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.
After all these years I still love this show. They really should make a movie and give us closure for this series. Kinda like the Psyche movies
I WANT MY NAME IS EARL to return…it is so funny and creative. I love Joy she is my favorite….why cancel something so many people love to watch. I watch the season over and over on ROKU because it makes me laugh out loud on many occasions. QUIT CANCALLING STUFF PEOPLE ARE ATTACHED TO…you network people replace it with fake reality show crap!
So tiered of good shows being cancelled by these networks that don’t have a clue as to what people really want to watch and that show was one of the greatest ever, now what do they Play on TV garbage reality shows so for me it’s been movie’s for the past few years till they put something like earl back on regular networks
I’m just disappointed the series was canceled. No, the answers revealed in this article didn’t answer my questions. I would like to give the cast and crew a big thank you. This series helped me through some difficult times. Hopefully, it helped a lot of other people as well.
I loved that show & every cast member was so incredibly talented I would love too see a finale because America needs to laff & laff
Bring it back, I love the list
The fact the the network cancelled the show like they did was wrong on so many levels! I loved that show and wondered why it ended like it did. If there is a way to finish up the show, I would watch again!
Just got done watching all 4 and didn’t like the cliffhanger. They should’ve at least let you know who Jr’s dad was. The ending about the list sounds good but it probably would’ve been canceled after letting other ppl makings lists
Didn’t like that this ended on a cliffhanger! Like cancelled or not they could of all chipped in a bit of money to produce and film another 2 to 3 episodes with another network company this definitely ruined it for alot of people but I do love the show so despite there being no ending Imma Still watch it over and over again ❤️❤️
Loved the series rewatching it right now wish they get to do at least 1 more season or a movie it’s time with all these other shows coming back why not Earl ?
I still would have loved the show to continue thru its ending.
I loved this show and its amazing cast. The incredibly dumb cliffhanger with no resolution means that I will not rewatch the show because of its ending. I tend to watch the same shows over and over again, but not this time. Too depressing, and coulda, shoulda, woulda is not enough.
Early hrs dad should have been obama
I do too hoped there was a season 5
came looking for the name of Earl Jr.’s bio father and found more. This show should have continued. I liked the ending revealed but this show was one of the few that filled a lot of miserable hours, lifted spirits and just turned not so good days into happy, uplifted days. So very sorry it’s gone.