Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Jason Lee, "My Name is Earl", Crabman
Likes: Catalina
Dislikes: Joy
Hates: White trash "culture"

The Story So Far...
Earl Hickey (Jason Lee) was a small-time hood, until, with the help of Carson Daly and the force of a large automobile, he discovered the concept of karma and was rewarded for good behavior with a lotto jackpot. Taking advantage of his new-found resources, he began work to make good on a list of things he's done wrong, with the assistance of his brother Randy (Ethan Suplee.) Each episode reveals more about Earl's past as he completes another task, and reveals more of the trashy town he lives in and the people who live there. Season One of the series was released on DVD in September 2006, and DVDTalk has two reviews: Aaron Beierle | Francis Rizzo III

The Show
Thursday night on NBC is, without a doubt, the best overall two-hour block of comedy on network television, delivering an edgier brand of "must-see TV" than Dr. Huxtable could have imagined. Though "30 Rock," "The Office" and "Scrubs" consistently make me laugh out loud, I can say without pause that "My Name is Earl" is the best of the four series. Blending a silly sense of humor, an oddball cast and some real heart, the series is fun, light, and ultimately a down to earth good time.

The second season of the show didn't mess with success, maintaining the things that worked so well for the series, including a very funny cast, a well-developed dynamic and a style that's unique and energetic. What did change was part of a natural evolution, as the show's smaller stories, which make up Earl's karmic quest, are joined by a larger, season-long arc surrounding his ex-wife Joy (Jaime Pressly) and her effort to get revenge on a local store for refusing her return without a receipt. Not exactly the brightest bulb, she decides that the scales will be balanced if she steals one of the store's trucks. Unfortunately for her, worst-laid plans are especially susceptible to failure and things spiral well out of her control, as, when she's inevitably caught, it's her third strike, which would mean a prison term, thus setting up Earl and his friends' attempt to keep Joy out of the big house. Of course, this isn't exactly a crackerjack squad of schemers, so things certainly don't go smoothly, which makes for a hilarious running subplot.

Despite the overarching Joy in Jail plot, the show doesn't lose sight of its core concept: Earl and his list. As he knocks off item after item on the record of bad things he's done, we get to meet more of the residents of Camden County, including the members of a circus freak show, a French exchange student Earl ran out of the country and an aging rocker. There are also a few familiar faces to help, including his gay friend Kenny, the lovably laid-back Crabman (Eddie Steeples, one of the TV's most underrated actors) and Earl Hickey. Yep, after realizing he wrecked his own life, Earl adds himself to the list and spends a few episodes taking care of his own business.

Earl's not the only Hickey in the spotlight though this season, as his adorably simple brother Randy (played wonderfully by Suplee) is increasingly a focus on the show, even getting a few love interests, including the gorgeous and hilarious Catalina (Nadine Velazquez.) A huge part of what's so beautifully and positively human about the series emanates from the good-hearted Randy, who, in many ways lives to be loved, especially by Earl. It's that personality that makes an episode like "South of the Border," in which Randy feels wronged by Earl, and the hurt overwhelms him. In Suplee's capable hands, a character that might otherwise be a cartoon, is fully realized and truly real, as "Larceny of a Kitty Cat" shows, in exploring how Randy reacts to heartbreak, with the help of "Strangers with Candy" star Amy Sedaris.

Sedaris is one of many guest stars who are seamlessly integrated into Earl's world, including Christian Slater, Roseanne Barr, Judy Greer, Jenny McCarthy, John Leguizamo, Kathy Kinney, Mike O'Malley, DJ Qualls, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Charles S. Dutton, Sean Astin and John Waters. Each one works great in the context of the series, especially returning guests like Beau Bridges (as Earl's dad,) Giovanni Ribisi (Earl's insane friend Ralph) and Tim Stack (portraying TV's Tim Stack in a great meta joke) and repeated guest star Marlee Matlin, who's fantastic as Joy's deaf lawyer (along with her interpreter Jonathan Slavin.) But none of them were as fantastic or as inspired as the addition of Chubby, the owner of the local strip club, dry cleaner and rib restaurant. Considering Lee's use of the phrase "Reynolds style" in films and Earl's glorious 'stache, getting Burt Reynolds to play the utterly mental Chubby was brilliant, as was his performance in "Jump for Joy," the Catalina-centered episode that will make any hetero man a fan of "Jump Around." But even better than that, was the appearance of Chubby's son in "Two Balls, Two Strikes." If Reynolds' casting was inspired, there is no phrase to describe the choice of Norm MacDonald to play his son, considering MacDonald's famously bad "SNL" impersonation.

