any "My Name is Earl" fans here?

[pokerfan]

I've caught pieces of it only because it comes on just before "The Office." Last night, The Office was pre-empted for an hour-long Earl and I almost didn't watch out of spite, but I'm glad I did.

It's silly but it has a structure to its loonyness and it seems to have a great heart. The story with his brother's unrequited love for the maid was actually quite touching. Something you seldom see on a sitcom.

[MrCoffee]

1. It's the funniest thing on TV these days...

Scrubs jumped the shark a couple of seasons ago, and Earl stepped up to the plate.

Very well written, and the casting is absolutley perfect.

[pokerfan]

10. Yeah, great supporting cast

Jaimie Pressley as the ex and the Office Depot's Rubberband man as her husband. He doesn't even have to have any lines, his expressions are so fantastic!

And as someone else pointed out, Earl's brother is the show's secret weapon.

[peekaloo]

2. next week The Office gets the full hour.

The Spanish Earl was hilarious.

I think brother Randy is the show's secret weapon.

[ceile]

3. One of my favorites.

But for some reason I couldn't watch it last night-just not in the mood I suppose.
I just love Joy-she's so effin funny!!

[Kajsa]

7. Joy was a riot last night!

She was taking "happy pills" ( I tuned in late),
nothing bothered her till the end of the show.

Even then, she didn't lose it in typical Joy fashion.

I'm sure they will air a rerun of last night's show.

[AlCzervik]

16. i love Joyce, she's my favorite character on that show.

[peekaloo]

9. Joy on happy pills was hysterical.

:D

Earlier this season when she openly mocked her deaf lawyer made me :rofl:

[Kajsa]

4. I love that show.

The message of spreading good Karma
is one you don't often see on TV sitcoms.

The characters are great.

;-) :hi:

[mdmc]

5. my family loves it

i'VE only seen it a couple of times. Good stuff :)

[graywarrior]

6. One of my top 3 shows.

[Writer]

8. But- but- but-...

television is CRAP. It's the "vast wasteland!" Yadda yadda yadda! ;)

[MrCoffee]

11. cable is crap. long live the rabbit ears!

[Writer]

13. Battlestar Gallactica is a cable program...

and it's pretty wicked good. And I've heard many enjoy The Sopranos on HBO. Heroes is also replayed on NBCU's SciFi channel a week delayed.

[Mojambo]

28. Interesting. I feel exactly the opposite

I don't feel like there is anything for me on network TV, but I watch a TON of cable shows.

[pokerfan]

12. Ah, but 90% of EVERYTHING is crap

~ Sturgeon's Law

TV, film, music, books, etc...

The trick seems to be finding the ten percent.

[Writer]

14. BLESS YOU!

Ding ding ding! You win the prize! Ding ding ding! I could kiss you! What's your real name? I'm sending you my first born child!

[AlCzervik]

15. i love that show! Thursday night is imo the best night of tv now

just move Heros to 10:00pm and it would be perfect.

Last nights Earl was hilarious, between John Leguizamo being caught in a 1980's time warp and Joyce taking her "Happy pills" i laughed my ass off.

[philosophie_en_rose]

18. Don't you mess with ER!

:grr:


:rofl:


Everyone knows that Heroes should be on Wednesdays at 9. Now that Lost is on at 10. :)

[EnviroBat]

17. Love that show...

Always has a "moral of the story" kinda thing going. I think I forgot to record it lat night though. Crap...

[MorningGlow]

19. Amazing show!

I love Jason Lee and so watched from the first ep, and it exceeded my expectations. The whole "karma" thing is great and the comedy is fantastic, but the basic goodness of all the characters (even Joy, really!) is what makes this show a keeper. Excellent balance of goofiness and heart. A nice antidote to the standard sitcome crap of nastiness masquerading as comedy.

[twilight_sailing]

25. Yep. Likeable characters.

They are all so good hearted you gotta love them.

[Beausoleil]

20. Don't get to see it as much as I'd like

But I loved the episode where Randy tells Earl to ask the Russian girl to say "Moose and Squirrel".

