Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday! This week, I’m continuing my coverage of My Name Is Earl (2005-2009, NBC), which is currently available on DVD and Hulu!

My Name Is Earl stars JASON LEE as Earl, ETHAN SUPLEE as Randy, JAIME PRESSLY as Joy, NADINE VELAZQUEZ as Catalina, and EDDIE STEEPLES as Darnell.

Season Three is a disappointment. Its efforts to navigate the inherently dwindling novelty of the series’ high-concept premise result in decisions that further undermine the situation at large, guaranteeing that pretty much everything fails to live up to prior standards. Specifically, this year overcommits to Earl’s prison sentence — an arc that explicitly throws out his list, the guiding framework for exploring Earl in episodic plot, while eschewing elements of the regular setting and ensemble that also define the series. Although Randy quickly joins Earl in the prison, the two are otherwise sequestered from other leads for the duration of the arc, and that limits opportunities for character interaction and therefore supportive situation comedy… Now, I think the intention here was to put Earl in a new circumstance where he could perform different types of good deeds, many of them favors for the warden — who promises to commute his sentence with each act — which could then narratively substitute for items on his list. This jibes with Two’s implicit broadening of the premise, positing that general do-gooding may be comparable to specific, individualized amends. However, with little to no personal history for Earl in the weekly deeds Three tasks him with doing, these ideas are simply less character-based, and thus less satisfying. Of course, this arc may have worked better if it didn’t last so long — it spans 12 episodes, several of which desperately contrive excuses to get Earl out of prison (like fantasies or flashbacks). Fortunately, #13 — the final aired entry before a long hiatus due to the WGA Strike — is strong, playing against the premise by having the newly freed Earl renounce karma: no more list, no more do-gooding. But it all goes downhill from there, for the show returns from its break with Earl in a coma… for five LONG episodes! It’s another delay to the status quo, subjecting us instead to false, elongated jeopardy (i.e., we know Earl isn’t killing off Earl) and unfunny sitcom parody dream sequences that go on ad nauseam. (Oh, and seeing Randy and Joy take on Earl’s list is fine once, but it’s not the situation.) Eventually, the last few episodes, with Alyssa Milano as Earl’s new wife who’s also reformed and allegedly ready to make her own amends, restores the series’ core themes and helps redirect him back to his list and the premise. It just takes the entirety of a season to get there — and it’s not worth the trouble.

 

01) Episode 49: “My Name Is Inmate #28301-016 (II)” (Aired: 09/27/07)

Earl helps a prison bully from his past earn some long-wanted Scout badges.

Written by Kat Likkel & John Hoberg | Directed by Michael Fresco

The second half of a two-parter that originally aired as the hour-long season premiere, both this and its companion are comparatively worthwhile, but I’ve opted to highlight Part II over Part I, for while Part I introduces us to Earl’s new environs and sets the scene, Part II actually is the story — about Earl helping a fellow inmate who’s got a childhood vendetta against him. This is an example of the show trying to use the prison construct to re-conceptualize how it displays the premise. But with a personal history between Earl and the guy for whom he’s doing the good deed, this does feel like an appropriate list-related notion — one of the few from this prison arc that still plays to the situation as promised. So, it’s automatically a cut above.

02) Episode 50: “The Gangs Of Camden County” (Aired: 10/04/07)

The warden offers Earl time off if he can broker peace between two rival prison gangs.

Written by Victor Fresco | Directed by Michael Fresco

Craig T. Nelson debuts here as the warden, for whom Earl does favors in exchange for small commutations to his prison sentence. As noted, it’s an excuse to ensure that Earl keeps performing good deeds, even without his own personal list — and while it’s not as effective when it lacks strong personal stakes related to Earl’s transformation or history, I appreciate the effort, not only because the recurring Nelson is funny, but mainly because this tangential aid from the premise is better than none at all. And this episode is one of the best in that mold, with a simple story about Earl having to make peace between the heads of two rival gangs — who turn out to be secret lovers. It’s comical and indicative of this arc’s intentions. (Also, note that Randy becomes a prison guard — finally giving the confined Earl some regular ensemble support.)

03) Episode 51: “The Frank Factor” (Aired: 10/11/07)

Earl remembers when he and Randy planned a heist with their old friend and new inmate Frank.

