Pilot Review: My Name is Earl

Network & Time: NBC, Tuesday @ 9pm EST

Stars (Out of 10): 8

One Word Summary: Quirky

"My Name is Earl" Review:

          Not many people derive their philosophical beliefs from Carson Daly, but that is the way Earl lives his life. At least starting now. After winning $100,000 in the lottery, promptly being hit by a car, losing his ticket, and winding up in a full body cast, Earl realizes he needs to change the way he lives his life. While watching an episode of Last Call and seeing Daly speak of the magic of karma, Earl becomes a believer. He makes a list of all the bad things he's done in his life with the promise to go back and rectify every single one of them. He's going to clean up as much trash as he's littered, he's going to stop smoking, and most importantly, he's going to make amends with all the people he's terrorized over the years.

          That is the premise of My Name is Earl. Give it credit for being original, and give it credit for being laugh-out-loud funny. (In the pilot Earl explains to a person on his list his theory that if he does good things, good things will happen to him. The other guy responds acknowledges that he's talking about karma to which Earl replies, 'Oh, so you're a Carson Daly fan too.”) The characters are quirky, and whether we're laughing with or at their redneck-ness I'm not sure, but it's funnier than Dukes of Hazzard.

          Jason Lee (Almost Famous, Chasing Amy), in his television series debut, stars as the title character Earl. Lee is perfect for the role dishing out just the right amount of sarcasm, wit, and kindness. His supporting cast includes Ethan Suplee (The Butterfly Effect) as his lazy, beer-drinking brother, Jaime Pressly as his no-good ex-wife (who will spend every episode trying to get "her share" of his lotto money), and Nadine Velazquez (The Bold and the Beautiful) as the motel maid (she has a thing for Earl, but his brother called dibbs).

Earl has a great cast and a seemingly endless supply of material (think of all the Earls you've known). America loves a loser, and a loser making up for his mistakes is even better. NBC made this genuinely hilarious show its most publicized new offering of the fall, and the reviews have been great so far. The pilot sets it off to a great start, the only question is will the viewers follow.

Pilot's Nielsen Rating: 15.2 million viewers