The List (My Name Is Earl)
The List is an item at the center of most plotlines in the American television series My Name Is Earl. It is a list of everything bad that protagonist Earl Hickey has done. Hickey spends each episode "fixing" one or more of these things by repaying those he wronged with kindness to fulfill his personal sense of karma.
Statistics
Season 1
In the pilot, the audience was told the list had 259 numbered items, but in episodes 1.03, 1.07, 1.16, 1.17 and 1.18, Earl added one item, in episode 1.08, he added two, and in episode 1.18 his father added one, bringing the count to 267. Onscreen, as of Episode 1.24 (the end of Season 1), Earl has so far completed 36 items, unsuccessfully attempted five, been absolved for two (#98 was "Told Dodge and Earl Jr. we would have a father-son day at Mystery Fun Land and didn't take them", which he was forgiven for rather than completing, and #141, "Ditched Jesse and married Joy," which Joy confessed was her fault rather than his), started work on two items, and intends to leave one (Neglected Randy) permanently unresolved as a reminder, leaving 221 items outstanding.
Season 2
As of episode 2.05, Earl has completed 41 items, unsuccessfully attempted five, been absolved for two, started work on two items, and intends to leave one permanently unresolved as a reminder, leaving 217 items outstanding.
Timeline
So far, 106 items have been revealed through the show, NBC.com or promotional materials.
|Time |
Total number of items |
Completed |
Absolved |
Attempted |
Started |
Permanent |
Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pilot |
259 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
259 |
End of Season 1 |
267 |
36 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
221 |
As of Ep. 2.05 |
268 |
41 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
217 |
Organization
There were some continuity errors in the list between the pilot (episode 1) and subsequent episodes; for example, in the pilot #64 was that Earl had "picked on Kenny James" but on the list shown in the opening sequence of all subsequent episodes #64 is "Spray painted the bridge." Because of these inconsistencies, and the fact that a significant amount of items are unnumbered, the list is presented in alphabetical order. Items that moved show both numbers. Episode numbers in the list below should match those in the episode list.
It should be noted that the items appear to be numbered first by frequency (the ones Earl does on a regular basis are numbered lower), while individual events are ordered chronologically afterwards.
The List
Key
Items are color-coded by the following system:
Outstanding (not yet resolved) |
||
Has been started: work-in-progess |
||
List (alphabetical order)
A
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Accidentally broke Tom's toe |
111 |
1.13 |
Outstanding |
Accidentally neutered Joy's breeding dog |
148 |
1.13 |
Outstanding |
Accidentally started a forest fire |
73 |
1.11 |
Outstanding |
Aimed and set off bottle rockets at Randy when he was on a date |
157 |
1.4 |
Outstanding |
Always ruined Joy's Christmas |
74 |
1.11 |
Completed when Earl reveals various secrets Joy and her parents had kept from one another, allowing them to enjoy the holiday in peace (1.11) |
Always took a penny, never left a penny |
73 |
1.2 |
Completed when Earl put a pile of pennies into a "Take a penny, leave a penny" tray (1.2) |
B
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Beat up Joy's nitpicking Internet friend |
151 |
1.13, NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Blew Dad's chance to be elected mayor |
4 |
ad for Season 1 finale |
Attempted when Earl enters his father into the mayoral election four years later (1.9) |
Blew up mailboxes |
68, 83 |
1.4, Titles |
Outstanding |
Borrowed silverware from Crabshack |
82 |
Unknown |
Outstanding |
Borrowed money from tip jars |
6 |
1.24 |
Outstanding |
Broke a window |
Unknown |
1.9 |
Completed when Earl pays John Sheppard for a window he broke 15 years earlier (1.9) |
Broke Bus Stop while looking for Poncho the blue fish |
263 |
1.16 |
Completed in 1.16 when Earl puts the sign back-up |
Broke into a house, had a party and didn't clean up |
Unknown |
NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Broke Joy's fancy figurine |
153 |
1.6, 1.13, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl helps Joy and her "deceased mother" win the Balboa & Sons Mother and Daughter Prettiest Pretty Princess Pageant and supposedly bought Joy a hot tub. (1.6) |
