But right now the bigger problem is the collapse of “My Name is Earl,” which I called one of TV’s best comedies when in first debuted in 2005.

Back then, “Earl” proved unique amongst TV sitcoms with its jokes — of both the ridiculous and sly varieties — and colorful supporting cast all orbiting Earl’s quest for karmic forgiveness, which served as the show’s linchpin.

Recently, however, Earl himself has been pushed to the side of his own series — which has, if not jumped the shark, then at least run off the rails.

Season three opened where season two left off, with Earl in prison for a crime he did not commit. Most shows would have made their lead a free man again by the end of the first half hour, but “Earl”’s writers took a chance by leaving him behind bars for a whopping 10 episodes, which turned out to be about five episodes too many. The characters in “Earl” work better when they’re at each other’s throats, not separated by prison walls.

The writers’ strike hit when Earl was finally sprung from the slammer, and fans must have been looking forward to new episodes that would feature the gang all back together.

But in the first post-strike episode, Earl was hit by a car and left in a coma, and three episodes later (including an hour-long), he’s still unresponsive.

That doesn’t mean Jason Lee gets a few weeks off from work. Earl still shows up in flashbacks and has been living a dream life (literally) inside his own head where he’s married to new crush Billie (Alyssa Milano) and everyone behaves as if they’re in a classic TV comedy. In fact, Earl’s coma-dream even has its own opening credits and laugh track.

At best, the old-fashioned sitcom device could have mildly amused for one half-hour episode, but the writers thought it wise to stretch it for 90 minutes over two weeks. Terrible decision, especially considering Billie’s a new character we’ve barely gotten to know in the non-coma “Earl” world.

And that’s not the only time the “Earl” brain trust has stretched a gimmick too far. One episode spoofing “COPS” was fine, thank you. The second? Overkill, and slightly painful to watch.

“Earl”’s writers have dropped the ball in other areas, too. One of the best twists the show had taken recently was the role reversal undergone by Randy and Catalina. Whereas Randy had always pined hopelessly for Catalina, it was revealed last season that, after a surprising sexual encounter, Catalina now yearns for Randy. But as soon as the twist came, the entire plotline was dropped. Disappointingly, Randy and Catalina have barely shared a scene together this year.

Can “Earl” recover? Maybe. The cast remains strong, and each episode still features a handful of great exchanges between its characters.

I particularly liked this bit from a recent flashback episode.

Earl walks up to Crabman and, under his breath, says, “We need something.”

Crabman immediately responds, “You need weed.”

Earl: “How’d you know?”

Crabman: “It’s usually what’s going on when a bunch of white people walk right up to me and start whispering.”

Ah, that Crabman. Wise beyond his years and still “Earl”’s secret weapon. Right now, the show could use more of him, less gimmicks … and more of the group dynamic, with Earl at the center, that made it so irresistible in the first place.

If you have a question or comment for Bob, e-mail him at bobtaylor52@yahoo.com. You can find Bob on the web and read past installments of “Taylor on TV” at www.robertbriantaylor.com.