My Name Is Earl - Season 1
Picture:
B Sound: B- Extras: B Episodes: B
Karma is
a funny thing! You make a good show you
get good reviews, you make a bad show you get bad reviews. In the world of TV every show gets what’s
coming to it! My Name is Earl is one of the most interesting shows on television
today. With a talented cast of misfits,
the awesome Jason Lee, beautiful Jaime Presley, and intriguing Eddie Steeples,
this show will go far. Every single
episode of this innovative show feels like a movie (which writers, director,
and actors intended). For the simple
minded yet complex character of Earl (Jason Lee) life was never that
great. Earl having lied, cheated, and
nearly killed to get what he wanted all of his life, it took getting hit by a
car and nearly losing $100,000 to realize there was more to life and if he
wanted things to get better he would have to change his ways. Karma is Earl’s boss now, and he won’t forget
it, or at least Karma won’t let him.
This NBC
hit show is filled with comedic gold.
The situations that Earl places himself in or is often forced into
creates and atmosphere of humorous chaos.
Having created a list of all the bad things he has done in his life
(after his nearly fatal run in with a car) sets the basis for what each episode
will consist of. Slowly but surely Earl
is finding means and using all of his $100,000 lottery winnings to makeup for
his past wrongdoings. Creative situations
like making up for always beating on a past classmate (who turns out to be a
gay in a small town) or the reoccurring joke of repaying a one legged girl he
stole a car from, allow My Name is Earl
to explore an array of comedic grounds on award worthy levels.
The
technical aspects of this DVD set are quite good. The show being filmed on a multi-camera, HD
set allows for the show to be transferred to DVD quite well. This DVD set is presented in 1.78:1
anamorphic widescreen, which is quite refreshing with so many great shows being
presented in a full screen format which detracts from shows aesthetic. The sound quality could be better on the show
being presented in 5.1 Dolby Surround, though not often utilized. The extras on this show are impressive for a
television DVD set. NBC with its more
recent shows has gathered and filmed a great deal of extra features which only
increasing the want for the DVD set as well as highlighted why some television
shows are so popular. The extras on My Name is Earl features quite a few
great quality audio commentary on select episodes, deleted scenes, bloopers, a
special My Name is Earl short on
available on this DVD set, and much more.
Overall, the technicals of this DVD set are impressive in many of the
ways where most TV on DVD sets are lacking.
In the
end, this DVD set is a must buy for Jason Lee fans and great TV comedy fans
alike. As previously stated each and
every episode feels like a short and impressive movie. Creator Greg Garcia takes events from his own
life to inspire pieces of My Name is
Earl, which makes the show even more comical. With the talent of the cast and the creative
writing which runs through the veins of this television series, the show only
promises more greatness. It’s true what
they say, good things happen to good actors.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
