My Name is Earl is also one of a very few shows about a small town that actually feels like it was written by someone from a small town. Not just the culture, but even the consistent portrayal of the size. (Many shows like Smallville want to depict a small town, but constantly introduce shops and amenities that wouldn't exist in that town, just for the sake of a single episode's plot.)
Lana Lang being in high school yet simultaneously the owner and operator of a coffee shop is ridiculous. I know the characters need a place to hang but an Egyptian themed coffee shop in small town Kansas? Yeah I doubt that's gonna last long
Smallville also didn't understand the geography of Kansas. One of the first episodes, they go out to talk to "mountain man"... there are no mountains in Kansas, even the flint hills are questionable to call some of them hills. They were constantly making day trips from where ever Smallville was to Metropolis which is a port city.... also some times visible from Smallville, KS, a completely land locked state in the dead center of the continent. Even if we assume Metropolis isn't New York like it's implied to be, and say it's like Houston or something, that's still like a 10 hour drive from Kansas. Also after the 15th time of Clark warning them about the creep of the week being bad news, they'd stop of just accusing him of be jealous of the attention the creep was getting, and maybe believe him.
oh good lord. this was my main problem with Schitts Creek. It was purportedly about a small backwoods town, but the writers made it clear they only understood life in Hollywood. They put on a production of Cabaret starring all 12 townsfolk? They had a red carpet for Moira when she was in a movie? An upscale botique that sold eye lotions (and milk and plungers??) that was hugely successful in Pickuptrucksville USA? you know what I just hated that show lol
It's a small thing, but I always loved how Earl would reflexively close his eyes whenever he got his picture taken. Just one of those funny quirks the character has that doesn't really get highlighted, but makes them more endearing.
I always loved that bit cause i had My fair share of photos closing My eyes just for because the flash lmao, it was really Nice to see that small but prominent detail
My grandmother did this as well, but we always knew because she would ask if the flash went off. Yes, it was 50+ years ago. I remember once that it took like 6 tries for her not to ask if the flash went off. Her eyes were still closed. I sometimes wonder how many times they took her pictures in the portrait studios. Although pictures of her when she was young she mostly had here eyes open.
What irks most about it is how it just..poof! ended it ☹️ I mean, I know it was a cancellation, so I guess…eff you person who canceled this amazing show!!! I hope they regret it. If there was ever a show that needed a reboot though…!
There is a slew of easter eggs in Raising Hope! I hope José can have a retrospective on that series, bridging the neatness between the two. Both are really great in the wholesome feeling.
When I worked in fast food, we had a regular customer who would come in from time to time. It was our policy to ask for a customer's name after they order, to which he would respond, "My Name is Earl! Do you know that show?" As a huge fan of the show, I never forgot his name, or this memory. Nice guy, I hope he is doing well!
What I love about this show is how it seems to have great affection for all of its characters. They may be trailer trash and daytime hookers, but they all have some good in them. In a comedy landscape where cruelty is commonplace, it made for a nice change of pace.
Honestly a great point, while it does go a bit iffy with some characters, it does show that they have value and skills that may not be noticed at first.
Yeah I agree. For quite a while it's been the norm to depict lower class/dysfunctional people in TV comedy, but this is one of the few from the era that feels like it was actually doing something constructive with the premise, and in a way that built on itself over time with its depictions of the various characters and their continual growth.
One way I loved how this show tackled community was the episode where Earl has to throw a funeral for a man he wronged, botching the funeral, being haunted by that guilt, and then bringing together a group of people who knew and loved that man through the online space that never really knew each other prior
I loved this show when I was a kid/teenager, and it unironically helped shape my morality. Not in a literal karma way, but in the general sense of trying to do right by others.
Watching Jason Lee go from pro skater to top notch actor warms my heart. Always admired him when I was a skater, and I'm so happy to see how successful he was in a totally different arena.
I love you, Jose. This show was really influential for me. The theme that a scumbag could make amends and become better really resonated with me, and presented me with hope. I was a scumbag, from a line of scumbags. And I've spent my adult life trying to change and atone for my shit-baggery.
growing up my name is earl was the only show that actually felt like it showed what avg low income middle Americans are actually like without feeling like it was shitting all over the kind of people I spent my days with.
This! I grew up in a pretty rural southern community and everyone loved the show because it portrayed us, our problems and our stories, without making us seem like jokes or putting us on a pedestal like some other shows sometimes do.
As far as I'm concerned, the ending Greg Garcia pitched in that reddit AMA is the canon ending I'd want for the show. It is the best conclusion for a person dedicating their life to doing good. Not to be shackled to it forever but just to become a better person and influence others to be better people.
Yeah at first I was like wtf? His got the list he should finish it. But after re-watching the entire show last week I actually love that idea for an ending. The purpose of the list was to grow, and by doing that he caused a ripple effect that made others want to grow to. Not to mention if they did that ending it could still be made into a movie or final season even though it's been 10 years since the show ended.
There's one big elephant in the room, nobody really wants to touch/address: The influence of Scientology on the show. The two main acts Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee are/were members of the church of Scientology. As well as prominent supporting roles/extras, like Giovanni Ribisi and Juliet Lewis. I don't know about the people in the background working on the show, like the writers. But I'm certain that Scientology had their hands on the show in one way or the other. Was he asked about it in any way at the AMA, on Reddit?
@@yannick245 The only impact I think it would of had was them not touching anything to do with scientology-like cults in the show as to not piss off it's two lead actors. Jason Lee said in an interview that he hadn't been involved in scientology in many, many years and that was back in 2016 so I would't be surprised if he stopped being a scientologist half way into Earl's run, he had a lot going for him at the time so distancing himself from them might of been a career move. It probably had a small impact on the show but not much, Scientologies beliefs wouldn't really interfere with a show like My Name is Earl
Fun Fact: Jason Lee has be focusing his career on photography (specifically analog film and large format polaroid photography) and he's a damn good photographer.
he's also a very talented former pro skater! he had his own section in the legendary skate tape 'video days' which features future fine artist mark gonzalez, and directed by a young spike jonze.
That episode where it's revealed that Joy and Randy knew each other as children is this incredibly meaningful moment for me. Just this little wholesome ode to the childhood we left behind, of innocent kid crushes and simple joys. An incredibly portrait of nostalgia that grows in meaning the older I get.
One of the greatest shows ever. Certainly the best casting, in my opinion. I can't imagine a single character being played by a different actor. No matter how many times I've seen it, I always laugh out loud and get hit in the feels.
I loved the video, but mentioning how much he repairs his relationship with his father, but not mentioning the episode where his dad crossed an item off the list while he was in a coma belongs on your own list. I tear up every time he whispers that he never gave up on him. Most heartpulling moment in the whole show.
