"Louie" -- Exceeding Expections on the FX Network

We called Louis C.K. a genius in our last post reminding you of his series' second season, and after watching last night's episode "Pregnant" we reaffirm our assessment.  Louie is a series utterly without peer -- no, actually, I would put the most profoundly affecting episodes of Ricky Gervais' series The Office (the original British version) and Extras in the same league, and a few other things.  Louie makes other half-hour comedy series, even the less-traditional ones from HBO (Hung, Entourage) or Showtime (Nurse Jackie, The Big C), seem like they're missing something.  They are -- they're missing Louis C.K., whose skill, openness, truth, and guilelessness as a performer takes his work in Louie to a level that's simply astounding.

It's hard to imagine anyone -- except Gervais, who happens to be a friend of LCK, no surprise there -- able to take the exquisite pain of being a human being and turn it into an entertainment that manages to be simultaneously -- or in sequence sometimes -- hilarious, shocking and brutal, unblinkingly honest, and tremendously affecting.  Watching last night's episode of Louie pushes you through a journey that will genuinely bring tears to your eyes -- and not in some bullshit way -- as well as offering up scatalogical glee, comedic zingers, and some of the best acting that you're going to see, anywhere.  From his scenes doing stand-up, then to the great kitchen action as LCK handily and fascinatingly prepares a fabulous-looking dinner for his two young daughters (the youngest of whom delivered an earlier stark assessment of their family life to him), and on to those with Rusty Schwimmer playing his very pregnant sister, to the genuinely tense medical emergency moments where he meets his neighbors, and beyond -- last night's episode was incredible.  No other word for it. 

There's nothing like Louie.  It's the most astounding half-hour comedy out there, but we really need to invent another term for this hybrid program type.  It's even beyond the brilliant ensemble work of a show like Nurse Jackie, which is hardly ordinary yet actually pales in comparison with Louis C.K.'s vision in Louie.  This series is testament to LCK's brilliance as a writer and as a performer, along with his undeniable skills as director and editor, two more positions he fills on Louie.  Like Gervais, he's got a perfect ear for life's absurdities as well as its sublime satisfactions, including last night's ruminations on family, friendship, and the need for connections. 

Not for everybody, not even close -- don't watch if you don't like profanity perfectly delivered -- but truly unforgettable.  How can something this good be on television?  Kudos to FX for getting behind this wonderful series and for helping bring Louie into the world.  And the most profound thanks and gratitude to Louis C.K. for going that extra step where few performers ever dare tread, primarily because most others wouldn't know what to say once they were truly out there.  Louis C.K. does.  He knows exactly what to say, and you'll be missing so much if you don't watch and listen.

Visit FX's terrific Louie site (with lots of interesting extras) for more info and the schedule, though I can only find airtimes on Thursday nights, starting at 10:30p with several encores later.

"Louie" Season 2 Begins Tonight on FX!

You know we love him here -- the amazing Louis C.K. -- and we also love that the second season of his hilariously morose, absurd, moving and superb half-hour series Louie starts tonight at 10:30pm on FX Network.  Like a lot of LCK's comedy, Louie is strange and complex, with an off-center sensibility that is utterly winning and completely mesmerizing. 

We highly recommend that you tune into this very unique half hour of TV.  We can't completely guarantee that you'll like it, of course -- sense of humor is such a personal value that maybe Louis C.K. won't tickle your particular funnybone -- but we do assure you that you will be seeing a genius in action.

Visit the official Louie website for more information!

Jane's Top Ten TV List 2010

With just a couple of days left before 2011, it's a great time to think about our favorite television gems from the past year. There were a TON of phenomenal programs this year in fact, this could have been a top 20 list. Good TV has become so prolific, watching it all could easily become a full time job. I'm sure I've missed something...but these are the shows that kept me glued to the couch in 2010!

Mad Men (AMC): The Madison Ave men and women grace so many top ten lists, it's almost redundant to add them to mine. But it would be criminal to not include this amazing period piece which is more mini-feature film than any TV drama I can recall. From the intricacies and in-fighting of the ad biz (which I adore) to the character study of smoking hot Don Draper and 60's career woman Peggy...it's the one show that never got recorded in my house. I had to watch it in real time.

Louie (fX): We wrote about it many times on the Nose, in fact it became somewhat of an obsession. Hilarious, profane, heartbreaking, insane and sometimes so creepy it was almost unwatchable. This show within a show about stand up comedian Louie CK, his divorce, his adorable daughters and his NY friends was the most original effort on television this year. I am soooo getting the boxed set when it comes out, because each episode is infinitely re-watchable.

Breaking Bad (AMC): The bleak, cold high plateau of New Mexico...the double life of Walter White and his Meth cooking lab....the evolution of Jessie from drug addict loser to moral compass. Woven between it all the relentless terrorism, and mesmerizing violence of the Mexican drug cartels. Which happens to be more relevant this year than ever before. Where will this series go now that Walter has lost his brain cancer motivation for crime? Who cares, I'm coming along with them.

