One new show premieres tonight and it’s already a critical favorite. My Name is Earl on NBC is one of the oft cited "comedy saviors" of the new fall season. It’s not that great, but it’s not too bad either (a common refrain for this season’s best new offerings).
It’s another single-camera half-hour, not as quirky (or smart) as Arrested Development but unconventional in its characters and premise. Scientologist/Kevin Smith regular Jason Lee stars as a dirty, rotten white-trash good for nothing who has an epiphany that involves winning the lottery and Carson Daly that leads to a decision to right his past wrongs. It should give the show plenty of material for the weeks (maybe even months) to come.
The show’s biggest drawback isn’t even its own fault. NBC has scheduled it for Tuesdays at 9, following shrug-inducing reality series The Biggest Loser and leading into last season’s non-event The Office. It also puts the show in direct contention with Fox’s hot House and two shows that join the schedule next week: CBS’ reality darling The Amazing Race and ABC’s promising newcomer Commander-in-Chief. Sure, there’s no comedy in the hour but when the alternatives are that good who cares?
Supporting Lee are the recognizable but relatively unknown Jaime "if-it-wasn’t-for-white-trash-I’d-have-no-career" Pressly, Ethan Suplee, Eddie Steeples and Nadine Velazquez. The girls fare a little better than the boys but no one comes off too bad.
Really, you could do worse than watching an episode of My Name is Earl, just don’t forget that starting next week you’ll have plenty of other options.
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