[Zookeeper]

21. "Earl" and "The Office" are the only prime-time...

programs I watch regularly. It's family time, except for my DH, who is just beginning to admit that "Earl" might be funny. And every week he passes through the room when "The Office" is on and says, "I just don't think this show is funny." And every week I say, "It's character-driven!"

Anyway, last night's episode was great. I loved Joy's little speech to her trailer park neighbors while she was on her "happy pills." "You just used my kid's head as a trash can. I may be nice right now because of the happy pills my lawyer gave me, but I'm usually a real bitch. Really. I have a t-shirt that says that and I got it for Mother's Day. Now, I'm going to stop taking my happy pills and in three days I will come back and rip off your ear and make it into a coin purse. Are you ready to move your trailer yet?" :rofl:

Overall, the message of the show is always positive, without being sappy.

[Patiod]

23. SO doesn't understand why I like the Office

I hate any kind of comedy that is focused on pain or humiliation - didn't laugh once at "Something About Mary", no interest in "Borat", hate "I love Lucy".

And yet I LOVE The Office, which is about as painful as it gets. :shrug:

Earl is wonderful and sweet and incredibly well cast!

[Zookeeper]

29. It's hard to say what makes "The Office" different .

Perhaps the fact that the characters are very human and recognizable in their foolishness.

BTW, I love edgy humor, but like "Borat" less and less the more I think about how carefully he selected his victims. There was a certain cowardice in only setting up people who it is PC to stereotype. Kind of a cheap shot with no risk to him.

[Blue_In_AK]

22. I'm a huge "Earl" fan...

It makes me laugh out loud even when I'm in a room by myself. And as you say, it has great heart.

[Omphaloskepsis]

24. Jason Lee is the father of the 360 flip...

He used to be a professional skateboarder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOuwTHWhlcI

[dysfunctional press]

26. earl DEFINITELY pushes the envelope...

the first few that i saw, i was surprised that some of it made it past the censors.
in some ways, it's like a live-action "The Simpson's"

it's one of the two best shows going- the Office being the other.

[Mojambo]

27. Couldn't get into it at all.

I watched quite a bit.

I found it kinda hacky actually, but I know it's highly regarded by many people.

I think I may have developed an allergy to network television. I can't remember the last network show I've liked. Except Family Guy, which kinda feels more like a cable show anyway.

(On edit) Ah. Heroes was the other network show I watch, but it's more of a group activity with my housemates rather than a show I would watch for myself. It's a fun, popcorn show, but it's not a terribly good show in an acting, directing, story sense.

[Zookeeper]

30. Please explain to me why you find...

"Family Guy" funny. I have an edgy sense of humor and love "The Simpsons," "Stella," "Arrested Development," "MXC," "Black Adder," "Mr. Show," etc., but I have never found FG remotely funny. 'Same for "American Dad," and most of the stuff on Adult Swim (which is not only boring, but makes me feel like I should shower after watching).

My (older) kids like FG, so I'm familar with the show.

[Mojambo]

31. I like Family Guy because of its devotion to pop culture detail

The pitch of this show is so TRUE.

Ironically I've never been a huge fan of the Simpsons. Although I have enjoyed an episode now and again.

[Zookeeper]

32. "Pop culture detail..."

Yes, I've noticed that the humor does rely heavily on that. That's a good description, but when I've watched it, I've felt that it was too self-conscious in that regard and wondered if those pop-culture references will stand the test of time.

We were really excited about the release of "Pinky and the Brain" on DVD, until we watched a couple of the episodes. They had that problem of the ironic humor being dated.

But, I'm prone to over-analyzing these things...:crazy:

[Mojambo]

33. I suppose that's a risk with shows like this

Although Family Guy is fairly character driven as well. I think it stands a great chance of holding up better than something like Pinky and the Brain.

[stanwyck]

34. Jaime Lee Pressley is hysterically funny

on that show. I missed the entire first season so I got it from NetFlix and then just had an Earl orgy.
And we all found the show amazingly funny. The writing is really clever and the acting is perfect.
Jaime Lee, in particular, just tears it up.