Why NBC Canceled Jason Lee's My Name Is Earl

NBC

Of all the sitcoms that were screwed over by a network, "My Name is Earl" has got to be at the top of the list. The show was basically a cross between the optimism of "The Good Place" and the constant trashiness of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," but whereas "The Good Place" got to end on its own terms and "Always Sunny" got to continue indefinitely, "My Name Is Earl" ended abruptly in season 4. 

It's a shame too, because when most people remember the end of "My Name is Earl," they're usually associating it with the disappointing season 3. That season, which spent most of its first half with Earl stuck in prison and most of its second half with Earl trapped in a coma, is a clear example of the show trying its best to shake up a strained formula and getting too crazy for its own good. Season 4 was a return to form, a much-needed sign that the series had plenty of juice left in it. But perhaps the higher-ups at NBC didn't agree. We still don't know exactly what happened with this show's cancellation, but Ethan Suplee, who played lovable oaf Randy Hickey, shed some light on it in a recent podcast interview:

"'My Name Is Earl' was picked up for another season ... We were a hit. And the network called and said, 'We want to license the show for another year.' And the [Fox] studio said, 'Well, we want more money. We want to renegotiate our deal with you.' And the network basically did not respond for two weeks. And then the studio called back and said, 'We'll take your deal,' and the network said, 'Too late.'"

It's frustrating news, especially since "My Name is Earl" was still doing well enough in the ratings to justify at least one final, shorter season to wrap things up. Yes, the viewership numbers were clearly in decline, but by the end of season 4 the show was still doing better than "Community" ever did throughout its entire six-season run. Even more disappointing is how, even though other hit shows of the 2000s have since gotten some sort of revival/spinoff in recent years, we've heard nothing about a potential revival of "My Name is Earl." Even "Community" is getting its movie, whereas "Earl" has been oddly forgotten over time. 

NBC

Making the cancellation sting even more is that season 4 ended on a big, unresolved cliffhanger around Earl Jr.'s real father. Showrunner Greg Garcia explained in a 2013 Ask Me Anything thread that he'd originally felt conflicted about ending the season on such a cliffhanger, but NBC falsely assured him that he wouldn't have to worry about not getting renewed. Nevertheless, he still shared what the actual plan was: 

"We never really got the chance to fully figure it out but the talk in the writers room was that Earl Jr's Dad was going to be someone famous ... Like Dave Chappelle or Lil John. Someone that came to town on tour and Joy slept with."

Garcia also explained how the show would've ended if NBC had let it end on its own terms: 

"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."

It's a suitably optimistic finale idea for a series that did, despite its cast's many misdeeds, have a lot of faith in humanity. "My Name is Earl" always believed that most people were redeemable, even the type of person who ends up on "Cops" multiple times for their reckless trashy behavior. It's a shame we never got to enjoy the finale this show deserved, but maybe there's a chance one of the network execs will be inspired to put Garcia on his own list one day. Perhaps four seasons and a movie isn't as impossible as it sounds.