I watched 6 months ago on Hulu not expecting much of it, but Man did it surprise me, it was uniquely funny and absurd at the same time but in a good way. This show feels like a more likable and positive version of "It's Always sunny in Philadelphia.
There's one big elephant in the room, nobody really wants to touch/address: The influence of Scientology on the show. The shows creator Greg Garcia. The two main acts Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee are/were members of the church of Scientology. As well as prominent supporting roles/extras, like Giovanni Ribisi and Juliet Lewis. I don't know about the people in the background working on the show, like the writers. But I'm certain that Scientology had their hands on the show in one way or the other! _Edit: There's an article, published on The Guardian named "My name is L Ron Hubbard", by James Donaghy, who diggs a little into it._
@@PeterGriffin11 There's an article, published on The Guardian named _"My name is L Ron Hubbard",_ by James Donaghy, who diggs a little into it. Google it! You can still find it online.
This show was a very huge comfort show, I really love small details they put in for Earl as well, like how he closes his eyes in every picture or even having a sensitive tongue to spicy food, even that iconic face he makes when someone around him says something interesting, just adding mini details like that really made Earl feel more real and even relatable, I now sometimes find myself making a similar face whenever someone tells me something interesting, My Name Is Earl should at the very least get either another season or a movie, just one more time on the screen to wrap up Earl’s story.
This show always surprised me with how joyfully and gently it nudged the weirdness of the human experience. Emphasizing foibles and character flaws, but giving characters the opportunity to find how their self fit into their community. The writers were also great at have jokes hit you from out of nowhere.
a joke that I think about daily is in the montage of randy getting caught hiding who he really is to match various women, when he dates the jewish woman he comes out of the bathroom after a long time and goes "sorry, my foreskin got stuck in the zipper" ☠️
Me and my brother are almost a decade apart; the generational divide was very obvious throughout our upbringing. Regardless of that, we always had eachother's backs, regardless of consequence. One of the reasons why My Name Is Earl stuck so hard with me.
I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love to eventually see a deep dive into Raising Hope. After you mentioned My Name is Earl in the last deep dive, I ended up rewatching Raising Hope and it's still excellent.
Seconded! Raising Hope was one of my favorite shows, and bears the honor of being one of the only comedies my mom not only tolerated, but loved and watched with me every week.
I love how Greg incorporated raising hope into the my name is earl universe as well, and bringing back some of the actors from my name is earl into the series as well like Jaime Pressley playing the next door neighbor of the chances
I remember this show very vaguely but not enough to know how sweet the story was! Ps. Joy's style and fashion is such a serve those flowerlike hairpieces and ribbons ? Slay.
When I was in middle school, I watched this show every day when I got home. At the time, my mom was sick due to cancer and I had to stay somewhere else. My science teacher offered and she made me feel welcome. I get a big hit of nostalgia when I think about this show, and you just made those amazing memories come flying back. Great video my man!
This show was honestly one of the most important shows for me as a person. My mother owned the first season on dvd and I watched the heck out of that season. It made me want to be like earl and do my best to be a good person to everyone. Even as a very dumb pre teen, I saw how his actions made the small minded town such a better place and it really inspired me. I will always hold this show in a special place in my heart ❤
My mom passed away from breast cancer while the show was going on. The theme of an ordinary man trying to make up for the bad things he had done really touched me.
I've never seen that alternate pilot before, that's awesome. One underrated bit is earl only wins 100,000 dollars in the lottery but everyone acts like he won the powerball. Great little joke that is especially funny if you're from a small town
I found this show when I was pretty young, during a really painful time for my family. There was so much pain and hurt in that house. I started watching because it was funny. But as I watched, I found the framework of the kind of guy I wanted to be. I was young, I didnt know how to help anyone I cared for, and it killed me. But this show showed me that even if you don't really know what youre doing, you can still make your life and the lives of others better. I've carried that with me since then
Jason Lee is such an enigma for the public eye. Anyone under 40 probably could pinpoint his voice if you ever hear it (I've heard it in a couple cartoons the kid of house watches for instance). He is an extremely popular but still heavily untalked about actor. Like, I never really hear people talk about him, and a lot of people probably can't remember his name half the time, but if he is on screen, you will be able to point him out.
It would be cool if Netflix picked it up for 1 season in a similar way to how Dexter was later revisited, set in 2024 reflecting on the past 15 years and the end of his quest
I've rewatched this show more time than I can count. Knowing that i can redeem myself while doing my best to help the community around me is the one of the reasons why I decided to go back to school and try to be the best version that I can be.
In a way Earl got his happy ending, his great reward, Dodge…. He always wanted his own son, & in the end that’s what he got, he wasn’t ever expecting it either, but the son he wanted most was right by his side. So, I’ve gotta say it was a satisfying ending for him, but we are left with Darnell’s story
I remember growing up on this show and even watched the pilot when it aired. It was one of the first shows that made me realize as a kid that anyone could change and even taught me that even if the apology isn't accept that you can still at least make an effort to apologize or right the wrong. Even if you get told no and pushed away, which is reasonable, at the end of the day you know you did try when a lot of people don't bother. People lose faith in humanity too fast these days. There are people out there that really do want to change and honestly, this show makes me cry every time I do a full watch through and get to that last episode. I kind of wish we could have more shows like this again. We have so many of the same sitcoms and shows with the fake canned laughter, but this show was so funny and had a nice message. Earl did terrible things, but at the end of the day he does everything in his power to better himself even if it sucks for him at the end.
I love that possible ending where Earl inspires more karma lists. The show already shows how good deeds touch others, it makes sense that his and Randy's constant mentions of and accomplishments from the List would inspire others to adopt the idea.
I was surprised that Jason Lee's skateboarding wasn't mentioned. He was a pro skater before he went into acting. Most relevant here is that just after the show ended, he played Coach Frank in the video game Skate 3, who speaks in a similar manner to Earl and also has a moustache.
Holy crap, I _just today_ watched the last episode of My Name Is Earl after putting it off for over a decade. What a somewhat alarming coincidence. "Look, Earl! Fancy smoke! Aww, it's making me sad!"
This show must have inspired me more than I ever realised. I've spent the last couple years apologising to people I've hurt in the past, trying to become a better person. That scene with Earl begging his dad to believe he's changed is crushing, that's a very real experience. Thanks a lot for the video, i needed this. Off to go pay it forward.
As a Jose, the “as a Jose…” caught me completely off guard, very much a Spider-Man meme moment. I love having something playing on the background while I do other things, and found myself having to pause it, make lunch and just sit and watch. Great video and good job Jose.
One of my favourite details is Earl pronouncing "illegitimate" wrong every time he says it throughout the show. It never fails to make me laugh. Probably my favourite show with a lot of nostalgia attatched to it.
