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.
Not a lot of feel good shows around, but know what doesn’t make me feel good endless cliff hangers. Thanks nbc
One more thing. How fair is it for someone to buy all seasons and not even get an ending?
You guys should really do another season or at least do the final episode, or even better…. A movie!
i agree…
I cannot believe the way this show has ended. Its been bothering me for a while now and I just think to make up for it, a movie must be made to end it off properly. Firefly had the movie Serenity, why can we not get a My name is Earl movie to end it off properly.
I can’t believe you guys cancelled this show stupidest mistake ever best series by far
Well, you have to think, if the show wasn’t bringing in sufficient income, and it didn’t have a very large viewer base, it couldn’t have lasted. I loved the show, I’m actually watching them all on Netflix as I type this, but I think they cancelled it because it didn’t have enough viewers, thus money was an issue with it.
This is my favorite show I couldn’t wait to see Earls Jr father we already new Dodges dad why couldn’t we know Earl Jr father because I did not see that coming when the DNA came and said Darnell wasn’t Earl Jr FATHER WHO IS IT THEN I’M CLUELESS
this show was too good to cancel. its better than suits, white collar, bojack horseman, orange is the new black and pretty much all of the new shows about today. this show had a meaning, but it wasn’t too pressing; it allowed fun, it allowed laughter… it was just a great, great show. i’m so sad it’s gone. i wish i would’ve watched it on tv so i could’ve complained when it ended, but sadly i only just got into it. i wish tv producers thought more about the shows they cancel. some shows lots of people watch but don’t… Read more »
My name is Earl I like the best show ever I don’t know why you guys cancel that that is so stupid that you would cancel it at that we want to know who are genies real father is you guys never should have came that is stupid answer me back soon
I was sent an email from this website awhile back ago about one of my complaints and I accidentally deleted the email so if you could email my back I will happily restate my question here! So why didn’t you guys make at the least a hour long good bye special that could put our minds at ease. I could understand funding issues but you could have at the least finished off a to be continued! I just feel as if they could have done something like a public screen write document that people who really enjoy the show could… Read more »
Never mind I probably should have read the top first. But the Netflix airing the rest of the show making it go much further then expected could be a good thing! I mean it is basically the best show I’ve ever watched!
If NBC won’t bring it back, then hopefully Netflix will. They did it with Arrested Development and Fuller House. Those two may or may not have been awesome but we need closure.
I also have to say when I have a HORRIBLE day I re-watch a few episodes and feel much better!
Oh man me and my family reward these episodes all the time. I was super bummed it ended! There should be a movie for us die hard!
I love that show Dammm who was earl Jr’s father it was the best show fuckkkkkk nbc there a bunch of britches
They should make it a surprise to the audience and Joy would’ve hooked up with hash brown.
I think it really sucked that they never had a chance to finish the ending! We watched all 96 episodes and then find out there is no ending to the last show.