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“My Name Is Earl” Officially Karma’ed Out--for Good
11-Jun-2009
Written by: John Winn
Execs at 20th Century Fox thought the expense of securing the rights to the show wouldn’t justify purchasing it.
According to Daily Variety, after a series of difficult negotiations, 20th Century Fox and Turner Broadcasting have shelved the possibility of bringing "My Name Is Earl" to Fox, sealing its fate as a canceled series.
"While we hoped to find a way to produce additional episodes for TBS, in the final analysis we simply could not make the economics work without seriously undermining the artistic integrity of the series," 20th Century Fox said in a statement. "As none of us, creator Greg Garcia included, want the show to go out on anything but a high note, we regret we must put to rest any speculation that 'Earl' will continue."
The announcement puts to end a desperate effort to save the series, which featured the possibility of 20th Century Fox selling it to TBS, TNT or even hosting it on the Fox network. Both cable networks passed on the offer. Within hours of the announcement, Ethan Suplee--the actor who played Earl's brother, Randy--wrote on his Twitter that the show was "dead."
"Thanks for the effort, guys," he said. "Fox has passed. The mustache will live on in our hearts."
During the show's four year run, it garnered a record number of viewers--10.1 million in its first year alone--cementing its place on NBC's "Must See TV" calendar. However, low ratings in its fourth year, combined with the delays in production thanks to the 2007 writers' strike, doomed the show to cancellation this spring.
While it is unclear whether "Earl" will get a second bite at the apple, already 20th Century Fox has contracted with TBS to let the network air reruns of the show as part of its "That's Funny" brand.
Besides Suplee, the show also starred Jason Lee, Jaime Pressly, Nadine Valazquez, and Eddie Steeples.
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