I loved the bits of him always closing his eyes while getting a picture taken. I Always imagined the final shot of the show being him getting his picture taken with his list finished and you see his eyes opened
@@DarcyWalker Yes, it's such a great detail!! It reminds me of my cousin who also can't take a picture without blinking 🤣 That would be an incredible way to end it. I wish they would've finished it 😭
I wasn't sure if you were gonna do this one and I'm so hyped that you did. Earl felt special to me because it was often absurd but highly optimistic about it's world, even when it was a crapsack world. Always a comedy but it had a lot of heart to it too.
Growing up as a closeted transmaculine man, I didn't have a single good male figure in my life. I didn't realize how much this show influenced my outlook on life, and what kind of man I want to be. I'm not perfect and I've made my own list I can't always atone for. Yet just like Earl, I can always take steps to improve myself or try to help others improve their situation. Thanks for giving this series some love, it meant so much to little me
god, completely same boat. all of the male figures in my life fell short but this was airing as i was growing up and i always internalized how much i wanted to be like earl. what a great tv show, no idea it'd help with my transition so much
Fellow trans-masc with negative male figures growing up who watched this show! Growing up I couldn't really picture what kind of man I wanted to be (and still struggle with it tbh), but this show is a wonderful place to start. I grew up in a very small town myself like in the show (but even smaller lol) so it especially holds a place in my heart. Keep up the good work and stay safe friend!
Teacher Earl, GED, Job, The Trial, and Bad Earl are by far my favorite episodes, and have saved my life on several occasions. I can't thank this show enough for what it's done for me all these years.
I work in a grocery store and about a month ago I met the guy who plays kenny. Let’s just say I was so excited that I told him how much I loved this show. 2 weeks later I got his autograph. But when I met him he told me he’s as gonna meet with Greg Garcia about making a my name is earl movie.
A detailed, great review of this fantastic series. Thanks,dude! I hope it will bring loads of new people to watch it, cause it deserves the attention and should not go down the drain, like loads of other (lesser) shows.
I actually got a little teary eyed by your descriptions of the show a couple of times. Very well done. I think I may have to binge that show again. Thank you for this.
This is probably my favourite tv show of all time. It’s just comforting and funny and feels relatable somehow, they do get the small town thing very right. Thanks for your video! Love to see content featuring my name is earl
Oh how I loved this show! Not only is it a good story with wild characters, it’s HILARIOUS. Just that visual of them trying to smoke the carrots reminded me of the joke and made me laugh out loud. I bought the first season on DVD and any time I was feeling down I’d put on a few episodes and it would always do the trick.
I also love how its a moral story, that is really creative and earnest and does not feel forced at all, because earl is damn likable in his misadventures. And Human. Extremely human. And why doing the right thing matter and not being the worst. And show why (while being hillarous)
I love that you included the Paley Center panel with the main ensemble. The prompt for the question was something along the lines of "What appealed to you (Jamie Pressley) about Joy, someone who is an abrasive person on the surface?" and the answer Jamie gave made me see Joy very, very differently. I love this show because you can tell that even at the show's relative low points, the cast is always working at giving long-term nuances to the character.
Thank you so much for making these retrospectives!! They are amazing. I've now connected very deeply with the stories of characters from shows that I never would have even known existed if it weren't for your willingness to go to such efforts to analyze and talk about them in the way you have for years now. Thank you for that.
I was so upset when this showed ended on a cliffhanger!!!! Never seeing it come to a conclusion is one of those things that will always make my life feel incomplete. It did feel like Raising Hope revisited My Name Is Earl at times, yet that show also seemed to end unceremoniously.
Man. There's something about these shows that's so comforting and wholesome. Even in Earl, where characters backstab and torment each other there's this underlying theme of love and respect. Basically, I want to live in the universes all the shows you've covered exist in.
I'm a simple man. I want one last My Name is Earl movie, just to close out the show. They already have a good enough premise. Remember they had one joke where Earl stole Christmas? Earl Saves Chrismas. "He's making a list, and checking it twice!"
I don't think its doable. Jason Lee left Scientology & Ethan Suplee is still part of it. It's part of Ethan's religion now that he has to shun Jason Lee.
This is the first sitcom you’ve covered I’ve actually seen! I love this show, despite some parts maybe not having aged well. I’m glad that it’s qualities of redemption, hard work towards such, and the quirky qualities of the show, were something you also enjoyed.
This show started airing when I was in 5th grade. I watched it with my parents every week. Definitely formative media for me. It’s been a while since I last watched it, but I was an adult. I’m glad you included the “hole surgery” joke, one of my favorite in the whole show. Even with all the transmisogyny, I think MNIS was one of the most well-intentioned shows I’ve seen.
Great video again Jose! Thanks for reminiscing on older shows that we grew up with!! And it's also awesome to see your growth over this year!! Keep up the good work!
Bro thank you for this... seriously it was so concisely laid out, you got talent. I grew up on this show but also a similar environment. You did justice.. I was just looking for some clips for nostalgic sake but yuh got me locked in. Big ups
God this show is such a nostalgia trip to me. I myself have a simplistic view of morality, and I think it was influenced by this show. It went off the rails towards the end, but there’s so much *good* throughout the thing. The story makes you feel better about people
Yep, its somehow a moral tale, feel good and extremely humanist. I mean how the show really shows the humanity and the value of it and doing the right thing. And very creative and fun while not being complicated. And reaffirming that humans are flawed but people and worth it, and can be so good. And somehow reminds me of terry pratchet, i guess the way how it really has a positive deep impact. Or that both have to lively imaginative world with endearable yet very flawed characters.
As far as mainstream, primetime network sitcom of the 2000's goes, My Name Is Earl was definitely one of them. It had an amazing premise. And I still to this day believe that it has the *best* pilot episode I have ever seen, for *any* show. From my research, there were no unaired pilot episodes. So that makes it even more impressive. Because most pilots you see, are the 4th or 5th pilot they made, before they finally settled on everything. And even then, major plot points, and characters often get changed from the final aired pilot during the first season. So the fact that Earl changed nothing from the pilot is a testament to how great that pilot is. And the entire first season is great too. However, I do feel it fell off badly after the first season. Which is such a shame, because it had such an incredibly strong first season.
This has been SUCH a nostalgia dose. My name is Earl was such a nice show, part of good times for me and to my shame, I kinda forgot it. Like that cartoon you forgot existed until you're viscerally reminded by seeing the intro... now I gotta rewatch it :D
I really enjoyed this retrospective a lot! My Name is Earl was very near and dear to me, especially when it was on syndication a while back on TBS where it was my comfort show during college. I do think about the show even to this day, despite the fact that I hardly browse television anymore, so it was nice to look back on it and remember some of my favorite moments, the third season in particular certainly being a unique way of storytelling an entire arc.
