My Name Is Earl – Season 3 [DVD]

Description

The complete third season of the popular US comedy series starring Jason Lee as Earl. He’s still trying to do good for others and make up for past transgressions. Episodes comprise: ‘My Name Is Inmate #28301-016: Part 1’, ‘My Name Is Inmate #28301-016: Part 2’, ‘The Gangs of Camden County’, ‘The Frank Factor’, ‘Creative Writing’, ‘Frank’s Girl’, ‘Our Other Cops Is On!: Part 1’, ‘Our Other Cops Is On!: Part 2’, ‘Randy in Charge: Of Our Days and Our Nights’, ‘Midnight Bun’, ‘Burn Victim’, ‘Early Release’, ‘Bad Earl’, ‘I Won’t Die With a Little Help from My Friends: Part 1’, ‘I Won’t Die With a Little Help from My Friends: Part 2’, ‘Stole a Motorcycle’, ‘No Heads and a Duffle Bag Killerball’, ‘Love Octagon’, ‘Girl Earl’, ‘Camdenites: Part 1’ and ‘Camdenites: Part 2’.
So strong and simple was the original premise to My Name Is Earl that it’s a surprise to few it’s managed to fuel three straight seasons of the show and counting. Earl, played magnificently by Jason Lee, is on a continuing mission to make things up with every person he’s ever managed to upset or offend, and it’s to the credit of the writers that they continue to mind this in quite such inspired fashion.
Which makes it puzzling as to why the third season of My Name Is Earl takes, for long periods, a different direction. Instead of working on his list of karma, Earl instead finds himself in more traditional sit-com scenarios. It’s a not entirely successful gamble, with particularly the coma segue missing the mark.
That’s not to say, however, that My Name Is Earl doesn’t work, because some of the writing in this third series is as good as anything the show has delivered before, with a plethora of belly-laughs to look forward to. And you can’t help but admire the boldness in some of the thinking here. It may not be the strongest season of the show to date, but it is nonetheless arguably the most interesting. –Jon Foster