Pilot (My Name Is Earl)

Last updated
"Pilot"
My Name Is Earl episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed by Marc Buckland
Written by Greg Garcia
Production code001
Original air dateSeptember 20, 2005 (2005-09-20)
Episode chronology
 Previous
Next 
"Quit Smoking"
List of episodes

"Pilot" is the pilot and the first episode of the first season of the American sitcom My Name Is Earl . The episode was written by series creator Greg Garcia and directed by Marc Buckland. "Pilot" originally aired in the United States on NBC on September 20, 2005.

Contents

Plot

Earl Hickey (Jason Lee), a thief, narrates the last few years of his life, explaining that he married a six-month pregnant woman named Joy (Jaime Pressly) while drunk in 1999. Earl and his brother Randy (Ethan Suplee) moved in with Joy to a trailer park. Earl and Joy had their own child, Earl Jr., in 2001, but he was a black boy, implying that Joy cheated on Earl with African-American Darnell "Crabman" Turner (Eddie Steeples).

In 2005, Earl wins $100,000 in the lottery, but is immediately hit by a car and watches the ticket blow away. While he recovers in the hospital, Joy divorces him, and Earl is introduced to karma while watching talk-show host Carson Daly; do bad things and bad things happen, do good things and good things happen. This makes sense to Earl, so he decides to try to make up for all the bad things he has done and makes a written list of 259 items.

After leaving the hospital, Earl and Randy move into a motel where they meet a pretty Mexican maid, Catalina (Nadine Velazquez). When Earl picks up trash to atone for item #136, "I've been a litterbug", he finds his lost lottery ticket. He decides that karma works, and as such resolves to continue making up for items on the list, beginning with #64: "Picked on Kenny James".

Earl, Randy and Catalina find Kenny's parents' house, and Earl sends Randy to find out from them where Kenny lives. Randy poses as former class president looking for Kenny, but offends the Jameses who call the police. Regardless, Randy makes his escape with the address. Earl spies on Kenny to figure out how best to help him. Kenny's life is good, but he has nobody to share it with, so Earl decides to hire a prostitute, Patty, to have sex with him. When Kenny refuses free sex, Earl talks to Kenny in person, not understanding why he turned down sex. However, Randy finds homosexual pornography in Kenny's nightstand. He and Earl, never having met a homosexual person, flee the house in fear.

Although he tries to ignore Kenny, calling the list item "special circumstances", Earl is shortly thereafter attacked by Joy and realizes: there are no special circumstances. He returns to Kenny's house and asks why Kenny doesn't have a man. Kenny answers that nobody knows he is gay, and he is afraid to go to a gay bar. Earl agrees to come with him, to give him needed support and cross Kenny off his list. They go with Randy to a gay bar, where Kenny builds up the confidence to talk to a man. Acknowledging the cathartic irony of being accepted for who he is by the man he once feared the most, he thanks Earl and says he can cross him off his list.

Production

Awards

Marc Buckland won an Emmy for directing "Pilot". [1] Greg Garcia also won an Emmy in the writing category. [2] The episode additionally won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode.

Continuity

"Pilot" introduced the premise and main characters of the series. Also, both Kenny and Patty the Daytime Hooker became recurring characters in the series, Kenny re-appearing as early as the third episode. A season 4 episode, "Earl and Joy's Anniversary" would reveal that Kenny and Patty previously participated in a foursome, [3] making their interactions in this episode negative continuity.

Deleted scene

A deleted scene from this episode was included on the season 1 DVD. As Kenny and Earl are about to enter the gay bar, a group of college students drive up to them. In response to one shouting "fags" out the window, Earl walks up to the college student, pulls him out of the car, punches him in the face, and tells him to learn about tolerance. Kenny stops Earl, who asks for the student's name to put on his list, explaining that he must make up for his mistake.

Related Research Articles

<i>Queer as Folk</i> (American TV series) American television series

Queer as Folk is a serial drama television series that ran from December 3, 2000, to August 7, 2005. The series was produced for Showtime by Cowlip Productions, Tony Jonas Productions, Temple Street Productions, and Showtime Networks, in association with Crowe Entertainment. It was developed and written by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, who were the showrunners and also the executive producers along with Tony Jonas, former president of Warner Bros. Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer's Phobia</span> 15th episode of the 8th season of The Simpsons

"Homer's Phobia" is the fifteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 16, 1997. In the episode, Homer dissociates himself from new family friend John after discovering that he is gay. Homer fears that John will have a negative influence on his son Bart and decides to ensure Bart's heterosexuality by taking him hunting.

"There's Something About Marrying" is the tenth episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. In the episode, Springfield legalizes same-sex marriage to increase tourism. After becoming a minister, Homer starts to wed people to make money. Meanwhile, Marge's sister Patty comes out as a lesbian and reveals that she is going to marry a woman named Veronica. Marge originally disapproves of this, making Patty frustrated. When Marge accidentally discovers that Veronica is a man cross-dressed as a woman, she decides to keep quiet about it knowing that Patty will be marrying a man. However, at the ceremony, she is so moved by Patty's vow that she is forced to reveal Veronica's secret. After the ceremony is abruptly cancelled, Marge tells Patty that she now accepts her sexuality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Jordan</span> American actor, comedian, writer and singer (1955–2022)

Leslie Allen Jordan was an American actor, comedian, writer, and singer. His television roles include Beverley Leslie on Will & Grace, several characters on television in the American Horror Story franchise (2013–2019), Sid on The Cool Kids (2018–2019), Phil on Call Me Kat (2021–2022), and Lonnie Garr on Hearts Afire (1993–1995). On stage, he played Earl "Brother Boy" Ingram in the 1996 play Sordid Lives, later portraying the character in the 2000 film of the same name. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan became an Instagram contributor, amassing 5.8 million followers in 2020, and published his autobiography How Y'all Doing? Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived in April 2021.

