Nevermind I'll Find Someone like You

Well, what we've known has been coming for at least a year has finally happened and Parks and Recreation has officially been last-seasoned.  I'm glad that they are ending on their own terms (though it's still insane that they're being benched. Again.), but it's still very sad to see them go. NBC has become notorious for tanking it's quality comedies in recent years, and while I have high hopes for the Untitled Tina Fey Project that had been titled "Tooken", then recently retitled "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", a title I am 100% not sold on, I just generally have no hope for anything that happens on that network. 

So, in lieu of quality Big Three programming, I sometimes have to veer into the realm of basic cable.

Several months ago, I was turned onto Louis CK's show, the aptly titled "Louie", which, until yesterday, only had three seasons (on netflix, yay). Louis CK is one of my favorite stand-ups, and his show doesn't disappoint if you are a fan of his type of comedy.

It follows Louis playing basically himself, a divorced comedian who has part time custody of his two hilarious and adorable daughters, shleping through New York City.  There are a ton of cameos from other comedians playing themselves, and it really feels like "comedy for comedians", if that awfully pretentious statement even makes any sense. I love to watch comedians talk about comedy with other comedians, and this show feels like a peek into that world. Each episode typically is broken into two parts that don't really relate to each other, which lends a sketch-show pace that is refreshing if you're used to serial shows that can sometimes drag.

The show is hilarious, awkward, awful, and brilliant. It starts out strong, with genuine earnestness and terrible "Curb Your Enthusiasm" level second hand embarrassment, but, despite being slightly horrible, Louie's character is extremely likeable, if not a bit generally sad.  But, let's be real- we're all a bit sad. Hell, I've been binge watching old seasons of "Glee" steadily for the past week or so. I'm no better than this guy.

(X)

One of the things that I think makes "Louie" stand out is its darkness. It's fucking hilarious, don't get me wrong, but it can get real dark reaaaaal quick.  It does so with a smoothness and realness that just works.   Whether addressing homophobia withing the comedy community, suicide, or the Iraq war, it honestly deals with shitty things by couching them with Louie's terrible first dates and cute kids, but in a non-saccharine way. Lord knows I have no tolerance for saccharine, and this show does so well in avoiding that canned laughter sugar trap a lot of shows slip into.

I haven't gotten to watch the any of the brand new season, as it's, well, brand new and I don't have access to the tv that has cable (even though I'm paying for it, but that's another post entirely), but I'm excited to see what happens.