Burned down a barn at camp |
163, 164 |
NBC.com, 1.10 |
Completed in 1.10 when Earl builds an ostrich pen for the Right Choice Ranch, before learning Randy burnt down the barn. |
C
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Cheated on girlfriend and lied AbOUT it |
72 |
1.11 |
Outstanding |
Cheated a lot on my school tests |
9 |
1.24 |
Outstanding |
Cheated on school tests a lot |
69 |
Titles |
Outstanding |
Copped a feel off old Ms Jones. But I think she liked it |
3 |
ad for Season 1 finale, 1.24 |
Outstanding |
Cost Dad the election |
4, 65 |
1.9, titles, NBC.com |
Attempted when Earl enters his father into the mayoral election four years later (1.9) |
Cut holes in all of Dad's shirts to show his nipples |
42 |
1.18 |
Earl considers crossed off by itself because "his nipples have drooped down like 6 inches" |
D
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Ditched Jesse and married Joy |
141, 145 |
1.21, 1.23 |
Crossed off Earl's list by Joy when she took responsibility and explained to him that it was her fault, not his. (1.21) |
Did donuts on football field during third quarter |
Unknown |
NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Didn't pay taxes |
265 |
1.17 |
Completed when Earl gets himself fined $500 and pays it. (1.17) |
E
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Everything I did to Dad |
59 |
1.1, Titles |
Outstanding |
F
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Faked death to break up with a girl |
62, 84 |
1.4, titles, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl comes clean and tells Natalie Duckworth the truth, then begins dating her again, giving her the chance to dump him and gain some self-confidence. (1.4) |
Farted in Joy's Face |
143 |
1.23 |
Outstanding |
Fix Randy |
150 |
1.13 |
Outstanding |
Fixed a high school football game |
58 |
1.3, titles, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl gives Rosie the bookie $100 back (1.3) |
Fixed wiring so neighbours (nosy ones[?]) didn't have power for a week |
109 |
1.18 |
Outstanding |
Forgot to pick up kids at school |
147 |
1.17 |
Outstanding |
G
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Gave Joy a tape worm |
154 |
1.13 |
Outstanding |
Gave Joy 236 bladder infections |
157 |
1.13 |
Outstanding |
Gave Joy's car a dent - said it was hit & run |
205 |
1.13 |
Outstanding |
Gave Randy a swirlie |
57 |
1.24 |
Completed when Randy gives Earl a swirlie |
Got drunk on Easter (See number 73 ("Accidentally started a forest fire") |
78 |
1.11 |
Outstanding |
Got lap dance from Roy Moody's mom and didn't pay for it |
Unknown |
NBC.com |
Outstanding |
H
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Had egg fight down a main street |
147, 142 |
1.13, 1.23 |
Outstanding |
Had garage sale while house-sitting for neighbors |
Unknown |
NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Harmed and possibly killed innocent people with second hand smoke |
102 |
1.1, 1.2, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl quits smoking (1.2) |
Helped myself to Crab Shack tip jar |
126 |
1.13, NBC.com |
Outstanding |
I
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
I did my best friend's girl A LOT |
8 |
1.24 |
Outstanding |
I stole money from cars a lot |
7 |
1.24 |
Outstanding |
I've been a litterbug |
136 |
1.1, NBC.com |
Started when Earl is seen picking up litter, saying he has to pick up as much as he's littered, and finds his lost lottery ticket (1.1), may have been completed. |
I've been wasteful |
49 |
1.2, 1.13*, 2.5, NBC.com |
Outstanding Note: Been referenced as number 207 once, but 49 twice |
J
K
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Kicked cat trying to see if it would land on its feet |
117 |
1.18 |
Outstanding, Note: Kicked May Be Killed |
Kicked in (a) drum set |
146 |
1.13, 1.23 |
Outstanding |
Kicked Tom out of band |
50 |
2.5 |
Completed when Earl gets the band back together |
L
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Larceny of a Kitty Cat |
56 |
2.4 |
Completed when Earl returns the cat to the owner and get the cat back to competition standards. (2.4) Note: Earl may have added the cat to the end of the list as a new item for causing him to get out of shape |
Let Donny Jones serve jail time for a crime I committed |
112 |
1.2, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl tells Donny the truth and is forgiven (1.2) |
Let mice out at school play |