<i>My Name Is Earl</i> American TV series

My Name Is Earl is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Jason Lee as Earl Hickey, the title character. The series also starred Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Nadine Velazquez, and Eddie Steeples.

"Chickenpox" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 23rd episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 26, 1998. The episode was written by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Trisha Nixon, and directed by Parker. In the episode, the parents of South Park intentionally expose their children to the chickenpox disease.

South Park has attempted to cover and satirize a large number of topics over the course of its run. South Park Studio's use of computer animation allows it to edit episodes in days, quickly commenting on recent events, including Elián González, 2000 U.S. presidential election, the capture of Saddam Hussein, and the elections of both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The creators also have engendered a mix of socially liberal and fiscally conservative viewpoints, espousing a libertarian ideology in both real life and on the show. However, the show's creators call themselves "equal opportunity offenders", and reject the notion that they are trying to put forth any consistent ideological agenda through the show.

<i>Chris & John to the Rescue!</i> Canadian reality television series

Chris & John to the Rescue! is a reality television series originally broadcast on the Canadian network OutTV in 2006. The series follows best friends and self-proclaimed "culture aficionados" Chris Carter and John Simpson as they come to the rescue of people in need of their unique services. Chris & John to the Rescue! is the follow-up series to the hit show Chris & John's Road Trip!.

DanceLife is a 2007 dance-oriented reality show, featuring and produced by Jennifer Lopez. The series follows the lives of seven dancers trying to break into the world of professional dance and trying to "make it" in Hollywood.

<i>Damages</i> (TV series) American legal thriller television series

Damages is an American legal thriller television series created by writing and production trio Daniel Zelman, Glenn Kessler, and Todd A. Kessler. It premiered on July 24, 2007, on FX and aired for three seasons before moving to the DirecTV channel Audience Network in 2010, airing for two further seasons, and concluding in 2012.

"Rebound Bro" is the 18th episode of the third season of the television series How I Met Your Mother and 62nd overall. It originally aired on May 5, 2008.

<i>The Big C</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

The Big C is an American television dramedy which premiered on August 16, 2010, on Showtime. It drew the largest audience for a Showtime original series premiere. Season 2 premiered on June 27, 2011. Season 3 premiered on April 8, 2012. On July 31, 2012, The Big C was renewed for a fourth and final season, named "Hereafter", which premiered on Monday, April 29, 2013, and concluded on May 20, 2013.

<i>My Name Is Earl</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of My Name Is Earl, an American television series created by Greg Garcia, that aired its pilot episode on September 20, 2005, at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT, on NBC, a U.S. broadcast television network. The DVD set was released on Region 2 on September 25, 2006, and on Region 1 on September 19, 2006. Its bonus material included: commentary for each episode, bloopers and deleted scenes. The show is broadcast in English, however in other countries it will be in other languages, there are also English subtitles. Season 1 of My Name Is Earl runs for about 526 minutes and about 20 minutes for each episode. The season 1 DVD is produced by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

"Pilot" is the pilot and first episode of the American television drama series The Killing, which premiered on April 3, 2011 on AMC in the United States. The series is based on the Danish television series Forbrydelsen and developed for American audiences by Veena Sud. The episode's teleplay was written by Sud and was directed by Patty Jenkins. In the episode, police detective Sarah Linden plans to retire but is asked to investigate the disappearance of Rosie Larsen, a young girl.

Pilot is the first episode of MTV's comedy series Faking It. The episode aired on the MTV in the United States on April 22, 2014. The episode primarily focuses on introducing the series, two best friends, Karma and Amy after numerous failed attempts to become popular, they are mistakenly outed as lesbians, which instantly makes them popular and the centre of attention. Karma is aroused with their sudden popularity, as the most handsome guy Liam notices her and becomes attracted to her. On the contrary, Amy is annoyed with having to carry on.

"Tweek x Craig" is the sixth episode of the nineteenth season and the 263rd overall episode of the animated television series South Park, written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central on October 28, 2015. The episode parodies the slash fiction genre of yaoi art and the acceptance of the gay community, while continuing its season-long lampoon of political correctness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pandemic Special</span> 1st episode of the 24th season of South Park

"The Pandemic Special" is the first episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 308th episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on September 30, 2020, and was also simulcast on MTV and MTV2.

References

  1. "WINNERS OF THE 2006 PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS ANNOUNCED" . Retrieved 2007-08-07.
  2. Goodman, Tim (August 28, 2006). "So the best didn't win Emmys — hey, it could have been worse". San Francisco Gate Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  3. "Earl and Joy's Anniversary", My Name is Earl (2008)