Written by Greg Garcia | Directed by Greg Garcia

Michael Rapaport is introduced here as the recurring Frank, another old friend of Earl’s and Randy’s with whom they conspired to commit a crime. He’s not as funny as some of the other characters who’ve occupied a similar space (like Giovanni Ribisi’s Ralph), but putting someone else in prison with whom Earl had a personal relationship is obviously a tactic to create some character stakes in story that otherwise wouldn’t exist — and, again, it’s a smart way to improve an arc that’s fundamentally less ideal. However, this entry deliberately takes us out of prison for a flashback show that explains their history, giving us a chance to see more of the regulars together again and in a plot that fleshes out their past, just as Earl would have done in years prior. This season will keep finding one-off reasons to break Earl out of this arc’s literal confinements — but the excuses get lamer and lamer. (Howie Mandel appears as himself.)

04) Episode 53: “Frank’s Girl” (Aired: 10/25/07)

Earl finds himself caught between Frank and his girlfriend.

Written by Danielle Sanchez-Witzel | Directed by Eyal Gordin

Now that Frank has been established, the show can use him in stories where Earl performs a good deed — and that’s helpful; he’s someone in whom Earl actually has a vested interest. Here, Earl tries to reunite Frank and his girlfriend, Billie, played by Alyssa Milano, after she dumps him. But Earl eventually discovers that this mission isn’t actually for the best, because Billie herself is better off without Frank, and now he should encourage Frank to let her go. It’s always compelling when the good deed turns out to be wrong, so even though “Frank’s Girl” only exists to set up Billie as a future paramour for Earl himself, this half hour benefits from being relationship-driven, putting Earl in a moral and character-based conflict instead of a prison-only drama. (Oh, and I appreciate the gag of Earl’s “pillow list” as a proxy for his actual list).

05) Episode 56: “Randy In Charge (… Of Our Days And Our Nights)” (Aired: 11/08/07)

Earl is tasked with leading a “Scared Straight” program while Randy attempts to assert authority.

Written by Mike Mariano | Directed by Eyal Gordin

Earl’s prison entries tend to get less inspired as they progress, and I must admit I’m not crazy about this one, for despite having a basically appropriate story about the warden asking Earl to establish a “Scared Straight” program for the other inmates as part of Earl’s own process of reducing his sentence, nothing that comes from it is particularly funny or well-connected to the character. However, the reason I do include this one is because it’s the only outing this year that focuses on the seminal Earl/Randy bond by putting them in conflict, as Randy attempts to assert his authority over Earl in proof of his own capabilities. It’s not great or a favorite, but I appreciate that it at least is about them and their dynamic more than the prison conceit itself.

06) Episode 60: “Bad Earl” (Aired: 01/10/08)

Earl abandons his list after deciding that there is no such thing as karma.

Written by Alan Kirschenbaum | Directed by Eyal Gordin

My choice for this season’s Most Valuable Episode (MVE), “Bad Earl” is the series’ last aired showing before its three-month hiatus due to the 2007-2008 WGA strike, and it’s the first one that finds Earl a fully free man again, following an overlong prison arc that (deliberately) delayed the year’s ability to play to its regular situation. This installment is therefore a breath of fresh air not merely because it’s a reset to what Earl is supposed to be, but also because it genuinely engages the premise — and with a surprising yet necessary story where Earl actually plays against said premise, rejecting his belief in karma and rescinding his commitment to making amends for his past by helping others. In short, he’s back to his old ways — hence the title “Bad Earl.” It’s so refreshing — reminding us of the character’s history by revealing his capacity to still reflect it — while also directly acknowledging his list and the series’ core themes, which were only partially and often laboriously threaded into the prison segments. Additionally, this is a very funny sample in its own right, boasting a story about Earl usurping Ralph’s plot to dupe an old lady with dementia — a perfectly rotten thing to do that reveals Earl’s backslide, all aided by elements from his backstory and the situation as established… Naturally, Earl can’t have its lead fight against the premise like this every week, but just this once, and in a season where that premise is typically hazy or irrelevant, this is a situation-filled (and character-rooted) idea.

07) Episode 64: “No Heads And A Duffel Bag” (Aired: 04/17/08)

Randy remembers when he and Earl got his parents mixed up with drug dealers.

