<Li> Eddie Steeples as Darnell Turner, a worker at the local restaurant that Earl and the gang frequent . He marries Joy in season 1 . </Li> <P> Creator and head writer Greg Garcia wrote the pilot while working on another sitcom, Yes, Dear . He initially pitched the series to Fox which passed on the series . He then approached NBC, which optioned the pilot on a cast - contingent basis, meaning they would order the pilot provided a suitable cast could be assembled . Jason Lee was approached for the lead role, but was uninterested in working in television and passed on the series twice before finally agreeing to read the pilot script . Though he liked the pilot, he was hesitant to commit to his first TV starring role until meeting with Garcia, after which he signed on to play Earl Hickey . </P> <P> My Name Is Earl is set in fictional Camden County . Creator Greg Garcia says: </P> <P> The show doesn't technically take place anywhere...we like to think it's anywhere . We don't really say exactly where it is . </P>

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