see nights go.
Even if "My Name Is Earl" doesn't ascend to must-see status, the show is definitely a refreshing addition to a primetime lineup dominated by inane reality TV shows. Indeed, well-written, smart comedies are increasingly difficult to find, making this show that much more appreciated.
Earl J. Hickey (Lee) is exactly what his surname suggests: a hick. And he'd be the first to tell you so; in fact, he is the first to tell you as he narrates the ins and outs of his rather peculiar life.
It is apparent from the show's start that Earl is not a 'good person' in the traditional sense of the word. He steals from Volvo-driving families; he's happily unemployed; he drinks to forget his problems.
Amazingly, despite all this, Earl is still a really likeable character. His nonchalant attitude towards just about everything (he reacts with about the same level of excitement to finding a winning lottery ticket as he does to his wife's obvious infidelities) makes Earl kind of endearing, or at the very least, amusing.
Earl's wife Joy, (Jaime Pressly) already six months pregnant when the two drunkenly wed in Vegas on the night of their first meeting, remembers nothing about her son's father except that he drove a Ford - they name the child Dodge. The unfaithful Joy has another child with another man, Darnell, while still married to Earl. Pressly, while nice to look at, could stand to improve her strained white-trash accent.
In what was arguably one of the funniest moments of the show, Earl scratches a winning lotto ticket only to lose the ticket when hit by an elderly woman's car. Not only does Earl end up in the hospital having lost 100,000 dollars, but to add insult to injury (literally), his ever-tactful wife has him unknowingly sign divorce papers in his weakened state.
Finally it comes to him: A life changing epiphany from none other than MTV VJ- turned late night talk show host, Carson Daly. On television, Earl sees a bit of an interview in which Daly attributes his success to his faith in karma, or more simply, the belief that what goes around comes around.
After his TRL-inspired revelation (aren't they all?), Earl decides that his horrible behavior is responsible for his current unpleasant situation. A list of all the people he has wronged, including everyone affected by his second hand smoke (it kills you know), is written and Earl starts doing good. His karma finally in check, he finds his winning lotto ticket, and decides to keep the good deeds coming.
Ethan Suplee convincingly plays Earl's brother Randy, a deadbeat, immoral but harmless sidekick whose character is colored by a love of beer and early '90s techno dance music. Rounding out the cast is Catalina (Nadine Velazquez), a local motel maid who joins Earl and Randy on their ostensibly karma-improving missions.
Kenny (Gregg Binkley), a closeted homosexual and former object of Earl's schoolyard torment, is Earl's next mitzvah in the making. Earl's small minded homophobia manages to be amusing and not offensive mainly because he is made out to be such an uneducated idiot that his homophobia becomes a shot at actual homophobes.
He also ultimately sees past "the gay" as he calls it, and accompanies his ex-classmate to a gay bar where a personal favorite of Randy's, "It Takes Two" by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock, plays. (If questionable elsewhere, at least his taste in music is top notch.) The once homophobic Randy ends the episode with the timeless throw-the-fish-a-line dance move and proceeds to get his groove on with a man.
You see, we're growing as people and getting a good laugh in by watching television. And to think, your mother told you to turn off the TV and read.
