Louie (American TV series)

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Louie is an American comedy drama television series that premiered on FX on June 29, 2010. It is written, directed, created, edited, and produced by comedian Louis C.K., who also stars in the show as a fictionalized version of himself, a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two daughters in New York City. The show has a loose format atypical for television comedy series, consisting of largely unconnected storylines and segments (described by FX president John Landgraf as "extended vignettes") that revolve around Louie's life, punctuated by live stand-up performances. The show's comedy consisted of such styles as surrealism, satire, absurdism, and gallows humor. The show has been met with critical acclaim and was included in various critics' TV show top-ten lists when it premiered in 2010. C.K. has received several Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his acting, writing, and directing and has won for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 64th and 66th Primetime Emmy Awards. It was included in the 101 Best Written TV Series list created by the Writers Guild of America. During an "extended hiatus" for the show starting in 2015, FX ended their business partnership with C.K.'s production company, Pig Newton, in November 2017, after he confirmed that a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him were true. In 2018, Landgraf discussed the possibility of Louie returning.

Synopsis

Louie is loosely based on the life of comedian Louis C.K., showing segments of him performing his stand-up routine onstage, and depicting his struggles as a divorced father of two girls. Each episode features either two stories (which may or may not connect thematically) or a longer full-episode story (often consisting of numerous connected shorter pieces). The pieces are interspersed with short clips of Louie's stand-up, usually performed in New York comedy clubs, mainly the Comedy Cellar and Carolines in Manhattan. The stand-up in the show consists of original material recorded for the series, and is usually shot from the stage rather than from the more traditional audience perspective. Sometimes these comedy segments are integrated into the stories themselves, whereas other times they simply serve to bookend them with a loosely connected topic. In the first season, blunt, socially awkward conversations between Louie and his therapist are also shown occasionally. Beginning in the third season, some episodes do not feature any stand-up performances or the opening credit sequence. Episodes in the series have standalone plots, although some recurring roles (e.g. Louie's playdate friend Pamela, portrayed by Pamela Adlon, who was C.K.'s co-star in Lucky Louie) occasionally provide story arc continuity between episodes. Continuity is not enforced; for example, Louie's mother has been portrayed in two very different ways. As C.K. explained, "Every episode has its own goal, and if it messes up the goal of another episode, ... I just don't care." Some stories also take place outside of the show's main time frame. For two examples, the episode "God" depicts Louie's childhood, and the episode "Oh Louie" shows the comedian 9 years earlier in his career. Beginning in the third season, Louie has moved toward story continuity within the season, and it includes multi-episode story arcs. The pilot episode includes segments depicting a school field trip and an embarrassing first date, with subsequent episodes covering a diverse range of material, including divorce, sex, sexual orientation, depression, and Catholic guilt.

Episodes

Cast and characters

C.K. serves as the show's lead and plays the only character who appears in every episode. Louie lacks a regular fixed cast, and instead features many guest appearances by stand-up comedians and actors. As a stand-up comedian in New York City, Louie's social circle on the show consists mainly of other comedians, and many notable comedians (such as Nick DiPaolo, Todd Barry, Jim Norton, Sarah Silverman, Chris Rock, and Jerry Seinfeld) have had recurring roles as fictionalized versions of themselves. Most episodes tend to focus on Louie's interactions with new characters. However, the show features a number of recurring characters, including Louie's two daughters, Lilly (Hadley Delany) and Jane (Ursula Parker); his brother Bobby (Robert Kelly); his teenage-looking agent Doug (Edward Gelbinovich); Pamela (Pamela Adlon), his best friend and love interest; Dr. Ben (Ricky Gervais), Louie's juvenile and arrogant doctor; Louie's therapist (David Patrick Kelly); and his ex-wife, Janet (Susan Kelechi Watson). Since Louie lacks continuity between episodes, supporting actors occasionally reappear in multiple roles, as is the case with William Stephenson, who appears as a bus driver in the pilot and as himself in "Oh Louie/Tickets"; Amy Landecker, who appears as Louie's date in "Bully" and as a young Louie's mother in "God" and "In the Woods"; and F. Murray Abraham, who plays a swinger in "New Jersey/Airport", Louie's uncle Excelsior in "Dad", and Louie's father in "In the Woods". Furthermore, Louie's mother and sisters have each been portrayed by multiple actresses, although his children have been consistently portrayed by Delany and Parker since the middle of the first season. His ex-wife is portrayed by Brooke Bloom in a flashback scene of "Elevator Part 4".

