Has My Name Is Earl Jumped The Shark?
I usually TiVo My Name Is Earl and I caught this week’s episode tonight. And, yes, it was another stinker of an episode. A disjointed plot, jokes that didn’t work, uncomfortable situations and, ultimately, just not funny. The show can recover but they’re really going to have to make an effort to get off the path they’re on. Here’s what I’d like to see.
1. Get Earl out of jail. It was OK for the first couple of shows this season but that mine is tapped out and they need to move on.
2. Don’t dumb Randy down too much. They’re making him like Homer Simpson, dumber and dumber every episode.
3. You don’t need to put Catalina in a skimpy stripper costume each week to sell the show. Her rivalry with Joy is fun though.
4. Lastly, get back to the core value of the show, Earl working his list. Flashbacks to “Bad Earl” are OK sometimes but have been way overdone recently.
Are you a fan of this show? What do you think? Jumped the shark or not?
4/3/2008 UPDATE:p>
Even though Earl is out of prison now I haven’t been able to get back into the show. IMO, it has indeed jumped the shark at this point.
I completely agree. I tried to watch the episode a couple of weeks ago where they were dreaming or imagining or whatever they were doing and it was just awful. I’ve always enjoyed the show, but this season has really taken a turn for the worse.
I agree with your suggestions as well. The jail thing seems to be taking the show away from the original premise too much in my opinion. And how dumb can Randy be really? I know he’s always been dumb but man…
I think they can still save it but with the writer’s strike going on they might not get a chance to turn it around for a while. If they lose their audience and can come back with good episodes for a long time…well, the audience might not come back…there’s a lot of other shows to watch.
Thanks for stopping by Jason,
Maybe the writers strike will help them out and give them a chance to rethink what they’re doing. Plus, after a steady diet of reality shows they might recapture their audience when they come back.