Recent reports that TBS was looking to continue “My Name is Earl” turned out to be meaningless; the show has effectively ended its original run on television.
After NBC cancelled the series this spring, producing studio 20th Century Fox hoped to find a new home for the comedy, shopping the series to networks like ABC, FOX and TBS. TBS, which airs off-network re-runs, was the top contender, but negotiations ultimately broke down when it became clear that continuing the comedy was not financially feasible for a cable network.
“While we had 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,” said 20th. “As none of us, (creator Greg Garcia) included, want the show to go out on anything but a high note, we regret that we must put to rest any speculation that ‘Earl’ will continue.”
Initially a breakout success, “Earl” saw its ratings gradually decline until its cancellation after four seasons.