My Name Is Earl aired for four seasons on NBC before it was cancelled, and the creator has revealed how he would have ended the series if it had continued on to a natural end. The series ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, but Greg Garcia did have a plan in mind for how to wrap things up.
In a Reddit AMA, he revealed how he would have ended the comedy series if he had been able to close it out. He said:
“I had always had an ending to Earl and I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to see it happen. You’ve got a show about a guy with a list so not seeing him finish it is a bummer. But the truth is, he wasn’t ever going to finish the list. The basic idea of the ending was that while he was stuck on a really hard list item he was going to start to get frustrated that he was never going to finish it. Then he runs into someone who had a list of their own and Earl was on it. They needed to make up for something bad they had done to Earl. He asks them where they got the idea of making a list and they tell him that someone came to them with a list and that person got the idea from someone else. Earl eventually realizes that his list started a chain reaction of people with list and that he’s finally put more good into the world than bad. So at that point he was going to tear up his list and go live his life. Walk into the sunset a free man. With good karma.”
Garcia also revealed that he had asked the network if it was okay for him to end the season on a cliffhanger. The network told him to go ahead, and it was only after that NBC decided to cancel the series. Garcia might have written a different season four finale if he had known the network was going to cancel the series.
In addition, Garcia also planned to reveal who Earl Jr’s father was before the show ended. The writers were thinking that it would be someone famous who’d been in town for just one night. The writers didn’t get to decide who that would be, but the baby daddy was intended to be revealed before the series ended.
Were you a fan of My Name is Earl? Did Garcia’s reveal give you closure for this series? Tell us what you think.
Would really like to know who Dodge’s real father is and let Earl finish his list. So much more to be played. Please bring it back!!
Dodge’s real father is Earl, its been revealed in the last episode
No i am super upset about them canceling the show
This helped give a little closure but me and my whole family loved the show and would have liked to see who Earl Jr’s dad was. I hope that maybe Netflix will pick up where they left off and bring it back for a final couple of seasons, kinda like they did with Full House.
seriously? everyone keeps saying that but they DID reveal…. EARL was Dodge’s dad … unless they kept going with some other twist, they DID reveal the dad … and yeah, i want them to continue the show too… best comedy since. well, before. but Natesville’s Raising Hope! love these people!
Great show! Need a season 5!!!
just finished the show on Netflix and I amreally dissapointed to hear about what happened. I don’t think there will be a season 5 at this point, but that ending is truly perfect. very unfortunate to hear the great plans they had for the show, but have it cancelled in the end.
Need season 5! Keep Earl as Dodges father..but who is Earl Jr’s father? Joy should find out there was a mix up in the dna lab somehow…I bet she could get into some funny stuff trying to figure out what dummy mixed up her test results! Our whole family is wishing for another season please!
The show needs a ending in a 1/2 or full season 5 or even season 6 straight to dvd if just for a ending, something for the fans who watched the show and own all 4 seasons.
Oohh snap… finished all seasons just as tonight. Ya’ll need to make season 5 you dummy!!!
This was by far one of the greatest tv shows I have watched. BRING US SEASON 5!!!
I can’t believe they replaced my name is earl with parks and rec. I watched this show pilot to cliff hanger and researched it dozens of times. With that said I still get mad they never finished, I would have loved to see how earl and his parents felt with actually being dodges family.
I think that for a show that was actually funny it sucks they didnt give a finale. You should put a finale for my name is earl! I loved that show!
Give us a season five!!!!
The tv series “my name is earl” was brilliant! Recently, I had finished every episode, after seeing it on Netflix one day and decided to watch. I had always wondered why it just stopped showing on tv anymore. But when I found it on Netflix, it brought back so many memories of my father, brother, and I. We would all come home after school and my father would make us dinner. And would gather in the living room and laugh our butts off to the show. Those are memories that are hard to come by anymore, and I thank the… Read more »
No we need a season 5 even if aired on netflix.
Couldn’t agree more
The show ended horribly. They should say who earl jr’so father is.