I absolutely LOVE my name is Earl!! there are absolutely zero video essays about it and that makes me so sad. I adore this show and I just gobble up video essays about shows I love
The writer have a brief synopsis of the last episode, basically Earl found even more people he had wronged and started to think his mission would never end, but then before he gave up, several people who had wronged him previously came forward to make it up to him. They mentioned that they were doing this because they heard someone had been going around making up for past misdeeds to improve his life, and they found inspiration in that and tried to do good as well. Here Earl realized he had made the world and the people in it better, and knew he could stop and live his life. Would have been a tear jerker of a finale.
I had seen a couple episodes before but I watched this before watching the show in full and the show has become one of my favorite shows of all time!! Thank you!
There was a second reference to My Name is Earl in Raising Hope, where a TV show mentions a man who has finished his long standing list to help out people that gets cut off prematurely. It is an odd reference because the show both implies it's a TV show, and a real thing, but my head canon is that in the universe of Raising Hope, My Name is Earl is based on a true story.
I absolutely love this underrated series and even bought the DVDs and watch it once a year. Earl despite having done some awful things in his life you find yourself rooting for him every episode as his heart is always in the right place, even though the 3rd season was a little weird with the coma storyline I still enjoyed it as Joy, Darnell, and Randy started doing Earl’s list for him which not only brought them closer together but also they seemed to appreciate how much effort Earl puts into doing the right thing. Hopefully if this show has the giant resurgence that The Office and Community has found than Earl can comeback and finally wrap the story up
I always love these retrospectives. I greatly appreciate the insane amount of work that must go into these. Much respect, Jose, and I can only hope you get around to a Better Call Saul retro in the future.
This was a fantastic series retrospective! I watched My Name is Earl with my sister after she bought the boxsets on sale at Vintage Stock a few years back. We both loved the series and were bummed it didn't get any sort of definite conclusion.
My name is Earl is my favorite show of all time. It fundamentally helped me change and improve as a person. I never saw another show like it, and I don't think there ever WILL be a show quite like it again. You were the perfect person to handle this show; focusing less on the episode by episode recap, and more you know how to handle discussing themes and characters arcs. You did this show justice like nobody else would. Thank you for sharing this show with your fans. I hope this gets people to give the show a shot.
I’ve never been made this happy by a TH-cam title in my life. I literally can say the words with the characters I have watched this religiously since I was a child
My Name is Earl is also one of a very few shows about a small town that actually feels like it was written by someone from a small town. Not just the culture, but even the consistent portrayal of the size. (Many shows like Smallville want to depict a small town, but constantly introduce shops and amenities that wouldn't exist in that town, just for the sake of a single episode's plot.)
Lana Lang being in high school yet simultaneously the owner and operator of a coffee shop is ridiculous. I know the characters need a place to hang but an Egyptian themed coffee shop in small town Kansas? Yeah I doubt that's gonna last long
Smallville also didn't understand the geography of Kansas. One of the first episodes, they go out to talk to "mountain man"... there are no mountains in Kansas, even the flint hills are questionable to call some of them hills. They were constantly making day trips from where ever Smallville was to Metropolis which is a port city.... also some times visible from Smallville, KS, a completely land locked state in the dead center of the continent.
Even if we assume Metropolis isn't New York like it's implied to be, and say it's like Houston or something, that's still like a 10 hour drive from Kansas.
Also after the 15th time of Clark warning them about the creep of the week being bad news, they'd stop of just accusing him of be jealous of the attention the creep was getting, and maybe believe him.
Idk why this is, but for some reason just now, I realized through your post that "metropolis" is just "city city"
@@Squeeky42069 And your comment just made me realize that too lol
oh good lord. this was my main problem with Schitts Creek. It was purportedly about a small backwoods town, but the writers made it clear they only understood life in Hollywood. They put on a production of Cabaret starring all 12 townsfolk? They had a red carpet for Moira when she was in a movie? An upscale botique that sold eye lotions (and milk and plungers??) that was hugely successful in Pickuptrucksville USA? you know what I just hated that show lol
It's a small thing, but I always loved how Earl would reflexively close his eyes whenever he got his picture taken. Just one of those funny quirks the character has that doesn't really get highlighted, but makes them more endearing.
It’s one of those things that occasionally enters my thoughts when I’m thinking about photography and mugshots.
There's the bit where he has to paste eyes from a magazine on his passport because he couldn't keep them open during the pictures being taken
I always loved that bit cause i had My fair share of photos closing My eyes just for because the flash lmao, it was really Nice to see that small but prominent detail
It's the ONE thing in the show I hated
My grandmother did this as well, but we always knew because she would ask if the flash went off. Yes, it was 50+ years ago. I remember once that it took like 6 tries for her not to ask if the flash went off. Her eyes were still closed. I sometimes wonder how many times they took her pictures in the portrait studios. Although pictures of her when she was young she mostly had here eyes open.
I love how many of the secondary characters becoming recurring throughout the show, makes the town feel more like a real place
Gay Kenny from the first episode is a great example of this. I just rewatched it recently and forgot how much he popped up throughout the show
@@Cherokeechuck9and the African guy and old voice box guy
And Patty the Daytime Hooker, One Eyed Mailman, plus TVs Tim Stack and the cop played by Mike O'Malley.
@@Lil_Twiggy69 nescobar aloplop the goat
Jose said it perfectly that there is no "grand reward" for being a good person but if everyone around you is good then your world is a happy place.
That happy place is a grand reward.
“Since Johnny was never gonna remember, it felt right that someone never forget.” Goosebumps. I miss this show so much.
That was amazing! I minimized the window at the exact time that this was said and read this comment.
agreed it was not only funny but could be really touching at times.
What irks most about it is how it just..poof! ended it ☹️ I mean, I know it was a cancellation, so I guess…eff you person who canceled this amazing show!!! I hope they regret it. If there was ever a show that needed a reboot though…!
@@jillyancardona3793 At least we got to hear directly from Greg Garcia how he wanted it to end, that's more than we get for most canceled shows.
I read this in Earl's voice LMAO
Extra note: in a throwaway line on Raising Hope, there's a tv announcer that covers Earl finishing his list
Odd he didn't mention it.
@@logandials it's a background line, and it was really easy to miss. Maybe 5 seconds.
There is a slew of easter eggs in Raising Hope! I hope José can have a retrospective on that series, bridging the neatness between the two. Both are really great in the wholesome feeling.
