"You know the kind of guy who does nothing but bad things, and then wonders why his life sucks? Well... that was me. Every time something good happened to me, something bad was always waiting around the corner. Karma. That's when I realized I had to change. So, I made a list of everything bad I've ever done and, one by one I'm going to make up for all my mistakes. I'm just trying to be a better person. My name is Earl." Introduction to each episode.
“Karma comes after everyone eventually. You can't get away with screwing people over your whole life, I don't care who you are. What goes around comes around. That's how it works. Sooner or later the universe will serve you the revenge that you deserve.” Jessica Brody, The Karma Club
What is Karma and how does it work? That's the central question of a number of religions, determining what makes a good life or a bad one. And one excellent situation comedy named My Name is Earl.
Karma is believed to be a spiritual force that rewards good behavior with good results and bad behavior with punishment. But it doesn't always act in ways that we understand. Bad things are constantly happening to good people and horrible people seem to be getting away with criminal behavior much of the time. Some believe that karma is best realized after death, while others think that the rewards for "good" behavior (not everyone agrees on what makes for good behavior), should come instantaneously.
Without some belief in karma and need to do good even when no immediate rewards await, we are no better than wild animals preying upon each other to survive. Civilization requires a great deal of cooperation to exist, and karma is the glue that guides behaviors for the greater good. But does it work? Many think so.
My Name Is Earl follows a group of colorful trailer park characters as they negotiate their ways around the ethically challenged world of lower-class America. Earl Hickey, the main character, has a revelation when he is hit by a car and hospitalized after winning the lottery. There he learns about Karma while watching television, and he discovers that by doing a good deed his lost lottery ticket could return to him. The next four seasons are about him rectifying years of bad behavior all detailed on his famous list- a wrinkled yellow paper with hundreds of bad deeds from his life spelled out in it. His mission is to seek out all of the people that he's wronged and make it up to them somehow.
The writers came up with great stories built around the list and the many people on it. It's refreshing to see someone trying to right a wrong, especially one that they themselves caused. In seasons 2 and 3 they avoided falling into a familiar pattern of crime and redemption by sending Earl to prison for someone else's crime and putting him back in a coma while getting married. The show was cancelled after season 4 by NBC, leaving fans of the show in suspense after a cliff-hanger ending. Earl has lived on in reruns and on streaming and become a popular cult favorite because of its metaphysical messages.
How can truly flawed people like Earl, his dimwitted brother Randy, his nasty ex Joy, and a host of imperfect townsfolk inspire both laughter and goodness? It is so rare these days to see people who are trying to do good, trying to overcome their pasts, and sticking by each other that even on a silly sitcom it was refreshing to watch during my 2025 binge of all four seasons. It's easier to relate to flawed fictional people than to the fake people of "reality" shows.
The show's star, Jason Lee, has related that people still come up to him and tell him how the show helped them turn their own lives around. Proof that what is modeled in popular culture can actually do some good in the real world.
There is only one other comedic show that examines the ideas of Karma and goodness, and that's Michael Schur's The Good Place. I recommend both shows for both humor and inspiration. I've seen enough of bad people acting out in the news. I'd like to think that their Karma will catch up with them and I believe it will. Some day.
For now, all I can focus on is my own Karma, hopefully bringing some joy, understanding, and enlightenment to the folks around me.
My Name is Earl never won much critical acclaim, winning only one Emmy, for Jaime Pressley in 2007. But it has legions of followers even today. Here are some comments from You Tube from folks who were touched by the show.
"I don’t feel like this show got enough credit for how brilliantly written it was. The concept was so original and so good! I talk to people about this show and they say they never saw it and I want them to see it! Shows like this are few and far between. I think Joy and Randy had the best lines I’ve ever heard come out of anyone’s mouths!
Mad respect to Jason. He seems like a really cool, down-to-earth, humble, and genuine dude. My Name is Earl was one of my favorite shows growing up and really helped mold my tastes as a kid. The entire cast killed it on that show, and the writing was top-notch.
''My Name Is Earl'' is and will always be my favorite show. it's funny, heartwarming and inspiring. ''Raising Hope'' was also a Greg Garcia production that didn't get the love it deserved.
My name is Earl was one of the best written shows out there. I really love the fact, the writers made every characters story lines intermingled with one another. I feel like many viewers never appreciated that level of creative writing.
I lost my business, after all said, and done. I had very little money. that show really helped me through that time. I am grateful for the work they did and joy you put back into my life"
Comments