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.
Please bring back the show
That was terrible how the show ended it was very loved by many please bring back to show
That was so messed up how the show ended very addictive and loved please bring back to show
NBC was the actual cause for the cancellation. It was a year before auto recording by show names could be set up on a DVR. They moved the show around, with ZERO notifications so, of course, nobody knew where it was, to watch it, and the ratings fell. It was total stupidity on the programming department. If they were going to move the show, they needed to do a big enough campaign, so that regular viewers knew where it was. I was very upset, as were MANY of my friends and family, when we finally found out where they’d moved… Read more »
I have watched the whole series at least 4 times all the way through. It was a great show with great characters. Wish they would bring it back. Just watched a “raising hope” episode that had the whole “my name is Earl cast” and it was great. Made me miss the show even more..
I really wish they could.
Wish you could bring it back !
I watch the show over and over. I want them to bring it back just to properly end it. PLEASE!!!!!!
I can’t believe that was canceled.
Loved that show greatest ever
Miss this show!!! Loved it!!!
Still disappointing they never finished the show I used to watch this all the time back in 08
Still disappointing i still love this show id love to see more made but know it wont happen
Me my wife and my two kids are sadly disappointed in how the show ended with a cliffhanger watching the show and leaving off where u did made no sense earl and his list Darnell and the witness protection program who earl js father is amongst a few other that would have been nice to see play out but what a Great Show deft worth watching
My mom would watch this show back in 2008 when it was coming out on TV and we loved it, even me as a kid ,thought it was funny even though I didn’t get some of the jokes. Anyways I started watching about a week ago on hulu while in quarantine and got done, I was devastated when it ended. I called my mom and told her why the hell didn’t she tell me and she said she didnt know it ended liked that either. When I read this though it made me feel better like I knew Earl enough… Read more »
I love this show so much! I hate that it ended like it did! Damn you NBC! There is a lesson in almost every episode..sometimes even bringing a tear to my eye and choked up a bit. And really funny to boot! This show however would never make it now anyway. It is borderline racist..funny back then but would be taken off the air these days, that said, one of my favorite shows ever! It actually got me to do good things to people. It really does make you feel great to help others and make up for your mistakes.… Read more »