The cast of the show is more than just the one man. Each and every actor, from Ethan Suplee as Earl’s brother and Jaime Pressly as his trailer-trash ex-wife to the guest stars ranging from Giovanni Ribisi to Beau Bridges, gives their all to their roles. Each character is given a full and rich back story as well. Even the guest stars play real characters in the story and not just well placed cameos.
While The Office is certainly a funny show, it does not strike me as a better show than Earl. The Office is yet another workplace comedy, only with improvisation based on situation. The cast is perfect and the directing captures the documentary feel they are going for, but there is little original or unique in this show. Besides, we can always watch the original on DVD, so why bother with a remake? Earl was robbed and given token prizes.
Like I said, I really do not watch very much television. The Simpsons, Family Guy, 24, and random documentaries are about it. My TiVO’s schedule is filled with Modern Marvels, History's Mysteries, and things like that, but I never miss an episode of Earl.
It really is refreshing to see a moral show that knows how to be bad and a show about bad people, which teaches morals. It is a show parents can watch with their kids and it is expected for them to not approve of what Earl did. That is the point of the whole show. He is atoning for his bad deeds.
Earl shows even a bad person can mend their ways. It deserved “Best Comedy Series” infinitely more than yet another show about workplace personality clichéd conflicts.
Article comments
1 - Baronius
I don't watch Earl; I can't judge whether it's better than The Office. But The Office is brilliant. It was a British import, and it wasn't very good in the first season. But it's shed its foreign accent and developed into a really good show.
It's not "yet another" office sitcom. The pseudo-documentary style doesn't permit the actors to phone it in, as happens so often on comedies. The characters are well developed, even some of the minor ones. I could go on, but the most remarkable thing is that arguments can be made for multiple NBC sitcoms winning Emmys. A lot has changed in two years.
2 - Brad Schader
I will agree with your post 100%. I think I am bitter that Earl was not even in the running for best comedy.