"My Name is Earl," "Coupling"

Alright, folks, here’s this week’s batch of television goodies. As usual, it’s a goody-bag filled with some bite-sized delights, and more than a few Blow Pops. But hey—stay tuned for next week’s edition of the reviews, because we’ve got a huge revamp on the way! Now, without further ado…



My Name is Earl

Who writes these things? Greg Garcia, that’s who.

He’s the creator of a show nobody watches, called “Yes, Dear.” That one stars the guy from the old ESPN ads. You know, The Rick.

Well, Greg created another show, called “My Name is Earl.” And nobody should watch it.

This “show” deals with the life of some guy whose “Name is Earl.” He is a terrible citizen, terrible husband, and terrible character. One day, he buys a scratch-off ticket and wins 100,000, only to be immediately hit by a car, losing the ticket. In the hospital, he’s watching Carson Daly, who claims that he owes his success to “karma.” Inspired, Earl decides he can right his life by making a long list of all the people he has wronged and helping them. God forbid we ever see the end of that list.

I watched 22 minutes of this show, and didn’t laugh. Once. Unfortunately, I have TiVo. Because the commercials would have been an improvement.

Jason Lee is apparently playing a Southern Character—we know this because he has a moustache. But he has no discernible accent, so the mustache may tell us something else: Perhaps Earl is really a member of a throwback Mariachi band. Or perhaps this show was originally a starring vehicle for Saddam Hussein!

Look, here’s what makes the demise of NBC’s Comedy department so tragic: They actually think this stuff is funny. At this point, I’d be more entertained if Dick Wolf came up with a “Law and Order: INS,” or if they put a laugh track on “The Apprentice.”

For anyone who liked “Vanilla Sky,” or Kevin Smith movies, don’t watch this either. Preserve whatever (if any) positive memories you have of Jason Lee. I can’t come up with a reason to watch this show other than to find the spots where Saddam’s comic timing would have worked better.



Coupling

This BBC hit is airing in reruns on BBC America, and it’s one of the funniest shows on TV.

The best way to describe it is as a “British ‘Friends,’” in that it has a three-boy, three-girl cast…except this show is way better than “Friends.” The comedy in “Coupling” manages to actually make insightful observations into romance, and somehow wraps them all in a wittily cheerful package.

One of the beautiful things about British shows is that, due to their typically short seasons, each episode is usually written by the same person. Steven Moffat, the show’s creator and writer, has a fresh and inventive take on modern dating, and has been following through with it since the very beginning. On top of all that, Jeff Murdoch, (played by Richard Coyle) is one of the greatest comedy characters yet written. It’s also available on DVD, for all of you who lack access to obscure satellite channels. I would start with Season 2.



Run’s House

This new MTV reality show follows the life of, yes, “Reverend Run” from “Run DMC.” Run, also known as Joseph Simmons (the brother of hip-hop impresario Russell) leads a normal, hyperbolically luxurious life with his family.

But it’s boring: we like reality shows because they show us people who are laughably horrible in some way; for the first time in a while, we have a reality show focused on someone who seems to be a decent guy with a normal family.

What happened, Run? You used to raise hell, dude!



Out of Practice

Henry Winkler and Stockard Channing ’65 star in this “comedy” from the writers of “Frasier.” Channing looks to have just been resuscitated from some experiment in cryogenics. She’s scary. As for the man of the house, let’s just say Winkler isn’t really the Fonz. He’s just a crazy old man now. Go away.

—Staff writer Alexander C. Britell can be reached at abritell@fas.harvard.edu.