Tonight My Name is Earl returns to NBC for two back-to-back new episodes starting at 8pm. Earl spent last season in jail, in a coma, and then married, but this year’s goal seems to be getting back to the list. My Name is Earl is returning to its roots of having Earl help the people on his list, and the first two episodes back are as hilarious as ever, thanks to some brilliant guest stars.

In the first episode, Seth Green stars as a would-be Ed Wood who asks Earl to help him film a movie. The result is movie-making mayhem with Earl as the producer, Green as the star and director, and the whole town of Camden as the cast and crew.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains details about tonight's one-hour premiere.

Seth Green is in top form, a ball of frenetic energy as n emotionally stunted man-child who wants to live out his life’s fantasies through the film. In his movie, he plays a super spy who must save the president from a giant squid. The film’s casting provides laughs as well, with Joy as the love interest who always stares directly into the camera, Catalina as the villainess and Randy as the president of the United States. While that might seem like an awful move, Randy proves to be the best actor in the town, because he understands that he just has to pretend to be someone else.

My Name is Earl is certainly back to its basics. Earl has to help someone on his list, chaos ensues, but in the end, everyone learns a valuable lesson. It’s a formula that can get old quite fast, which is why the show dared to take such a radical turn last season, but now the cast and writers seem refreshed and ready to get back on track.

The second episode of the one-hour premiere packs an even bigger punch thanks to Beau Bridges, reprising his Emmy-nominated role as Earl’s dad. After a series of mishaps reveals that his wife cheated on him a long time ago, Earl’s dad moves out and tries to even things up. The result is a strange, emotional journey as the father and son learn to bond. The funniest part is certainly a very unexpected fight sequence to “Eye of the Tiger.”

Whether My Name is Earl can keep up the brilliant comedy of these first two episodes for the whole season remains to be seen. The show seems fresher than ever, and so long as they keep getting fantastic guest stars like Seth Green and Beau Bridges, fans could be in store for another very funny season.


-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of NBC)