@@Grimfatex amen brother
No way
I absolutely adore that the reason for Earl’s signature mustache is just Jason Lee saying “Trust me, I look REALLY funny with a mustache!” 😂
When I worked in fast food, we had a regular customer who would come in from time to time. It was our policy to ask for a customer's name after they order, to which he would respond, "My Name is Earl! Do you know that show?" As a huge fan of the show, I never forgot his name, or this memory. Nice guy, I hope he is doing well!
What I love about this show is how it seems to have great affection for all of its characters. They may be trailer trash and daytime hookers, but they all have some good in them. In a comedy landscape where cruelty is commonplace, it made for a nice change of pace.
Honestly a great point, while it does go a bit iffy with some characters, it does show that they have value and skills that may not be noticed at first.
I mean there can stay hookers if there want to.
Yeah I agree. For quite a while it's been the norm to depict lower class/dysfunctional people in TV comedy, but this is one of the few from the era that feels like it was actually doing something constructive with the premise, and in a way that built on itself over time with its depictions of the various characters and their continual growth.
@@bigboi8028 thats what pressley meant by correcting political incorrectness
Well those in charge of the media are the top richest people who hate poor people
One way I loved how this show tackled community was the episode where Earl has to throw a funeral for a man he wronged, botching the funeral, being haunted by that guilt, and then bringing together a group of people who knew and loved that man through the online space that never really knew each other prior
That episode also has John Waters as the funeral home owner who loves doing weird and personal position for the dead funeral
@@patrickmitchell9068 I love seeing John Waters play characters that are the most John Waters characters ever.
agreed it helped to show how meaningful online communities can be.
That episode lives in my head rent-free...
@@patrickmitchell9068 Lmao just say "weird funeral home owner" and you'll just know it's John Waters
I loved this show when I was a kid/teenager, and it unironically helped shape my morality. Not in a literal karma way, but in the general sense of trying to do right by others.
Me too man 😅 crazy someone else was influenced by this masterpiece as a child
@@scumbagjesus999me 3 :)
Watching Jason Lee go from pro skater to top notch actor warms my heart. Always admired him when I was a skater, and I'm so happy to see how successful he was in a totally different arena.
I love you, Jose. This show was really influential for me. The theme that a scumbag could make amends and become better really resonated with me, and presented me with hope. I was a scumbag, from a line of scumbags. And I've spent my adult life trying to change and atone for my shit-baggery.
Hey man, proud of you 🤜🤛
@@Tatanka_Tactical thank you. I try harder to be better tomorrow than I was yesterday.
Good luck!
Me too! I actually went through detox binging this show.
I used to be a piece of shit. People can change.
growing up my name is earl was the only show that actually felt like it showed what avg low income middle Americans are actually like without feeling like it was shitting all over the kind of people I spent my days with.
Yup, I felt the same too. It really felt completely different than anything else on TV.
Uh... Trust me the show was shitting all over those very people !
This! I grew up in a pretty rural southern community and everyone loved the show because it portrayed us, our problems and our stories, without making us seem like jokes or putting us on a pedestal like some other shows sometimes do.
Lol I was laughing at y'all, still do😂
Malcolm in the Middle had a similar feel.
I will always respect Jason Lee for being one of the few people to just walk away from the Church of Scientology.
unfathomably based
He left? That's so good.
Leah Remini did the same.
Leah tried got caught@@johgu92
He did?! I didn't know that. When I heard that he was scientologist, I lost all respect for him.
That's great news! Now I can like him again🤣
@@cwavt8849I’m not religious and I find Scientology to be comically insane but judging folks because of their religious beliefs is weird. Lol
As far as I'm concerned, the ending Greg Garcia pitched in that reddit AMA is the canon ending I'd want for the show. It is the best conclusion for a person dedicating their life to doing good. Not to be shackled to it forever but just to become a better person and influence others to be better people.
Agreed, it's such a good way to wrap it up
I just read the reddit post and I agree that would’ve been an excellent ending
Yeah at first I was like wtf? His got the list he should finish it. But after re-watching the entire show last week I actually love that idea for an ending. The purpose of the list was to grow, and by doing that he caused a ripple effect that made others want to grow to. Not to mention if they did that ending it could still be made into a movie or final season even though it's been 10 years since the show ended.
There's one big elephant in the room, nobody really wants to touch/address:
The influence of Scientology on the show.
The two main acts Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee are/were members of the church of Scientology. As well as prominent supporting roles/extras, like Giovanni Ribisi and Juliet Lewis.
I don't know about the people in the background working on the show, like the writers. But I'm certain that Scientology had their hands on the show in one way or the other.
Was he asked about it in any way at the AMA, on Reddit?
@@yannick245 The only impact I think it would of had was them not touching anything to do with scientology-like cults in the show as to not piss off it's two lead actors.
Jason Lee said in an interview that he hadn't been involved in scientology in many, many years and that was back in 2016 so I would't be surprised if he stopped being a scientologist half way into Earl's run, he had a lot going for him at the time so distancing himself from them might of been a career move.
It probably had a small impact on the show but not much, Scientologies beliefs wouldn't really interfere with a show like My Name is Earl
Fun Fact: Jason Lee has be focusing his career on photography (specifically analog film and large format polaroid photography) and he's a damn good photographer.
he's also a very talented former pro skater! he had his own section in the legendary skate tape 'video days' which features future fine artist mark gonzalez, and directed by a young spike jonze.
I'm glad he's good at that and thriving somewhere else because those Alvin and the Chipmunks movies were not good for his career
awesome for him.
He started keeping a low profile, when he left Scientology.
@Tommy Fraz oh he left, thank goodness
That episode where it's revealed that Joy and Randy knew each other as children is this incredibly meaningful moment for me. Just this little wholesome ode to the childhood we left behind, of innocent kid crushes and simple joys. An incredibly portrait of nostalgia that grows in meaning the older I get.
agreed, watching joy give randy his little date was so sweet.
Seems like something Linklater would direct
One of the greatest shows ever. Certainly the best casting, in my opinion. I can't imagine a single character being played by a different actor. No matter how many times I've seen it, I always laugh out loud and get hit in the feels.
I loved the video, but mentioning how much he repairs his relationship with his father, but not mentioning the episode where his dad crossed an item off the list while he was in a coma belongs on your own list. I tear up every time he whispers that he never gave up on him. Most heartpulling moment in the whole show.
It's too bad that episode was cut from somme channels. Generally was an entertaining episode, alongside that and Carl becoming a bustman too.
this show is criminally underratated, and im still mad it never got a proper ending
I watched 6 months ago on Hulu not expecting much of it, but Man did it surprise me, it was uniquely funny and absurd at the same time but in a good way. This show feels like a more likable and positive version of "It's Always sunny in Philadelphia.
There's one big elephant in the room, nobody really wants to touch/address:
The influence of Scientology on the show. The shows creator Greg Garcia.
