Good Karma: A My Name is Earl Retrospective

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[michaeldunkerton]

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.)

[shawnbell]

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.

[alainchristian]

“Since Johnny was never gonna remember, it felt right that someone never forget.” Goosebumps. I miss this show so much.

[Cherokeechuck]

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

[tenebrousoul]

Extra note: in a throwaway line on Raising Hope, there's a tv announcer that covers Earl finishing his list

[Poz]

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!

[edkwon]

I love how many of the secondary characters becoming recurring throughout the show, makes the town feel more like a real place

[ComradePhoenix]

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.

[KalCounty]

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.

[exittragedy]

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

[Awesmediocrity]

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

[peterzerfass]

As heartwarming as many of the episodes are the 'Cops' episodes will always be my favorite. They are just plain hilarious.

[kallisto]

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.

[MrSandwich]

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.

[brad_hensil]

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.

[moldyboy]

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.

[ashley]

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.

[UncleanActions]

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!

[tenebrousoul]

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.

[Leeqzombie]

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.