Louie

Seinfeld revolved around a stand-up comedian constantly sabotaged by the catastrophic social faux pas of himself and the people inextricably involved in his life, intercut with performance sets by the actual comic. So is Louie. But where Seinfeld was purportedly "a show about nothing," Louie is a show in which from moment to moment, you can safely expect nothing. Not only does Louis C.K. straddle the gaps in social protocol and everyday confrontations we all understand, but also the extremes of comedy and tragedy. It's a gallows comedy, in which we can find ourselves laughing in elation at the both wry and surreal absurdity of one moment, then clenching our chair arms in both tension and incredulity at moments of agonizing pain and even at times a true sense of impending brutality.

There is no continuity from one episode to the next, or even from one vignette to the next. Each episode is comprised of usually two scenarios book-ended by stand-up sets by Louie, which may or may not turn out to be part of one of the scenes. It's the direct inversion by an observant everyman's misanthrope of the TV sitcom. Whereas every sitcom we've ever seen has one essential soundstage, an ongoing play-like farce that runs before two cameras, all the same characters show up and everything not only works out but is just the same as before by the end, each week Louie will give a stream of consciousness an unsystematic narrative silhouette almost invariably a sequence of encounters with characters who enter and exit, yet very few ever return. Some actors and actresses return in different roles. Louie's mother is at one point played by an old woman as an appalling malignant narcissist and in another episode a humble, warm-hearted young working-class woman.

The show is written, directed and edited by its star, and he creates a visually realistic look and atmosphere for his small stories, captured quite cinematically. In the God episode, arguably the boldest, most powerful episode, he injects solemn amber tones, almost I dare say comparable to Gordon Willis' work on the Godfather films. There is a considerable proliferation of long takes in which two characters will share dialogue that sounds and feels no less real than that which we'll share with someone tomorrow. Sometimes, he's bold enough to prolong a single, stationary take in which nothing is being said on-camera, but all the action that affects the character in the shot is occurring off-camera, and in that very single take, we're carried seamlessly and steadily from deadpan absurdity to genuine terror. Then comes the cut: Life goes on; nothing's really that big of a deal. Simply put, each week, C.K. delivers one or two of the most powerful and memorable short films you may ever see.

I watched this show for the first time last week after Wilfred (another great new show), and I must say - Louie is wondrously on a WHOLE new level. Where have I been?! Yes, the show is quite explicit, vulgar, and just plain dirty - all of which I'm not a huge fan, but the writing/dialogue depicts the everyday thoughts and issues that are really running in the minds of the rest of us, but we're just too afraid to speak our minds. That's what really amazes/captures me about this show. It is rough around the edges submerged with complex, bizarre, vulgar situations, yet the overall tone of the show is so...simple, mundane. This very stark contrast is not only captivating and mind-blowing, it is very intense and disturbing to the human psyche. It is just a whole new level of comedy. I am thoroughly and mindbogglingly wow-ed.

Ricky Gervais called Louis C.K. "the funniest comedian working in America today", so it's fitting that Louis should repay the compliment with a guest spot for Gervais on his show. And what a guest spot! Gervais is allowed to do what Gervais does best, say ridiculously sublime and horribly tasteless things while still remaining oddly endearing. Ricky's jokes in anyone else's hands could seem the punch lines of a sociopath. Whether Louis C.K. will fulfill Ricky's pronouncement as "the funniest comedian working in America today" remains to be seen, but he's off to a good start. Each episode of Louis is presented in two vignettes, two seemingly random episodes connected by a greater theme, such as aging, love, death, health, wealth and happiness, etc. And so far, Louis C.K. has surrounded himself with excellent playmates (Gervais, for one). Now let us hope that he takes a cue from Ricky Gervais and keeps his comedy grounded in a painfully bittersweet hyper reality, as opposed to a Jerry Seinfeld/ Larry David world of snarky cynicism. The random quirkiness of his show has already drawn Seinfeld comparisons, but it's pretty obvious Louis has a hope for humanity his predecessors have never had. Louis C.K. (the character) is both a schlemiel and a schlimazel, a loser either way you look at it, but he has a dignity befitting a Ricky Gervais character. And that's a winner anyway you look at it.

I was watching Rescue Me tonight, and I saw the previews of this show. I didn't know if it was old or new. I later checked on the cable box and saw it was new. I gave it a shot, and I was a bit surprised that there might be another great show on TV.

While I am not going to sit here and say this is the next Seinfeld, it had certain feelings to it, like the stand up comedy part in the start and the end. But "Louie" seems more edgier and more explicit than Seinfeld's method of 'beating around the bush' of what they want to say due to restrictions. The jokes I would say are more like Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I will not try to spoil much for those who haven't seen it, but the show is basically about a middle-aged man who has two children, both girls, and recently split up with his wife. He is a stand up comedian for a living, and while off the job -- he is looking for a rebound for his break up with his wife. His character symbolizes Larry David's to a degree, although I don't see his good will like Larry shows time to time, yet he's still a very sympathetic character and one who is easy to get behind.

I love the comparisons to Seinfeld and CYE, because I think they are both excellent shows, thus I hope this show can use that type of formula but also be able to come up with some innovative and compelling ideas on its own. It's already did its main job with me: making me want to see it again. I am looking forward to see if this show becomes something epic or something that epic fails.

Worth checking out, especially if you're a Seinfeld and/or CYE fan.

This show as everything else can be compared to other shows but it is its own in many ways. First of which can be said is kudos to Louis C.K. is he greatly underrated and should be a much more respected star. His comedy is genuine and honest and i know it sounds corny but his show feels very real the dialogue and the situations are how real life i think would be. I've heard it be compared to seinfeld but the only comparison is that there are clips of louie doing stand up, the actual show is nothing like it. Also id like to commend FX on giving it time to grow, they are a very good network for that, same with SUNNY IN PHILLY, that show grew into an excellent show. Shows get canceled to quickly. Anyways to sum up. Louie gets a 10/10, its just my opinion.