66 |
Titles, NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Lost Dad's Mustang |
108 |
1.18 |
Completed when Earl won the car back in a drag race. |
Lost my own Mustang because I'm an idiot |
267 |
1.18 |
Completed when Earl restores the Mustang with his Father. (Note: it was added by Earl's Father when he revealed that the Mustang was going to be Earl's when he was 16.) |
M
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Made a kid scared of the boogeyman |
239 |
1.20 |
Completed after Earl (inadvertently) makes Albie realize that his father cares. (1.20) |
Made fun of Maggie Lester for having a moustache |
91 |
2.3 |
Completed when Earl helps Maggie and her friends re-integrate themselves into society. (2.3) |
Made fun of people with accents |
27 |
1.5; NBC.com |
Completed when Earl teaches an ESL class (1.5) |
Made a Lady think I was God |
12 |
2.6, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl makes the woman realize that she should be doing good things anyway |
Made Randy steal electronics & got caught (picture is still up at Circuit City) |
158 |
1.13 |
Outstanding |
N
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Neglected Randy |
260 |
1.7, NBC.com |
Decided to leave it on the list as a permanent reminder |
Never gave Mom a good Mother's Day |
266 |
1.18 |
Completed when Earl and Randy honor some coupons they gave her 20 years ago. |
Never took Joy's side |
183 |
2.01 |
Completed after Earl takes Joy's side against Darnell about her having a surprise birthday party. |
O
P
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Pantsed a party clown |
Unknown |
NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Parked in handicapped spot |
116 |
1.18 |
Outstanding |
Peed in the back of a cop car |
23 |
1.1; NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Picked my nose in public |
5 |
Ad for Season 1 finale, 1.24 |
Outstanding |
Picked on Kenny James |
64 |
1.1, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl helps Kenny come out (1.1) (In the title's list's close up number 64 says "Spray painted the bridge") |
Pretended to be handicapped to go to front of lines at Adventure World |
Unknown |
NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Pulled fire alarm |
60 |
Titles |
Outstanding |
Pulled wisker's [sic] from Randy's sh?? |
144 |
1.23 |
Outstanding |
Punch [sic] Tom in gut |
265 |
1.18 |
Outstanding |
Punched kid at Frostburg State University |
264 |
1.16 |
Attempted when he tried to get kid to punch him back, but the kid refused. (1.16) |
Put bleach in laundry detergent |
107 |
1.17 |
Outstanding |
Put sugar in Ray's gas tank |
154 |
1.18 |
Outstanding |
Put used gum under almost every table I've ever sat at |
53 |
1.10 |
Started by Randy (as Earl) when he clears the gum under the table at Joy's house |
Q
R
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Ran Over Crackers (Randy's Cat) |
67 |
1.18 |
Outstanding |
Refused to dance with too-tall Maggie at the 8th grade dance |
206 |
1.24 |
Completed when Earl dances with Maggie |
Replaced Sheridan Lang's birth control pills with Tic-Tacs |
Unknown |
NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Robbed a stoner blind |
26 |
2.8 |
Completed when Earl and Randy spent one week in the hippie commune, reducing their "eco-footprint" |
Ruined Joy's chance to get into art school |
119 |
1.24 |
Completed when Earl lets Joy practice her hole piercing on him |
Ruined Joy's chili [so] |
111 |
1.18 |
Outstanding |
Ruined Joy's wedding |
261 |
1.8, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl helps plan and pay for a new wedding (1.8) |
S
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Screwed up Joy's baby pants [parts?] |
149 |
1.13, 1.23 |
Outstanding |
Set off bottle rockets at Randy with ??? |
160 |
1.13 |
Outstanding |
Shot Gwen Waters in the [...] with a BB Gun |
147 |
1.23 |
Completed when Earl re-unites Gwen with her father |
Slept with Crab Man's fiancée (Joy) |
262 |
1.8 |
Completed when Earl confessed to Darnell and encouraged him to go through with the wedding (1.8) |
Slept with Cheri |
Unknown |
1.10 |
Completed when Randy (as Earl) confessed to her ex-husband (1.10) |
Slept with Linda |
188 |
1.10 |
Completed when Randy (as Earl) confessed to her ex-husband (1.10) |
Slept with prom date's sister on prom night |
Unknown |
NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Slept with Ralph's mom |
51 |
2.5 |
Completed when Earl gets married to Ralph's mom |