The two main acts Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee are/were members of the church of Scientology. As well as prominent supporting roles/extras, like Giovanni Ribisi and Juliet Lewis.
I don't know about the people in the background working on the show, like the writers. But I'm certain that Scientology had their hands on the show in one way or the other!
_Edit: There's an article, published on The Guardian named "My name is L Ron Hubbard", by James Donaghy, who diggs a little into it._
@@yannick245 Are there any scientology ideas put into the show? It doesn't seem like it would be that relevant to bring up.
@@PeterGriffin11 There's an article, published on The Guardian named _"My name is L Ron Hubbard",_ by James Donaghy, who diggs a little into it.
Google it! You can still find it online.
Always gonna be upset abt that until they put out a good final.
That was a shockingly wholesome backstory to the inspiration for the show, shoutout to Earl
This show was a very huge comfort show, I really love small details they put in for Earl as well, like how he closes his eyes in every picture or even having a sensitive tongue to spicy food, even that iconic face he makes when someone around him says something interesting, just adding mini details like that really made Earl feel more real and even relatable, I now sometimes find myself making a similar face whenever someone tells me something interesting, My Name Is Earl should at the very least get either another season or a movie, just one more time on the screen to wrap up Earl’s story.
I really miss this show. I'm glad the writers told us how it would have ended had they got the opportunity to complete it.
This show has aged like a fine wine imo. It still holds up to this day
This show always surprised me with how joyfully and gently it nudged the weirdness of the human experience. Emphasizing foibles and character flaws, but giving characters the opportunity to find how their self fit into their community.
The writers were also great at have jokes hit you from out of nowhere.
Exactly this.
a joke that I think about daily is in the montage of randy getting caught hiding who he really is to match various women, when he dates the jewish woman he comes out of the bathroom after a long time and goes "sorry, my foreskin got stuck in the zipper" ☠️
@@morgangunning30 Classic
Me and my brother are almost a decade apart; the generational divide was very obvious throughout our upbringing. Regardless of that, we always had eachother's backs, regardless of consequence.
One of the reasons why My Name Is Earl stuck so hard with me.
I remember watching Earl every week with my parents it holds a special place in my heart sometimes we still quote the show by saying "Hey Crabman"
I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love to eventually see a deep dive into Raising Hope. After you mentioned My Name is Earl in the last deep dive, I ended up rewatching Raising Hope and it's still excellent.
I feel like raising hope is such an underrated comedy! It’s one of my favorite shows ever but I rarely see other people talking about it anymore.
Seconded! Raising Hope was one of my favorite shows, and bears the honor of being one of the only comedies my mom not only tolerated, but loved and watched with me every week.
My exact thoughts. Both shows are excellent and I've rewatched both multiple times
I love how Greg incorporated raising hope into the my name is earl universe as well, and bringing back some of the actors from my name is earl into the series as well like Jaime Pressley playing the next door neighbor of the chances
I have that scene where that once character says "that is so macabre" etched into my mind for some reason.
I remember this show very vaguely but not enough to know how sweet the story was! Ps. Joy's style and fashion is such a serve those flowerlike hairpieces and ribbons ? Slay.
agreed i loved it growing up.
Same! I can’t remember much about but I remember liking it a lot and it’s heart warming to see how much it deserved it’s praise 🥰🥰🥰
It’s supposed to be trashy or whatever but every time I see it I’m just so in love with it.
When I was in middle school, I watched this show every day when I got home. At the time, my mom was sick due to cancer and I had to stay somewhere else. My science teacher offered and she made me feel welcome. I get a big hit of nostalgia when I think about this show, and you just made those amazing memories come flying back. Great video my man!
As heartwarming as many of the episodes are the 'Cops' episodes will always be my favorite. They are just plain hilarious.
Hell yeah we get to see some of the dumb shit he used to do 😂 it is absolutely hilarious
This show was honestly one of the most important shows for me as a person. My mother owned the first season on dvd and I watched the heck out of that season. It made me want to be like earl and do my best to be a good person to everyone. Even as a very dumb pre teen, I saw how his actions made the small minded town such a better place and it really inspired me. I will always hold this show in a special place in my heart ❤
My mom passed away from breast cancer while the show was going on. The theme of an ordinary man trying to make up for the bad things he had done really touched me.
I've never seen that alternate pilot before, that's awesome.
One underrated bit is earl only wins 100,000 dollars in the lottery but everyone acts like he won the powerball. Great little joke that is especially funny if you're from a small town
It's on the DVD set, I've seen it so many times.
Yup. Money is relative.
Earl becomes a force of change for the better, and that's what makes this show so special.
I found this show when I was pretty young, during a really painful time for my family. There was so much pain and hurt in that house. I started watching because it was funny. But as I watched, I found the framework of the kind of guy I wanted to be. I was young, I didnt know how to help anyone I cared for, and it killed me. But this show showed me that even if you don't really know what youre doing, you can still make your life and the lives of others better. I've carried that with me since then
Jason Lee is such an enigma for the public eye. Anyone under 40 probably could pinpoint his voice if you ever hear it (I've heard it in a couple cartoons the kid of house watches for instance). He is an extremely popular but still heavily untalked about actor. Like, I never really hear people talk about him, and a lot of people probably can't remember his name half the time, but if he is on screen, you will be able to point him out.
I grew up only knowing Jason Lee as either Underdog because he was the voice actor, and later Dave from Alvin and the Chipmunks.
He was also a damn good skater, apparently. Tony Hawk once bragged on his skills
@TheGlassesPro Not gonna lie, I never once put that together as a kid. 😂
Dogma anyone lol
He was also the basis for Chris Evans' character in Scott Pilgrim
It would be cool if Netflix picked it up for 1 season in a similar way to how Dexter was later revisited, set in 2024 reflecting on the past 15 years and the end of his quest
I've rewatched this show more time than I can count. Knowing that i can redeem myself while doing my best to help the community around me is the one of the reasons why I decided to go back to school and try to be the best version that I can be.
In a way Earl got his happy ending, his great reward, Dodge…. He always wanted his own son, & in the end that’s what he got, he wasn’t ever expecting it either, but the son he wanted most was right by his side. So, I’ve gotta say it was a satisfying ending for him, but we are left with Darnell’s story
This show was so good. Still pains me that it got cancelled. We just needed 1 more season to wrap it up ffs
agreed.
Kinda like Two and a Half Men (when Charlie Sheen left).
The writer's strikes episodes were painful, I wish they'd been able to do a hiatus and used the same episode count to do a decent ending.
All I want is is it not to say to be continued on the screen during the last episode cause it means there was more story that could have been told
Man, I forgot how much I loved this show. It’s now on my list to go back and watch again. Thanks for this video! Very well done.