Nurse Jackie (Showtime): You haven't lived until you belatedly get Showtime and then dive into an entire season of Nurse Jackie over a period of 3 days. Thank you, On Demand. Yes, I had a total immersion NJ marathon and I LOVED it. Edie Falco rules the roost as Jackie, but the entire cast is absolute gold. I'm particularly fond of Zoey, the youngster who brings comic relief to the grim hospital setting. Also love Jackie's BFF Dr. O'Hara, who had an interesting twist with a lesbian turn this season. Nurse Jackie, along with Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Dexter, has character duplicity as a core plot device. Who are these people? Why are they doing such terrible things? And why does nobody notice except for us?

Modern Family (ABC): As an ABC alumni worker, I can't say how much I adore seeing the alphabet network with a top comedy hit. Every character in this series is hilarious, even the teenage girls. And teenage girls usually suck the laughs out of every scene they're in. My personal favorites are Mitchell and Cameron, the gay couple raising Lilly, the world's most stoic adopted baby. Catch Mitchell's song about "not biting" on the ABC website, it will give you an ear worm.

Dexter (Showtime): Sweaty Miami, Cuban Mojitos, swamps with dead bodies in barrels....and amidst it all, our Dexter of the enigmatic smile. He found true love this season with Lumen (Julie Stiles) but lost it in real life with Jennifer Carpenter, who plays his sister Deb on the series. Yes, it is fraught with peril to date your co-workers and even more hazardous to marry them. Let's hope all the dust settles before the next season so we can root for America's favorite serial killer once again.

Glee (Fox): Now that American Idol has jumped the shark, Fox should thank its lucky stars for "Glee". AI is toast. Would I watch it without Simon Cowell? Not in this lifetime. There is no musical show on TV as strong as Glee. We love the characters (especially breakout girl Britney, who is the funniest dumb blond on TV), and the music is fantastic. Some episodes don't quite make the mark (Rocky Horror was a horror), but most are award winning. If "Grilled Cheesus" doesn't get an Emmy I will be shocked.

Great Migrations (National Geographic): Even though I have not been able to watch the entire series because Comcast prices Nat Geo out of my reach (hateful!), I've seen enough episodes On Demand to know that this is one of the most beautifully filmed nature programs to ever grace the small screen. To watch the Monarch Butterfly migration (followed because they were able to attach a tiny, almost microscopic camera to a butterfly wing) was beyond amazing. On an HDTV it was sublime. Truly the most beautiful documentary series ever. It's the Rose Parade of wild life programs. I'm afraid I'm going to have to pony up for the DVD when it comes out.

Entourage (HBO): I never tire of the escapades of the "boys" as they zoom around So. Cal. in their inappropriate sport utility vehicles adding more smog to Hollywood-land. When is Vinnie going to get a Tesla? He could afford it. Although when last seen, our star was exploding like a supernova, with his porn g.f. dumping him and a bad coke habit wrecking his career. We love Hollywood, and we love cliff hangers. Can't wait until next season to see Ari, Drama, Lloyd and all the young Turks as they pull it out of the fire.

30 Rock (NBC): Liz Lemon, you are our Queen. You are the girl we always wanted to be...a Mary Tyler Moore for the 21st Century. Your glasses...your ham obsession...your fearless and proud braininess. You deserve happiness with a cute pilot or astronaut. But you will probably end up (some season faaaarrrr in the future) with our beloved favorite TV mogul Jack Donaghy. Kenneth can be the best man and Jenna the Maid of Honor. Oh please, at least let it happen as a dream sequence! Actually, the dream is that NBC has managed to create a comedy about television that works on a million levels. Bravo to the Peacock!

And before we close...a special word for our sponsors. I have to give mention to two favorite commercial characters; Isaiah Mustafa, the "I'm on a horse" hottie who made Old Spice cool again and Stephanie Courtney who plays "Flo" on the Progressive insurance ad. Both are originals and immensely appealing.

Happy New Year everybody!

FCC Rules on Indecency Struck Down -- A Good Thing?

Even though I'm as liberal as it gets regarding content on TV -- usually -- I think the glee with which Hollywood seems to be greeting the recent court ruling over Broadcast TV's indecency regulations is a little unseemly. Read this article from The Hollywood Reporter for all the details, and then come back here for our comments.

Commentary: This is one case where I hope the advertisers do push back and refuse to sponsor racier programming. If producers are holding cable up as a model, most of the cable shows containing more adult content don't run before 10pm, so the idea that now on Broadcast TV shows before 10pm are going to go crazy is a little unbridled.

Part of the reason why I object is that the Broadcast Networks hold a slightly different place in the television landscape. They collectively are the Sears, the Wal-Mart, the Target, if you will, of TV, not the Victoria's Secret, the corner drug dealer or the adult on-demand on your cable system. Their very existence has depended on the approbation of the masses, while certain cable networks have managed to very carefully and deliberately prepare their particular audiences for what they're offering. FX is the best example of this, with shows that routinely are so much more explicit than anything else -- even pay cable in some ways -- but manage to fit perfectly into their image.