Snatched a kid's Halloween candy when he came to my trailer to trick-or-treat |
41 |
1.1, NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Sold Joy's hair |
155 |
1.13, NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Spray painted the bridge |
64 |
Titles, NBC.com |
Outstanding (In the Pilot, number 64 is solved as "Picked on Kenny James") |
Stole ten dollars from a guy at Camden Market (used to buy winning lottery ticket) |
1 |
the season finale, The Vancouver Sun |
Completed - Gave him the lottery winnings back, but he gave it back to Earl. |
Stole a badge from a police officer |
127 |
1.22 |
Crossed off Earl's list when the police officer quit the force to become a professional bowler. (1.22) |
Stole a bird bath from a truck |
Unknown |
1.10 |
Attempted in 1.10 by Randy (as Earl), may have been completed. |
Stole a car from a one-legged girl |
86 |
1.1, 1.2, 1.9, 1.14, NBC.com |
Attempted in 1.9, but was chased away and attacked by her handicapped boyfriend. |
Stole a number-ticker |
24 |
1.19 |
Completed when Earl gives the number-ticker back to the store (1.19) |
Stole a wallet from guy in gas station bathroom |
202 |
1.12, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl gives the money back, and fills in for the guy's job for a week so he can go on the honeymoon Earl ruined. (1.12) |
Stole beer from a golfer |
67, 139 |
1.7, titles, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl gives the golfer beer, along with a lot of other stuff he lost (1.7) |
Stole cooler with donated kidney in it |
Unknown |
NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Stole gay Kenny's lunch everyday of 5th and 6th grade |
146 |
2.9 |
Completed when Earl makes and gives Kenny 274 bologna sandwiches |
Stole laptop |
37 |
1.16 |
Completed when Earl returns the laptop to Professor Alex Meyers.(1.16) |
Stole liquor from liquor store |
56 |
Titles |
Outstanding |
Stole Mom's car (but I gave it back) |
61 |
Titles |
Outstanding |
Stole christmas presents from little girl (it says in the episode he did put her on the list, but there is no evidence that he did) |
Unknown |
1.19 |
Outstanding |
Stole P's HD Cart |
159 |
1.13 |
Complete when Earl gives back Pop's Hotdog Cart, then replaces the one Ralph burnt down. (1.13) |
Stole various snacks and drinks from the local Quick Stop |
203 |
1.4 |
Completed when Earl and Randy sneak replacements back into the store (1.4) |
Sucked gas out of a hose |
62 |
1.15, NBC.com |
Completed when Earl replaces the stolen gasoline and is forgiven. "Running out of gas was Karma telling me it's time to do number 62 on my list." (1.15) |
T
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Threw Carol's alarm clock out window |
62 |
1.1 |
Outstanding |
Told an inappropriate story at Hank Lange's birthday party |
18 |
1.14 |
Completed after Earl gives Hank Lange one good day to make up for the bad day. (1.14) |
Told Dodge and Earl Jr. we would have a father-son day at Mystery Fun Land and didn't take them |
98 |
1.10 |
Since Mystery Fun Land went out of business, there was no way to complete this. Earl apologized to the boys, and the boys forgave him, allowing him to cross it off his list (1.10) |
Told Joy that Bruce Willis was a ghost |
152 |
1.13 |
Outstanding |
Told Joy that Don Dade messed his pants/himself on the golf course (because she thought he was cute) |
57, 156 |
Titles, NBC.com, 1.13 |
Outstanding |
Took away Randy's touchdown |
Unnumbered |
1.3 |
Attempted when Earl enrolls Randy in high school to play football. Randy insisted Earl should cross the item off the list, but it is unknown if he did. |
Took Donny away from his mother for two years |
Unnumbered, added on to 112 |
1.2 |
Completed when Earl helps Donny's mother quit smoking, thus extending her life (1.2) |
Took donuts from a bank where I was not a customer |
Unknown |
1.11 |
Crossed off after they "gave" a new box of donuts to a bank. |
Took magazine from neighbors mailbox |
71 |
1.11 |
Outstanding |
Took money from car coin holders |
2 |
1.24 |
Outstanding |
Took money from Dad's sock drawer |
110 |
1.18 |
Outstanding |
Took wine from church |
75 |
1.11 |
Outstanding |
U
V
W
Item |
Number |
Source |
Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Wasted electricity |
63 |
Titles, NBC.com |
Outstanding |
Went clothes shopping at local laundromat |
38 |
TV3 (NZ) Advert |
Outstanding |
Went to [...] anonymous support group to pick up girls |
121 |
1.18 |
Outstanding |
X
Y
Z
[ The List in numerical order1]