My Name Is Earl – Season Four: The Final
Season (Fox Blu-ray)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: C
All good
things, and some that have had their time, have to come to an end. Such is the case with My Name Is Earl after four seasons. I give Jason Lee credit for keeping the show
going so long, but they pretty much did everything they could with the
concept. We have covered the first two
seasons on DVD, one by a fan, and the other not:
Season One
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4397/My+Name+Is+Earl+-+Season+One
Season Two
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6012/My+Name+Is+Earl
Now comes
the first Blu-ray edition of the show and I am surprised they decided to start
with the last season, but here it is. As
less of a fan, I can say we have seen worse and some would argue this became a
latter day answer to the Doug Henning cycle of comedies like Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres, if more realistic and
naturalistic, not just because of the “Southern” factor either. The show even has fun with that dynamic,
though it is also base dint he kinds of stereotypes that have made TV shows a
hit as recently as Mama’s Family.
That
explains why it lasted so long because for whatever reason, this aspect and
approach eventually produces hits. Here,
new stereotypes are added, including a dark side of hanger-ons not seen so
explicitly in previous such shows in what some might call a “hick” cycle. Earl
is not a classic or even tries to be. We
would say the animated (and recently cancelled King Of The Hill was the previous hit in what amounts to a cycle),
but cycles come in waves, so it does not surprise us that it is being cancelled
at around the same time.
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 AVC @ 18 MBPS digital High Definition image is on the weak, soft side
so much so that you wonder why it is even on Blu-ray (versus The Shield, which Fox will not issue in
the format) when it is one of the few TV on Blu-ray titles of many we have seen
to date that is no improvement over its DVD counterpart. It just looks poor throughout and sadly so. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 mix
is also a disappointment, barely richer and cleaner than the Dolby on the
DVDs. The combination hardly merits
Blu-ray in this case, but we expect this more from TV and feature films. Extras include has deleted scenes, gag reel, Earl’s Fan Mail featurette and not much
more.
For fans
only.
- Nicholas Sheffo
