PASADENA, Calif. —  Jason Lee has an excuse for missing work better suited for a fifth grader. He has the chicken pox.

Production on NBC's "My Name Is Earl" is being shut down for a couple of weeks "until he's feeling better and presentable to be on TV again," said Greg Garcia, the show's creator and executive producer.

The freshman comedy is a bright spot on NBC's schedule and was recently moved to Thursdays, once the fabled home of the network's "must-see TV" lineup.

NBC announced Sunday it was renewing "My Name Is Earl" and another Thursday comedy, "The Office," for a second season.