I remember growing up on this show and even watched the pilot when it aired. It was one of the first shows that made me realize as a kid that anyone could change and even taught me that even if the apology isn't accept that you can still at least make an effort to apologize or right the wrong. Even if you get told no and pushed away, which is reasonable, at the end of the day you know you did try when a lot of people don't bother. People lose faith in humanity too fast these days. There are people out there that really do want to change and honestly, this show makes me cry every time I do a full watch through and get to that last episode. I kind of wish we could have more shows like this again. We have so many of the same sitcoms and shows with the fake canned laughter, but this show was so funny and had a nice message. Earl did terrible things, but at the end of the day he does everything in his power to better himself even if it sucks for him at the end.
Greg Garcia is really good at humanizing people that people look down on
20 minutes in and I'm bawling. This show was better than it had any right to be, and I almost forgot how much I loved it
I love that possible ending where Earl inspires more karma lists. The show already shows how good deeds touch others, it makes sense that his and Randy's constant mentions of and accomplishments from the List would inspire others to adopt the idea.
I was surprised that Jason Lee's skateboarding wasn't mentioned. He was a pro skater before he went into acting. Most relevant here is that just after the show ended, he played Coach Frank in the video game Skate 3, who speaks in a similar manner to Earl and also has a moustache.
Holy crap, I _just today_ watched the last episode of My Name Is Earl after putting it off for over a decade. What a somewhat alarming coincidence.
"Look, Earl! Fancy smoke! Aww, it's making me sad!"
If the ending that the writer said we never got happened, it would have been one of the best tv endings ever
This show must have inspired me more than I ever realised. I've spent the last couple years apologising to people I've hurt in the past, trying to become a better person. That scene with Earl begging his dad to believe he's changed is crushing, that's a very real experience. Thanks a lot for the video, i needed this. Off to go pay it forward.
As a Jose, the “as a Jose…” caught me completely off guard, very much a Spider-Man meme moment. I love having something playing on the background while I do other things, and found myself having to pause it, make lunch and just sit and watch. Great video and good job Jose.
One of my favourite details is Earl pronouncing "illegitimate" wrong every time he says it throughout the show. It never fails to make me laugh. Probably my favourite show with a lot of nostalgia attatched to it.
I loved the bits of him always closing his eyes while getting a picture taken.
I Always imagined the final shot of the show being him getting his picture taken with his list finished and you see his eyes opened
@@DarcyWalker Yes, it's such a great detail!! It reminds me of my cousin who also can't take a picture without blinking 🤣
That would be an incredible way to end it. I wish they would've finished it 😭
I wasn't sure if you were gonna do this one and I'm so hyped that you did. Earl felt special to me because it was often absurd but highly optimistic about it's world, even when it was a crapsack world. Always a comedy but it had a lot of heart to it too.
Growing up as a closeted transmaculine man, I didn't have a single good male figure in my life. I didn't realize how much this show influenced my outlook on life, and what kind of man I want to be. I'm not perfect and I've made my own list I can't always atone for. Yet just like Earl, I can always take steps to improve myself or try to help others improve their situation.
Thanks for giving this series some love, it meant so much to little me
god, completely same boat. all of the male figures in my life fell short but this was airing as i was growing up and i always internalized how much i wanted to be like earl. what a great tv show, no idea it'd help with my transition so much
Neither of you know what a man is or should be so you cannot proclaim anything about them.
Fellow trans-masc with negative male figures growing up who watched this show! Growing up I couldn't really picture what kind of man I wanted to be (and still struggle with it tbh), but this show is a wonderful place to start. I grew up in a very small town myself like in the show (but even smaller lol) so it especially holds a place in my heart. Keep up the good work and stay safe friend!
Teacher Earl, GED, Job, The Trial, and Bad Earl are by far my favorite episodes, and have saved my life on several occasions. I can't thank this show enough for what it's done for me all these years.
This show is incredible. People sleep on it and take it at face value but fuck man, it can honestly hit deep.
With all of the reboots and reunion seasons of shows these days, My Name Is Earl deserves one.
Id like just a final season to portray that amazing ending they came up with.
I work in a grocery store and about a month ago I met the guy who plays kenny. Let’s just say I was so excited that I told him how much I loved this show. 2 weeks later I got his autograph. But when I met him he told me he’s as gonna meet with Greg Garcia about making a my name is earl movie.
Shut.Up. That’s so awesome man!!!
A detailed, great review of this fantastic series. Thanks,dude! I hope it will bring loads of new people to watch it, cause it deserves the attention and should not go down the drain, like loads of other (lesser) shows.
I actually got a little teary eyed by your descriptions of the show a couple of times. Very well done. I think I may have to binge that show again. Thank you for this.
I've been looking for a retrospective on this show for SO long, I just rewatched it and I'm happy to have found this video
This is probably my favourite tv show of all time. It’s just comforting and funny and feels relatable somehow, they do get the small town thing very right. Thanks for your video! Love to see content featuring my name is earl
Oh how I loved this show! Not only is it a good story with wild characters, it’s HILARIOUS. Just that visual of them trying to smoke the carrots reminded me of the joke and made me laugh out loud. I bought the first season on DVD and any time I was feeling down I’d put on a few episodes and it would always do the trick.
I also love how its a moral story, that is really creative and earnest and does not feel forced at all, because earl is damn likable in his misadventures. And Human. Extremely human. And why doing the right thing matter and not being the worst. And show why
(while being hillarous)
@@marocat4749 I second everything you said.
I love that you included the Paley Center panel with the main ensemble. The prompt for the question was something along the lines of "What appealed to you (Jamie Pressley) about Joy, someone who is an abrasive person on the surface?" and the answer Jamie gave made me see Joy very, very differently. I love this show because you can tell that even at the show's relative low points, the cast is always working at giving long-term nuances to the character.
Thank you so much for making these retrospectives!! They are amazing. I've now connected very deeply with the stories of characters from shows that I never would have even known existed if it weren't for your willingness to go to such efforts to analyze and talk about them in the way you have for years now. Thank you for that.
I still think its one of the best shows TV ever got. It had a good premise, real stories, and genuine humor.
I was so upset when this showed ended on a cliffhanger!!!! Never seeing it come to a conclusion is one of those things that will always make my life feel incomplete.
It did feel like Raising Hope revisited My Name Is Earl at times, yet that show also seemed to end unceremoniously.
Man.
There's something about these shows that's so comforting and wholesome.
Even in Earl, where characters backstab and torment each other there's this underlying theme of love and respect.
Basically, I want to live in the universes all the shows you've covered exist in.
This show will always have a special place in my heart 💜
Definitely one of my favorite shows. Just a funny show that somehow is also philosophical. And yes the portrayal of small town America is spot on.
