Funniest…episode…ever.

Lately, I’ve found that Earl has kind of been the ‘low’ point of the Thursday night NBC lineup.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s always entertaining, but it’s usually outshone by the consistently hilarious Office and 30 Rock.

Last night, it absolutely dominated.  I laughed out loud throughout the whole episode.  Yesterday, I said that I thought that Norm MacDonald would be a great fit in the Earl-verse, but I had no idea how right I would be.  It wasn’t until he made his first appearance last night that I remembered his impersonation of Burt Reynolds on SNL’s Celebrity Jeopardy.  He carried it over to play Chubby Jr. (Chubby Sr. was played by Reynolds earlier), and it worked fantastically.  From the rattail to the ‘blorange’, I think last night was the best episode I’ve seen of Earl. 

I just wish there had been a reference to Turd Ferguson.

Oh, and on the subject of Earl, TVSquad reports that the May 3 episode “Get a Real Job” will feature ‘Laugh and Sniff’.  Copies of that week’s TV Guide will come with scratch ‘n sniff cards that will coincide with the show.

I’ve noticed that I have several shows that I watch that I really don’t have much to say about, so, rather than search my brain to find something creative to say, I’ll just give a little bit of what the network preview says.  So, here’s what’s on tonight:

My Name is Earl - Harassed a Reporter - NBC - 8/7c

Earl’s back after a seven week hiatus (these long breaks suck…man, the 24-formula has me spoiled).   

Tonight, via Spoilerfix, centers around how, back in his pre-karma days, Earl’s gang made up false news stories and would call up reporters to get the fake stories on the news.  Tonight Earl has to make up with a reporter whose career he destroyed with those fake stories.

The Office - Safety Training - NBC - 8:30/7:30c

Having “I’m gonna lose my freaking mind” Andy return during the closing credits last week only to have Dwight pepper spray him immediately was absolutely classic.  Tonight, Andy’s ready to make a fresh start with his coworkers after undergoing anger management.  Also, the Dwight/Michael chemistry, which has been sorely absent over the past few weeks, should be back in full swing tonight as they show the hazards that can come from the dangerous work environment of Dunder Mifflin.

30 Rock - Corporate Crush - NBC - 9/8c

NBC says:

Liz is happy in her new relationship with Floyd (Jason Sudeikis); a company executive (Rip Torn) warns Jack that he is keeping an eye on his performance.

Scrubs - My Words of Wisdom - NBC - 9:30/8:30c

With last weeks departure of Nurse Roberts, we had a great example of  what I love about Scrubs.  This show manages to be ridiculously hilarious one moment, then completely hits the brakes and can be soberingly serious the next. 

NBC says:

After saying goodbye to Nurse Roberts, members of the staff incorporate some of her lessons into their lives.

ER - Photographs and Memories - NBC - 10/9c

It’s also been a long time since we visited ER.  So long, in fact, I’ve kind of competely forgotten everything that’s happened.  Let’s let NBC remind us:

A photographer (Annabella Sciorra) comes into the ER with a terminally ill patient; a new surgical intern, who appears to be Dr. Dubenko’s new favorite, upstages Neela.

Notes From The Underbelly - Pilot; Animal Style - ABC - 10/9c

My wife’s super-pumped (pump…heh…that was not intentional) about this one, so it’s added to my watch list for Thursday nights.  Entertainment Weekly gives it a B, saying:

Overall, however, Underbelly eschews cliché and makes pregnancy surprisingly laughable — including a very funny gag with a breast pump. A phrase I never thought I’d say.

Did you watch My Name is Earl last night?  There was a subtle edit there that I’m not sure how I feel about.

The beginning of the episode started with Earl saying something along the lines of, “You know how those…people come together to help each other build a barn?”  There was a definite break there, almost like someone just hit the mute button for a second.

Now, you don’t have to have seen Witness to know that he was referring to Amish…and if you haven’t been hiding under a rock, you know about the terrible events at the Amish school earlier this week.

Let me preempt this by saying that I think the events in that school were reprehensible…an unbelievable act of evil.  I know that this has scarred and terrified children and parents all over the nation, not to mention the children who were actually in that schoolhouse. 

But was it really necessary for NBC to edit out the word ‘Amish’ from the show last night?  I remember scenes from shows and movies being changed and dropped after 9/11 that showed shots of the Twin Towers…heck, the first Spiderman trailer featured them prominently, and was quickly pulled.  But that was an event that completely shook the bedrock of every single American.  Are Monday’s events really on the same level?

As I write this, though, I can see the other side.  I can imagine that some people would be completely taken out of the moment when they hear Amish, especially as fresh a wound as this is.  I don’t know…my initial reaction was frustration, but…now I just don’t know.

What do you think about it?