“Only the good die young”, as the song says. Over the years, various TV shows have had such an impact on us here at 25YL that we were saddened to see them shot down in their prime. One or two seasons that caught us and... that's it. Whether there's a sense of closure or we're hanging by one finger from a cliff, these are shows we think are worth remembering, revisiting, or even seeing now for the first time. This week, Abbie Sears takes a look atmy name is earl.
There are many canceled TV shows in the world that I could talk about here, and I could talk about the stories that were left unfinished and the characters that I miss. But the show that annoys me the most about not coming back to my screen is definitelymy name is earl.
There is a very obvious point to make when discussing whymy name is earlit was canceled too soon and the show literally ended with the words “To Be Continued…” How could they do this to me? Honestly, the cancellation makes me really mad because it's one of my favorite shows.
What's so good about my name being Earl?
I love a story with a unique concept.my name is earlIt's a sitcom, and I love sitcoms, but a lot of them follow the same pattern and some even have identical storylines. But this show was different; it had a story that I had never come across before, with characters that you don't run into every day.
the plot ofmy name is earlhe's based on Earl Hickey, who is a bad guy, to say the least. He was a bully in high school and steals whatever he can from the innocent, all of whom have a negative view of the world. One day, he wins $100,000 on a scratch card, only to get hit by a car and lose the scratch card immediately afterward. At the hospital, Earl watches a talk show that teaches him about karma. Okay, so he thinks Carson Daly really thought about karma, but he takes it too seriously and decides to make a list of all the mistakes he's made and correct them. He starts picking up trash at the motel where he lives (because it's been trash) and gets a sign as he's doing it: the winning card lands at his feet, and Earl realizes it's a sign to keep doing it right. . Look, it's not just the plot ofmy name is earlunique, but sends a great moral message to viewers.
The characters on the show are lovable even when they're mean people. Earl rents a motel room with his brother Randy. Randy is a bit slow, but he's a nice guy and a lovable character. Earl's ex-wife Joy and her new husband Crabman are hilarious. Joy is a violent and outspoken maniac and Crabman is the exact opposite; he is the most laid back guy you can meet. But they make a fun couple and I love them together. A classic recurring moment from the series is how Earl and Crabman greet each other with "Hey Earl", "Hey Crabman". Likewise, every night at the motel, Earl and Randy say "Goodnight Earl", "Goodnight Randy". I love little moments like that on TV. It's those little things that help you get to know the characters and really develop their relationships. Earl and Randy also have a close friend in Catalina, the maid at his motel. She's a stunning, straightforward dancer, and it's easy to see why Randy falls head over heels for her.
Jason Lee as Earl Hickey is the star of the show and unites all of these characters into the family that ismy name is earl🇧🇷 I've always been a huge fan of Jason Lee, him as a person and everything he does. You don't hear as much from Lee anymore; he lives the good life in Denton, Texas and is an amazing photographer.my name is earlit's a chance to spend a full 96 episodes with this guy, isn't that cool? I can't think of anyone else who could play the Earl Hickey character like Jason Lee did. Jason alone is reason enough to bingemy name is earlwhen you're looking for your next favorite TV show.
unfinished stories
When the final episode of season 4 aired, it was left on a "To Be Continued" cliffhanger. This is because the network told creator and writer Greg Garcia it was safe to do so before unexpectedly canceling it after season 4 aired.
The "To be continued" was related to an important story throughoutmy name is earl, who was really the father of Joy's children. The season 4 finale revealed that Earl really was Dodge's father, and the same DNA test revealed that Crabman was not Earl Jr.'s father. Greg revealed that he intended to share who the father was later in the series. And that's something we'll never know.
Another story that we don't get an ending to is Randy and Catalina. No matter how unrealistic I thought he would have been, Randy is a great guy and he deserves to be with the woman he loves forever. I love a true love story and could have learned from these two. I am certain of that.
Of course, the main story of Earl getting to finish his list is the most unsatisfying part of the cancellation. We never see Earl accept the good he's done and stop trying to fix his life. It was a long road, but much more could have come of it.
What could have happened?
We were relieved when Greg Garcia talked about his plans forMy name is Earl.during a“Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit, explained that Earl Hickey would never have completed all 259 items on his list, but would have come to terms and realized that the good he had done to the world was already causing real change.
I've always had an ending for Earl, and I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see it happen. You have a show about a guy with a list, so not seeing it finish is a bummer. But the truth is, he was never going to finish the list. The basic idea of the ending was that while he was stuck on a really difficult list item, he would start to get frustrated that he could never finish it. So he finds someone who had a list of their own and Earl was on it. They needed to make up for something bad they did to Earl. He asks where they got the idea to make a list and they say that someone approached them with a list and that person got the idea from someone else. Earl finally realizes that his list has started a chain reaction of people with lists and that he has finally put more good into the world than bad. So, at that moment, he would break his list and live his life. He walks into the sunset like a free man. With good karma.
I totally approve of this end of the show. I guess it's unrealistic to think that Earl would complete all the items on such a long list. Even then, when you finish the latter without a sense or image that what you've done has actually brought you back into the world, you're left with no real closure on the matter. But in this scenario, Earl has influenced the people in his community; he helped them start helping each other and really made the world a better place. That's how Carson Daly changed his life and got some good karma.
It really breaks my heart to think I'll never see that ending, but I'm so thankful that the information is out there and we don't wonder what it would have been like. I am someone who watches my favorite shows over and over again and I never get tired of watching them. While I've been doing it withmy name is earlSince 2005, when the show first aired, I don't think I'll ever stop. This show gives me what I crave on TV: a true family connection between its characters. It makes you want to be a part of their lives. In 2005 I was six years old; I grew up as part of the Hickey family and love it very much.
Please, if you like sitcoms and like the sound of what you read here, watch it.my name is earl🇧🇷 Honestly, I don't think there's a chance to go back because the actors and writers move on and we have to do the same. But we can look at all four seasons we've been blessed with and ultimately feel heartbroken that we never got to see that beautiful ending.