Returning for its second season tonight at 10:30 on FX, Louie is a delightfully deadpan and hilariously bleak look at the life of a 40-year-old single comedian in New York City. As the creator, writer, director, and singular star, comedian Louis C.K. is able to assert complete creative control over the program, allowing a consistent style throughout and portraying a full comedic vision. Louie follows the title character through an exaggerated depiction of the man and his daily life. The formula partially consists of the original Seinfeld premise, regularly showing (mostly) live segments of C.K's stand-up. There are typically 2-3 sets of varying length in a single episode, with typically stand-alone story segments of Louie's life.
Although Louie is the only starring character in the show, there a few recurring characters as well. Actors portray Louie's brother and two young daughters, while his comedian friends appear as themselves. Additionally, another single parent recurs, as does Ricky Gervais in a couple episodes, playing an extremely unprofessional asshole of a doctor. While the stand-up segments are pretty straightforward and often a hilarious highlight, the individual story segments can be an ridiculously offbeat delight as well. One such story involves the visit of Louie's exaggeratedly selfish mother who decides, for no apparent reason other than a desire for attention, declares herself a lesbian. Another standout story involves his fantastical attraction to an African-American check-out lady, whom he essentially follows all the way home making humorously horrible and uncomfortable attempts at seduction, to the point where she confronts him on his fantasies. Although some of these little stories can be especially odd, just when you begin to question the direction they're heading, they catch you off guard with C.K.'s outrageously funny and surprisingly absurd humor.
Bottom Line: Louie is an original and diverse exploration of a comedian's occasionally bleak, but always hilarious observations and experiences of life.
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