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Getting a show off the ground is a ton of work, and even the most talented people in the entertainment industry have failed visions that never see the light of day. Once a show does get on TV, only one thing is certain: it will be cancelled eventually.
Whether a show lasts for one episode, or displays an insane amount of longevity, they all meet an end. Some shows that get cancelled had big plans that fans never got to see, and this includes My Name is Earl.
My Name is Earl left off on a massive cliffhanger, and folks were shocked that it was cancelled out of the blue. So, why was the series cancelled? Let's take a closer look at what happened all those years ago.
What Happened To 'My Name Is Earl'?
September 2005 marked the beginning of My Name is Earl on NBC. The series, which centered around the concept of karma, it was just what television audiences were looking for, and in due time, the show became a runaway success.
Starring Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, and Jaime Pressly, the show was able to bring fun and inventive stories each week. The premise itself was rather simple, but the writing that went into the show and the brilliant overarching theme crafted by creator Greg Garcia did wonders for the show's four-season run.
For a total of 96 episodes, the show was able to remain a consistent presence on NBC, and things were genuinely looking forward to seeing how things would play out in season five. Unfortunately, that fifth season never saw the light of day.
It Was Cancelled Early
After four successful seasons on the air, My Name is Earl came to an abrupt halt. This was something that no one saw coming, especially fans who watched season four end on a total cliffhanger.
To make matters worse, there was still a ton of story left to tell, and that story would have given resolution to our beloved lead character.
“But the truth is, he wasn’t ever going to finish the list. 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," creator Greg Garcia said in a Reddit AMA.
"Earl eventually realizes that his list started a chain reaction of people with lists 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," he continued.
Needless to say, longtime fans of the series have been feeling robbed of the ending that they never received, and many have been left wondering why it was the network decided to pull the plug on the show before it reached its natural ending point.
Why It Was Cancelled?
To date, there hasn't really been a good explanation as to why the show was canceled. Yes, ratings did dwindle over the course of the shows for seasons, but people were still stunned to learn that the show is being canceled. In fact, the folks making the show were equally as shocked as the fans.
Long after the show met its untimely end, Jason Lee did an interview, and in this interview, he opened up about the fact that fans still ask him about the show.
Said Lee, "Yeah, [it was popular] until it got canceled, abruptly out of the blue. It [ended on a cliffhanger], yeah. It was really devastating. There's probably not four days that go by without somebody messaging me on Instagram like, 'What happened to Earl?' Or some people thinking it's my fault, like, 'Dude, you left us stranded, what the hell?'"
"I'm like, 'I'm not NBC, I didn't cancel the show, man!' It was out of my hands. Greg Garcia, the creator of the show, he's still my friend. What he did with that show is incredible. He showed up on set one day and said, 'Hey, I have bad news, guys. It looks like we're getting canceled.' So, like, 'clean out your lockers' kind of vibe. 'We're out of here,'" Lee continued.
It is absolutely criminal that fans will never get to watch the proper ending of the shell, as it would have left everyone satisfied.
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