My Name is Earl remains one of the most slept-on sitcoms

My Name is Earl is the first of many to be featured on ShowSnob’s Slept-On Sitcom Spotlight list.

Sitcoms are the most popular TV series in entertainment and it isn’t even close. According to Statista, comedy shows dominated in nearly every age group for the most-watched television genre during the coronavirus pandemic.

The dominance of sitcoms is more than just statistics though, as some of the most praised sitcoms have become pieces of pop-culture. With song lyrics, TV shirts, and “that’s what she said” jokes, it so clear that sitcoms have the influence to dominate the entertainment business.

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With that is being said, so many great sitcoms have been overlooked. It can be tough for a TV series to breakout when it competes with phenomenal classics like Friends or The Office.

My Name is Earl didn’t feature a cast of stars but it did have one man who’s performance was superb. The show featured Jason Lee as the protagonist, Earl Hickey, a bum who is constantly creating trouble to earn a living.

One day, Hickey wins the lottery before being hit by a car and losing his winning ticket. While in the hospital, Hickey has an epiphany — if he begins to do good things to right his past wrongs, good things will start to happen to him. The premise of the series follows Hickey, his brother Randy and his ex-wife Joy as they adjust to Hickey’s change of lifestyle.

My Name Is Earl is criminally underrated

The show is full of so many unexpected laughs at ridiculous ideas and jokes. The series really dives into satirical punchlines surrounding the life of no-good low-lives. Every town has its bums and this show dives into the stereotypes of these types of people.

The cast of this show is absolutely great. The two biggest names are Jason Lee (Earl Hickey) and Jaime Pressly (Joy) and they have amazing performances. Pressly even won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 59th Primetime Emmys for her role on the show.

Aside from its two stars, the supporting characters perform well also. Ethan Suplee plays Randy, Earl’s dim-witted brother, while Nadine Velazquez plays a hotel maid that Randy falls in love with as she helps Earl on his list of wrongs. Suplee and Velazquez have really good chemistry not only with each other, but with the other characters which add another layer in character development.

For anyone looking for an underappreciated sitcom to experience, look no further than to My Name Is Earl. The series is an incredible sitcom with a unique sense of humor that will have you laughing throughout each episode.

The series is now streaming on Hulu.