Written by Hunter Covington | Directed by Michael Fresco

From that terrible span of five half hours where Earl is in a coma — and we’re subjected to hacky sitcom parody dream sequences that enjoy contrasting Earl’s single-cam ethos with the perceived artifice of the multi-cam form, and with a dramatic explanation that just doesn’t justify the gimmickry or the extent to which it’s drawn out — this entry notably sidesteps its current predicament for a flashback show where Randy, who’s taken over Earl’s list, tries to make amends for the time that he and Earl got their parents (Beau Bridges and Nancy Lenehan) involved with drug dealers. Again, it’s not hilarious, but the flashback at least explores the leads’ shared history using known elements of the situation, with the premise foundationally invoked.

08) Episode 67: “Girl Earl” (Aired: 05/08/08)

Earl and his new wife Billie both have amends they’d like to make to a former grocer.

Written by Ralph Greene | Directed by Eyal Gordin

After an episode that was all about getting Earl with Billie and resolving the coma drama, “Girl Earl” gets to play with the possibilities of this year’s final arc, as Earl now has a wife — someone who supposedly shares his interest in turning their lives around and addressing their past misdeeds. That’s first put to the test in this unique but familiar excursion that has Earl going back to his list (finally!), as he endeavors to make amends with a former competitive grocery bagger memorably played by Jon Heder — who also happens to be a person with whom Billie has to make amends as well. But Earl and Billie find that their ideas of making amends are different — she is all talk and half-heartedly so, while he’s active and committed. That’s a great conflict — upheld by his character and the premise. (Saverio Guerra also appears.)

09) Episode 68: “Camdenites (I)” (Aired: 05/15/08)

Earl throws himself into his list to avoid spending time with his new wife.

Written by Michael Pennie & Hilary Winston | Directed by Michael Fresco

Season Three’s two-part finale — which originally aired in an hour block — is strong, continuing Earl’s tension with Billie, which is great for his character because it’s so well-supported by the premise: his recommitment to making amends through his personal checklist. Here, he throws himself into his “work” as a means of avoiding Billie, as they’re rapidly proving to be incompatible. That’s a funny idea — Earl using altruism to evade his own problems, rather than fixing them. And it’s even funnier when there’s a thematically fitting twist, as Earl finds that every time he clears his karma with a woman from his past, his relationship with Billie improves. Again, that’s an amusing, fresh play on key aspects of the series’ identity.

10) Episode 69: “Camdenites (II)” (Aired: 05/15/08)

Earl’s wife Billie attempts to undo all of the good things he’s done from his list.

Written by Michael Pennie & Hilary Winston | Directed by Michael Fresco

Part II of Three’s finale is even funnier than its predecessor, as Billie turns into an antagonist, angrily seeking revenge on Earl for choosing his list over her. By actively undoing many of the good works he’s done since the series began, Billie offers another premise-supported notion, engaging some rich continuity with previous episodes and sparking heretofore unused conflict related to Earl’s objective, and thus the situation at large. Naturally, this all climactically builds to their inevitable divorce, as she decides to atone for her sins by joining the “Camdenites” (the equivalent of an Amish society) — a broad but welcome idea, happily resetting Earl back to his status quo ahead of Season Four — and that’s the point: now he can return to focusing on his list exclusively, without any of the distractions that popped up in Three (prison, coma, wife, etc).

 

Other notable episodes that merit mention include: the first half of the season’s premiere, “My Name Is Inmate #28301-016 (I),” along with “Midnight Bun,” a big event show where Earl and Randy temporarily leave prison to track down Frank while Joy gives birth (an arc here in Three that occurs alongside the prison outings — nothing great comes from it), and two key but mediocre entries that build to Earl’s release, “Burn Victim” and “Early Release.” I’ll also take this space to cite the two-part “Our Other ‘Cops’ Is On!,” an uninspired attempt to recapture the magic of last season’s MVE that fails to be as funny, fresh, or revealing for the main characters, and the unideal but memorable two-parter “I Won’t Die With A Little Help From My Friends,” where Earl comes back from its hiatus to find the title character in a coma.

 

*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season Three of My Name Is Earl goes to…

“Bad Earl”

 

 

Come back next week for Season Four! And stay tuned for a new Wildcard Wednesday!