My Name Is Earl: Season One DVD: Review By jimmykeown

Very few shows in past years have lived up to the standards that I set in the 90's. Growing up around a television devoted to Seinfeld, I find myself let down by many shows and simply replaying my favorites on DVD. I would have given up on network television, if it wasn't for the recent discovery of "My Name is Earl." The first time I popped in the DVD was the first time I had seen an episode, but after the initial experience, I can tell you that I was pleasantly surprised and ultimately hooked.

The show is about a mischievously disturbed individual, Earl Hickey (Jason Lee), who has only terrorized those around him for his entire life. Earl, along with his brother Randy Hickey (Ethan Suplee), have simply scraped by in life through stealing and cheating others out of money and resources. Earl finds himself in a troublesome point of life, which consists of a cheating wife named Joy (Jamie Presley), illegitimate children, and a past that has come back to haunt him. Just when Earl thought it couldn't get any worse, he has an epiphany, which signals a turning point in his life. The epiphany consists of the discovery of "karma," which he believes was made up by TV celebrity Carson Daily. Earl's epiphany is further supported when a 100,000 dollar lotto ticket is, well, let's say "lost," but later found. With the realization that those who lead bad lives get dealt bad cards, Earl creates an extensive list of all the terrible things he's done in his life. For the most part the events are rather hilarious and completely random, but there are some legit issues at hand, such as sending friends to jail, and treating women in his life poorly.

Each episode consists of at least one of the evil-doings being scratched off the haggard yellow notebook paper kept in his pocket. But unlike many comedic shows, "My Name Is Earl" has a very touching aspect and moral story to every episode. Earl is not only able to scratch off a task, but he learns and grows through this new found addiction. The good acts become contagious and soon those around him are experiencing the new found wealth of karma. I couldn't help but dive into my past and attempt to bring up some of the bad things I've done, and although they could never live up to Earl's, I have a new understanding of my everyday actions. One, no matter what age, will grow up while watching Earl tread through the endeavors of a new found reason for living. Maybe if we all took some lessons from Earl we'd live a much happier and wholesome life, a life that teaches others, while at the same time learning for ourselves.

The cast is simply amazing. You couldn't ask for a better fit for Jason Lee or Jamie Presley. The acting in "My Name is Earl" is so familiar to the characters, as if everyone was born for the role. The Hickey brothers fit each other so perfectly that you can't help but love their state in society. Within some of the episodes there were appearances by prominent stars such as Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi, and Christine Taylor, just to name a few.

Some of the episodes contain audio tracks containing the creators and some of the actors. The audio tracks are fairly interesting and will entertain anyone who finds the show even slightly funny. "My Name is Earl" also contains deleted scenes and a blooper reel. There is also a behind the scenes feature, but the best featurette is entitled "Bad Karma." The featurette is a hilarious outtake on what things would have been like if Carson Daily wasn't Earl's influence, but someone else was. The strictly DVD release of the featurette makes the DVD worth the purchase and atleast a couple rentals.

The picture quality is extremely sharp and is provided in the full-frame aspect. The colors produced by the DVD are very rich and fit the extremely diverse color scheme the story is built around.

Presented in 5.1 the audio quality is about the same as any other show on television. The theme music is about all the show provides as far as a soundtrack.

The DVD is presented in a cardboard slip that contains four seperate discs. Each of the discs contains artwork, but I must say that looking at Earl on the cover of the box simply cracks me up.

"My Name is Earl" successfully breaks the sitcom mold and creates a comedic story that both entertains and enlightens.