Recurring guests

Guest stars

Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4 Season 5 In addition to these guest stars, several notable comedians have appeared in smaller roles, including Chris Gethard, Todd Glass, Ted Alexandro, Amir Blumenfeld, Eddie Brill, Joe DeRosa, Vernon Chatman, Artie Lange, Godfrey, Chelsea Peretti, J. B. Smoove, Dave Attell, Michael Cera, John Lithgow, Big Jay Oakerson, and Steven Wright. Opie and Anthony and Amy Schumer have had voice-only guest appearances.

Production

Rather than accepting a bigger-budget production deal with a larger network, C.K. accepted the modest offer of $200,000 (covering his own fee as well as production costs) to do a pilot with FX, since FX allowed him full creative control. The show is shot on a Red camera setup, and C.K. edits many of the episodes on his personal MacBook Pro. In addition to starring, C.K. serves as the show's sole writer and director, an unusual combination in American TV production. Referring to John Landgraf, who convinced C.K. to accept a deal with FX, C.K. said: "He had a very loose idea of what he wanted. I said, 'Let me shoot a pilot and you don't have anything to do with it. I won't even pitch you the idea or show you the script or show you the footage or show you the casting. Just wire me the money and let me do the show.' And he was willing to do that. One of the reasons it was done that way was he only gave me $200,000 for the thing all in. Since I was able to prove this was a way to do it and they liked what they got, I was able to keep doing it that way." Louis C.K. directed, cast, and edited the first episode of the show with a budget of $250,000, provided by FX. In the second season, the budget was increased to $300,000 per episode. Production began in November 2009. C.K. said of his show, "It's very vignette-y. It's very vérité. All those French words. I use 'em all." Pamela Adlon, who had starred in C.K.'s prior semi-autobiographical HBO sitcom Lucky Louie, served as a consulting producer of the series. Adlon and C.K. would later create another semi-autobiographical comedy-drama TV series on FX, Better Things, starring Adlon. For the third season, C.K. announced that he would be handing off some editing duties to longtime Woody Allen collaborator Susan E. Morse. Steven Wright joined the series in the fourth season as a consulting producer. C.K. and Wright became friends when Wright was visiting Manhattan and C.K. asked him to consult for the series. Wright said regarding his role, "I'm like a sounding board for the stories ... He bounces ideas off of me, like what could happen during different episodes, and I give him my opinion. I'll go to the set when they’re shooting. I'll watch it and give him my opinion on whatever was happening and how it went, whether it was funny or not. Then I'll go to editing and watch while he edits it and give him my opinion on changes and cuts and perversions and everything." In a 2013 interview with The New York Times, C.K. mentioned various influences for the show, which include Allen, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling and John Waters.

Critical reception

Louie has received acclaim from critics. The stand-up segments received strong praise, as did the show's perceived "indie film" style, with some likening the show to the work of Woody Allen. Criticisms largely centered on the pacing and low-key delivery of the show's jokes, which often include long setups compared to the rapid-fire punchlines of a traditional sitcom. Of the "top TV" lists tracked by Metacritic, Louie appeared on nine of 28 in 2010 and 22 of 39 in 2011, the latter of which includes three lists where the show was ranked 1st. On Metacritic, the first season scored 69 out of 100, based on 20 reviews. The second season scored 90 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 7 reviews. The third season received critical acclaim, scoring 94 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 16 reviews. The fourth season also received critical acclaim, scoring 93 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 30 reviews. The fifth season received acclaim as well, scoring 91 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 20 reviews. Television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked Louie as the 18th best American television show of all time in their book titled TV (The Book), stating that unlike other sitcoms which kept their tone and format the same throughout their respective runs, the series "morphed from week to week, episode to episode, sometimes minute to minute. In doing so, it translated the thought-processes of stand-up comedy into cinematic terms, and in a way that was new to commercial television." Louie has an average rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Accolades

Home media

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released Season 1 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Region 1 on June 21, 2011. Season 2 was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Region 1 on June 19, 2012. Seasons 3, 4, and 5 were exclusively released on DVD via Amazon.com's manufacture on demand program.

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