History Series / Louie

Following the third season, the show went on an extended hiatus so CK could recharge his creative batteries, finally returning for its fourth season in May 2014.

---->''Do you want a doughnut?.''

''Louie'' is a semi-autobiographic comedy show written by, directed by and starring stand-up comedian Creator/LouisCK, shown on [[Creator/{{FX}} FX]] since 2010. [[MindScrew It's the type of show that begs the question of when a show stops being a sitcom, and starts being a series of unconnected absurdist short films centered around one character.]]

* TheCastShowoff: The season 3 episode "Dad" opens with a minute-long sequence of Ursula Parker, the little girl who plays Louie's younger daughter Jane, flawlessly playing the violin. Of course the music is cut off by Louie yanking the instrument out of her hands and yelling at her to go do her homework. That same episode, Parker shows off her fluency in Slovenian.

Somewhat similar to ''Series/CurbYourEnthusiasm'', ''Louie'' features no laugh track and most of the humor is derived from [[CringeComedy excruciatingly awkward or painful situations]]. For the first three seasons, there weren't really any season arcs beyond the occasional link or two, with the exception being the trilogy of "Late Show" episodes, and each half of most other episodes was fairly self-contained, Occasionally, the show would delve into [[WhamEpisode more serious topics]] (like [=S1E11=] "God") which are more about significant experiences in Louis C.K.'s life that made him who he is. The fourth season, however, was much more dramatic and featured a lengthy storyline starting with "Elevator, Part 1". [[WordOfGod C.K. has mentioned]] that the fifth season will return to having more humorous episodes.

* VisualPun: In "A La Carte," Louie has a PottyEmergency and at one point he runs past a public notice that says "No Dumping"

* ItsAllAboutMe: From the season 5 premiere, "Pot Luck," Marina, who hosted the titular potluck, is much more concerned about her surrogate child having a natural birth and is totally unconcerned about the wellbeing of the surrogate mother. After [[spoiler:the surrogate's water breaks]], Marina is furious with Louie... because her child was born in a different hospital and it may or may not [[Squick have been covered in Louie's jizz]].

** Dr. Bigelow in the fourth season, who loudly continues to eat once Louie comes into his office, and then ultimately doesn't help him, telling him to 'come see me when you have something fun, like a blood disease. Throughout the season, he gives condescending monologues whenever Louie comes to him for advice.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Darker compared to ''LiveActionTV/LuckyLouie'', which was more or less purely comedic. Edgier not so much, given that unlike C.K.'s previous show, there is no frontal nudity and "fuck" is bleeped out in all but one instance.

* CerebusSyndrome: The show was initially a comedy with drama sprinkled throughout, but the fourth season has very little genuine comedy that isn't one of Louie's stand-up routines. WordOfGod is that the fifth season will be a return to form.

** For the most part, every episode can stand on its own, but in "Blueberries", Louie has a rather disturbing sexual encounter with the mother of one of his daughters' classmates (to clarify, she asks him to spank her and breaks down hysterically on the bed). In "Duckling", Louie glimpses her coming out of the class as he's picking up his daughter and she gives him a dirty look. In "Ikea[=/=]Piano Lesson", she asks him to come to therapy with her to talk about the incident.

* CringeComedy: The entire show.

** The doctor played by Charles Grodin in the fourth season opener, who loudly continues to eat once Louie comes into his office, and then ultimately doesn't help him, telling him to 'come see me when you have something fun, like a blood disease.'

* MoodWhiplash: Often, but dear God, "New Year's Eve" (the Season 3 finale) takes the cake. [[spoiler:Louie, depressed at being alone on Christmas Eve in the aftermath of his failure to get the Late Show gig, earns a slight amount of elation when he spots Liz, his love interest from earlier in the season. They recognize each other on the bus and begin to hug, when - SECONDS LATER - blood starts pouring out of her nose. The scene cuts to the hospital, where we see doctors working on her. Liz realizes how serious things are and can only leave Louie with a somewhat confused "Goodbye?" before she faints... and [[KilledOffForReal dies.]] What... the... Hell.]]

** In the episode "Mom", Louie's mother is a callous, self-centered, and unloving black hole of a person, while in "God" she's kind and reasonable.

