My Name is Earl was part of NBC’s comedy line-up from 2005 and was abruptly canceled in 2009, ending the show on a cliffhanger that unfortunately would never be concluded. With the final season, the question arises of does the season take a dive in quality, making it clear why NBC pulled the plug, or does it do the season justice. So is karma still a funny thing?
Show
My Name is Earl, which if you’re interested in season 4 you should already know, is about Earl (Jason Lee) who dedicates his life to righting the wrongs of his past. Earl bases his new way of life off of the universal idea of karma… which he learned from watching Carson Daly. The show is an awesome and funny white trash odyssey that incorporates a slew of wacky characters and insane scenarios, but always maintains the original spirit of the show that made it a very watchable sitcom.
The fourth season is no exception, after watching it actually became saddened as I came closer to the end. Knowing that this is the last season, and the creators didn’t get a chance to end the show properly.. heck they ended the show on a cliffhanger! It really doesn’t do the show that I’ve watched for three years justice.
However, with a few great cameos (Seth Green & David Arquette) and some very memorable episodes, the last season is just as funny and full of heart-warming sentiment as the previous three.
Video
It was nice being able to enjoy My Name is Earl in its original 1.78:1 high-definition video, so often I find myself annoyed watching a TV show on a station that crops the edges to fit the overused 4:3 aspect ratio. It was nice to see the full picture.
As for the quality, the video is very clear and sharp, I was actually surprised… this is the first television show I’ve watched on Blu-ray and it’s great to see the quality really shine, especially when it’s original broadcast quality is super compressed.
The colors are vivid and carry that warm atmosphere that always makes for a great environment to watch the events play out. My only complaint is that there is some digital noise in the low-light shots, but overall it’s a clean and crisp looking Blu-ray.
Audio
My Name is Earl is presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and even though it’s a dialogue heavy sitcom, there is a decent usage of the surround speakers. Foley and the soundtrack come through in a way that created a great sense of depth.
There’s also a surprisingly nice usage of low frequencies, I was surprised when my subwoofer started rumbling in that subtle way that is perfectly suited for this kind of Blu-ray.
Although it might not be the kind of audio you’d use as a demo, for a sitcom… it’s not too shabby.
Special Features
- Deleted scenes – Each disc contains deleted scenes from the episodes on that specific disc. Some are extended scenes, with jokes that may run a little long, while others are scenes that were cut completely. The amount is nothing to brag about, but for the Earl fans, it might be worth it.
- Gag reel – As with the other ‘My Name is Earl’ seasons, we get a chance to see blown takes and on set antics that occurred during the shooting, it’s hard to critique a gag reel, so I’m just going to say, it’s worth the watch.
- “Movie trailer” for the 2 the Max Film – Getting a chance to see the extended film within the show from the pilot is a great feature. You get some extra Seth Green screen time and a hilarious cheap rubber squid.
- Earl’s Fan Mail featurette – This extra is probably the most depressing. It’s a lengthy fan mail reading in which the cast and crew read viewer submitted questions. The main reason this extra is sad is that everyone talks about the future of the show (obviously this occurred before the news of the cancellation). However some of the Q&As are entertaining and it’s worth a watch.
Final thoughts
My Name is Earl was one of my favorite sitcoms when it first came out and even though they didn’t get a chance to end the show right, the final season is a great testament of how funny karma can still be. With a good video transfer and surprisingly full audio, I was impressed by the presentation.
The special features section is a little empty, I feel if there was selective episode commentary then this would feel more complete. However for fans of the show this is a no-brainer, pick it up, and to those who are looking for something funny to watch, rent it and have a great laugh.