It's this kind of decision-making that makes the series so original and fun, and its seen frequently throughout the season. "Buried Treasure" takes the old "Rashomon" concept and recasts it into a series of mini episodes of "Earl," using the show's style (and iconic opening) to great result, while "Our 'Cops' is On" takes the popular police show and brings it to Earl's neighborhood. Though the concept is pretty consistent from episode to episode, there's no such thing as your average installment of "Earl," as each is a 20-minute masterpiece of comedy and creativity, starring one of the finest comedic casts working today.

It's worth noting that after some complaints about music replacement in the first season DVDs, it seems like the majority of the music is in place this time around, including the important Cyndi Lauper songs in "Larceny of a Kitty Cat" and the key music cues in the finale. There were a few songs mentioned online that I didn't notice in watching them, so they may have been missing, but nothing seemed completely out of place. The music, and the high cost of using it, is mentioned during the commentaries (see The Extras), so you'd think they are conscious of the issue.

The DVDs
The preview discs we received don't have packaging, but the 22 second-season episodes ("South of the Border"'s two parts are combined into one) are spread over four discs, with seven on each of the first three discs, and two on the fourth. Once again, the discs have animated anamorphic widescreen main menus based on Earl's winning lotto ticket, and featuring freeze frames on the interior menus. Options available include play all the episodes, select shows, adjust languages and view the special features. There are no audio options, while subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French, along with closed captioning.

The Quality
I'd like to say these transfers look good, but the effect of Fox's watermarking on the video quality is pretty harsh, introducing a fuzziness that's not attractive. Other than that, the colors are spot-on, and the level of detail is pretty high, while the image looks pretty crisp. Though the watermarking introduces digital artifacts to the party, there's nonoticeable excessive grain, dirt or damage. If we get a final set of discs, we'll update this review.

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks that deliver nice clean dialogue, and uses the surround speakers to give a boost to the show's great music. The mix is appropriate for this show, putting the emphasis on the series' great dialogue.

The Extras
Like last time, there are eight audio commentaries to enjoy, and they really are fun, mixing crew and cast, along with a few other participants. With creator Greg Garcia on board for every track, and representation from all of the main cast, there's enough to talk about at all times, and the chats have the proper energy level, as they sound to be enjoying themselves reminiscing about the production. In a nice touch, a couple of internet fans are brought in on a very appropriate episode to do a Q&A-style track. The best tracks are the ones Ribisi sits in on, as his rapport with Lee and Suplee is infectious, but in general, there are no bad ones here.

Here's the track breakdown:

• "Sticks and Stones": Garcia, writer Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Lee, Suplee and Ribisi (who isn't even in the episode)
• "Larceny of a Kitty Cat": Garcia, writer Hilary Winston, Suplee and Sedaris
• "Van Hickey": Garcia, Lee, Suplee and Ribisi
• "Our Cops is On!": Garcia, Stack, Suplee and Pressly
• "Kept a Guy Locked in a Truck": Garcia, Lee, Suplee and "Television without Pity"'s Beth Perry and Alesia Lewis
• "Foreign Exchange Student": Garcia, writer/producer Bobby Bowman, writer/producer Mike Mariano, Suplee and Velazquez
• "Guess Who's Coming Out of Joy": Garcia, Pressly, Steeples and Bridges
• "The Trial": Garcia, Director Mike Fresco, editor Billy Marrinson, Lee and Suplee

10 deleted scenes are available to check out on these DVDs, with the scenes available on the same disc as their respective episodes. As Garcia explains in an audio introduction available with each set of scenes, they don't shoot a lot of extra material, so the excised moments add up to just eight and a half minutes of footage. What's here didn't really belong on screen with what made it, so it's not going to berevelatory to anyone.

Disc four has the bulk of the extras, starting with a nearly 10-minute blooper reel, titled "Karma: Take 2." It's obvious that the makers of this show have a good time, and it's clearly shown here, via their goofing off, screwing up, ad-libbing and dancing. You also get translations of Catalina's Spanish lines, which, if you didn't know, are easter eggs for those fluent en espanol. A more structured look behind the scenes is available in the 38-minute "The Stoner Files," which follows the production of the episode "Robbed a Stoner Blind." It was the perfect choice for such a piece, as the claymation scenes are an interesting aspect to learn about, and the presence of Slater doesn't hurt either, which makes for a solid featurette.

The rest of the extras are found material previously on the show's web site. Six short clips tied into the episode "Kept a Guy Locked in a Truck" are from a webcam point of view, and feature some of the cast's direct address comedy. Most viewers will simply to be happy to put Catalina's segment on repeat and let it ride. The final piece is a promo for the show edited as a commercial for a Mexican telenovela. It's definitely cute, and the actual sales pitch at the end has been chopped off.

Follow him on Twitter

*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.