I'm a simple man. I want one last My Name is Earl movie, just to close out the show.
They already have a good enough premise. Remember they had one joke where Earl stole Christmas?
Earl Saves Chrismas.
"He's making a list, and checking it twice!"
I don't think its doable. Jason Lee left Scientology & Ethan Suplee is still part of it. It's part of Ethan's religion now that he has to shun Jason Lee.
Whenever Jose casually uploads after a month, im glad he isn't dead
the man is working
thank you for your oh so important input heisenberg
That's right: dead serious about forensically marathoning an elite US single-camera sitcom
Yo mista white you comment on every video i watch please leave my back yard
represent!
Earl: "Randy... Those are poison!"
Randy: "How poison?"
This show is just stupid(ly great)! 😂
Absolutely one of the most underrated comedies, I binged it like crazy a while back and loved every second.
This is the first sitcom you’ve covered I’ve actually seen! I love this show, despite some parts maybe not having aged well. I’m glad that it’s qualities of redemption, hard work towards such, and the quirky qualities of the show, were something you also enjoyed.
So happy that you're doing this retrospective, this show was my weird comfort shows for so so long!!
I LOVED this show as a kid. I really identified with Joy's arcs
So happy to see this show holds up! Love its message. Thanks for another great video, as always José!
One of my favorite shows! So glad this is getting a retrospective.
This show started airing when I was in 5th grade. I watched it with my parents every week. Definitely formative media for me. It’s been a while since I last watched it, but I was an adult. I’m glad you included the “hole surgery” joke, one of my favorite in the whole show. Even with all the transmisogyny, I think MNIS was one of the most well-intentioned shows I’ve seen.
Great video again Jose! Thanks for reminiscing on older shows that we grew up with!! And it's also awesome to see your growth over this year!! Keep up the good work!
Bro thank you for this... seriously it was so concisely laid out, you got talent. I grew up on this show but also a similar environment. You did justice..
I was just looking for some clips for nostalgic sake but yuh got me locked in. Big ups
God this show is such a nostalgia trip to me. I myself have a simplistic view of morality, and I think it was influenced by this show. It went off the rails towards the end, but there’s so much *good* throughout the thing.
The story makes you feel better about people
Yep, its somehow a moral tale, feel good and extremely humanist. I mean how the show really shows the humanity and the value of it and doing the right thing.
And very creative and fun while not being complicated. And reaffirming that humans are flawed but people and worth it, and can be so good.
And somehow reminds me of terry pratchet, i guess the way how it really has a positive deep impact.
Or that both have to lively imaginative world with endearable yet very flawed characters.
As far as mainstream, primetime network sitcom of the 2000's goes, My Name Is Earl was definitely one of them. It had an amazing premise. And I still to this day believe that it has the *best* pilot episode I have ever seen, for *any* show. From my research, there were no unaired pilot episodes. So that makes it even more impressive. Because most pilots you see, are the 4th or 5th pilot they made, before they finally settled on everything. And even then, major plot points, and characters often get changed from the final aired pilot during the first season. So the fact that Earl changed nothing from the pilot is a testament to how great that pilot is. And the entire first season is great too. However, I do feel it fell off badly after the first season. Which is such a shame, because it had such an incredibly strong first season.
This has been SUCH a nostalgia dose. My name is Earl was such a nice show, part of good times for me and to my shame, I kinda forgot it. Like that cartoon you forgot existed until you're viscerally reminded by seeing the intro... now I gotta rewatch it :D
Glad to see this! I used to watch the show a lot as reruns in random order and felt like nobody else had ever watched it. Great retrospective!
Whenever I'm in a rut or feeling like the world sucks I watch this show.
I really enjoyed this retrospective a lot! My Name is Earl was very near and dear to me, especially when it was on syndication a while back on TBS where it was my comfort show during college. I do think about the show even to this day, despite the fact that I hardly browse television anymore, so it was nice to look back on it and remember some of my favorite moments, the third season in particular certainly being a unique way of storytelling an entire arc.
I absolutely LOVE my name is Earl!! there are absolutely zero video essays about it and that makes me so sad. I adore this show and I just gobble up video essays about shows I love
This was such a great show; it's sad it was canceled.
This and Quantum Leap will always be the shows that I'm really mad were unceremoniously cancelled. I really needed resolution on Earl though. 😢
I like to think Sam finally leapt home
@@tenebrousoul9368 so do I.
The writer have a brief synopsis of the last episode, basically Earl found even more people he had wronged and started to think his mission would never end, but then before he gave up, several people who had wronged him previously came forward to make it up to him. They mentioned that they were doing this because they heard someone had been going around making up for past misdeeds to improve his life, and they found inspiration in that and tried to do good as well. Here Earl realized he had made the world and the people in it better, and knew he could stop and live his life.
Would have been a tear jerker of a finale.
Could add Firefly to that list as well.
I had seen a couple episodes before but I watched this before watching the show in full and the show has become one of my favorite shows of all time!! Thank you!
There was a second reference to My Name is Earl in Raising Hope, where a TV show mentions a man who has finished his long standing list to help out people that gets cut off prematurely. It is an odd reference because the show both implies it's a TV show, and a real thing, but my head canon is that in the universe of Raising Hope, My Name is Earl is based on a true story.
I absolutely love this underrated series and even bought the DVDs and watch it once a year. Earl despite having done some awful things in his life you find yourself rooting for him every episode as his heart is always in the right place, even though the 3rd season was a little weird with the coma storyline I still enjoyed it as Joy, Darnell, and Randy started doing Earl’s list for him which not only brought them closer together but also they seemed to appreciate how much effort Earl puts into doing the right thing. Hopefully if this show has the giant resurgence that The Office and Community has found than Earl can comeback and finally wrap the story up
I always love these retrospectives. I greatly appreciate the insane amount of work that must go into these. Much respect, Jose, and I can only hope you get around to a Better Call Saul retro in the future.
This was a fantastic series retrospective! I watched My Name is Earl with my sister after she bought the boxsets on sale at Vintage Stock a few years back. We both loved the series and were bummed it didn't get any sort of definite conclusion.
My name is Earl is my favorite show of all time. It fundamentally helped me change and improve as a person. I never saw another show like it, and I don't think there ever WILL be a show quite like it again.
You were the perfect person to handle this show; focusing less on the episode by episode recap, and more you know how to handle discussing themes and characters arcs. You did this show justice like nobody else would. Thank you for sharing this show with your fans. I hope this gets people to give the show a shot.
I’ve never been made this happy by a TH-cam title in my life. I literally can say the words with the characters I have watched this religiously since I was a child
Jose, thank you for doing "My Name is Earl." I miss this show so much!