I find it particularly uncomfortable and creepy when network sitcoms go racy -- ick, indeed! -- and I'll tell you why. Not that I think we have to make everything kid-safe, but kids do watch sitcoms -- they're kind of the transition between cartoons and adult programming (though of course nowadays many never make that transition, witness the success of Adult Swim). The often smutty humor in CBS' Two and a Half Men seems just plain unpleasant to me, and I've hated to see my favorite The Big Bang Theory take steps in that direction.

It's not that sexual situations aren't funny, but there's an "Ewww!" line that is too frequently crossed. The ladies on TV Land's Hot in Cleveland are also dancing on that line (with many not very-veiled references to cunnilingus and so forth), and they are funny. However, since few kids are going to be watching HiC, it's no big deal, but it still is a whole different level of comedy subject matter and I'm not sure we can assume everybody is on board with it.

Have I finally become an old lady, waggling my fingers and going "Tsk Tsk!" at naughty words? Hardly. I think Louie on FX is amazing, and you won't find anything as explicit and bleak as that show. Nobody loves profanity -- in its place -- as much as I do, so that's not it.

The problem I see is that this is America. This isn't Great Britain, say, where content is much looser and people expect it and it's no problem. America is still the land of the embarrassed giggle and the adolescent snicker and our boob obsession and every other infantile sexual attitude that we still hold dear. We simply can't handle the truth, the sexual truth, that is, and it turns so many attempts to inject adult content into a show into something weird and uncomfortable. (Violence is a different issue. Flaying women on crime shows regularly is practically a rule for the police procedurals. America loves violence and guns and all that kind of obscenity.)

America is still suspicious of sex; goodness knows there are whole blocks of people out there who are simultaneously completely obsessed by sex and yet would prefer it legislated away (except for their clandestine perversions, no doubt). A current debate about whether the new healthcare bill should pay for birth control isn't really about birth control at all, it's about sex. Should women be able to have sex and enjoy it without worry? It's not about medicine, it's about that deep misogynist vein in America. Until we at least get over that, TV just can't freely get to a place where sexual content on TV is a good thing.

Really, the advertisers will make the call on this one. Can't have Broadcast TV without commercials, and if the advertisers don't like what they're seeing, it's a moot point. Unfortunately, the kind of viewers who write letters to advertisers aren't the kind of viewers I support or agree with in any other way, so I won't be with them on this, either. Might a lessening of standards bring some kind of a political backlash against any and all things liberal in thought or deed? I can see it happening. With all the real problems in the country, worrying about dirty words seems like a perfect misdirection issue to take the heat off what really needs to get done.

Oh well. Go ahead, networks, tart up your shows and see what happens. Maybe it'll work. I'm not for the "good old days" when nobody could say anything, but just try not to frighten the horses, will ya?

Louis C.K. Has a New Show on FX Tonight!

If the brilliance of Denis Leary isn't enough for you tonight -- and even if it is -- stay tuned on FX following Rescue Me tonight for the premiere of actor/comedian/writer Louis C.K.'s new half-hour series, called simply and perfectly Louie. This could be the ideal chaser to Rescue Me and its dark comic delights; Louis C.K. plays (or really is, probably) a smart guy, not bitter exactly but certainly cynical and skeptical of the feel-good excesses of modern life. He's also no kid, so the aging process is up for grabs as material, something that will especially appeal to viewers in the same saggy state of affairs.

He plays Louie, a stand-up comedian and a divorced father of two little girls. Sounds typical, but Louis C.K. is anything but, and though we've heard that the first episode isn't as strong as subsequent segments, we think this show should be on your must-watch list. If you love New York you'll be extra-pleased, as the show is filmed on location in Louie C.K.'s favorite city.

Louie being helmed and starring Louis C.K., the language promises to be explicit and for adults-only, so don't be alarmed. The series is on FX, so expect the unexpected for basic cable. If Louie goes beyond where Rescue Me ventures, content-wise, that's a very profane place and I can't wait. Showtime's TrueBlood may have twisty-headed vicious vampire revenge sex (in this past Sunday's episode), but what I'm looking forward to is some salty and sardonic dialogue from one of the most entertaining and enlightening comic minds on the scene today. There's a bit of savagery in Louis C.K., but we like that. He's also a terrific actor and an appealing personality, and we're rooting for this series to cut through the more mundane stuff out there.

FX has a good website for Louie. A long visit there is highly recommended for behind-the scenes info and other content, including an informative, interactive and highly-detailed look at Louie's New York.

We're not the only folks who like Louis C.K.; for more positive words about the premiere of FX's Louie check out these sites: Salon.com had a good review by Heather Havrilesky, TV.com has a good selection of clips and info, The Wall Street Journal online also featured an interesting Q & A with him.

Congrats to Louis C.K. for the premiere of Louie tonight, and kudos to FX for bringing it to us!