** Or ''Seinfeld'' if HBO picked it up instead of NBC and it was a dramedy instead of a sitcom.

* TearJerker: Robbie starts sobbing quietly after his mother abjectly refuses to say "I love you" to him and walks out of the restaurant they were in. [[invoked]]

* {{Tsundere}}: Pamela could qualify as this. She's abrasive, cynical, and jerky towards Louie. But she does care about him and enjoys having him as a friend, though Louie would like to be something more. [[spoiler: Too bad he blows it.]]

Somewhat similar to ''Series/CurbYourEnthusiasm'', ''Louie'' features no laugh track and most of the humor is derived from [[CringeComedy excruciatingly awkward or painful situations]]; however, it doesn't really carry season arcs beyond the occasional link or two, and each episode half can be seen on its own. Occasionally, the show delves into [[WhamEpisode more serious topics]] (like [=S1E11=] "God") which are more about significant experiences in Louis C.K.'s life that made him who he is.

* AbilityOverAppearance: Louie's ex-wife, Janet is played by African American Susan Kelechi Watson; Louis has even confirmed that he chose the actress not only because it humorously ignores how they have completely Caucasian children, but because he felt her being perfect for the role took priority. Confusing matters further, in a flashback in "Elevator Part 4", she's played by a white actress.
** Lampshaded in "Pamela Part 3" when the title character asks about the kids; Janet's mother is white. Pamela did not accept the explanation.

* AdultFear: A couple of thugs are following you? Scary. A couple of thugs catch up to you and start threatening your children? Terrifying.

* AerithAndBob: There is a student in one of Louie's girls' class named Never.

* TheCastShowoff: The season 3 episode "Dad" opens with a minute-long sequence of Ursula Parker, the little girl who plays Louie's younger daughter Jane, flawlessly playing the violin. Of course the music is cut off by Louie yanking the instrument out of her hands and yelling at her to go do her homework.
** That same episode, Ursula Parker shows off her fluency in Slovenian.

* ContinuityNod: For the most part, every episode can stand on its own, but in "Blueberries", Louie has a rather disturbing sexual encounter with the mother of one of his daughters' classmates (to clarify, she asks him to spank her and breaks down hysterically on the bed). In "Duckling", Louie glimpses her coming out of the class as he's picking up his daughter and she gives him a dirty look. In "Ikea[=/=]Piano Lesson", she asks him to come to therapy with her to talk about the incident.

** A feminist writing for Slate managed to write [[http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/07/06/louis_c_k_and_melissa_leo_take_on_sexual_reciprocity_on_louie_.html two]] [[http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2012/07/06/512082/date-rape-and-last-nights-louie/ entire]] posts without explicitly calling it "rape" or even clearly saying it was wrong, even when she directly compared the incident to male date rape. Apparently, it's just "coercion" to threaten to break someone's fingers if they don't give you head. Even feminist readers of the article took issue with her hypocrisy.

-->'''Therapist:''' Do think it might be because you're fat?\\

*** Similarly, the Season 4 three-part flashback episode "In the Woods" portrays her in an extremely sympathetic life, as we see her struggling to raise Louie as he's growing more distant and reliant on drugs.
** Louie's brother Robbie, played by comic Richard Kelly, has a recurring role in Season . In Season 2 Louie has two sisters with no further mention of Robbie.

** Louie goes from having a brother in season 1 to having two sisters in season 2. [[WordOfGod An interview]] would imply that they don't exist side-by-side and that it was a {{retcon}}.[[invoked]]

''Louie'' is a semi-autobiographic comedy show written by, directed by and starring stand-up comedian Creator/LouisCK, shown on Creator/{{FX}} since 2010. It's the [[MindScrew type]] of show that begs the question of when a show stops being a sitcom, and starts being a series of short films centered around one character.

''Louie'' is a semi-autobiographic comedy show written by, directed by and starring stand-up comedian Creator/LouisCK, shown on Creator/{{FX}} since 2010.

-->'''Newscaster 1:''' Ten people died in the Bronx last night due to a fire that killed ten people in the Bronx last night during a fire.

''Louie'' is a semi-autobiographic comedy show written by, directed by and starring stand-up comedian LouisCK, shown on Creator/{{FX}} since 2010.

Typically following Louie performing stand up (similarly to ''{{Seinfeld}}''), the episode also delves into a fiction version of his real life with his daughters, and is set to a mostly dry soundtrack (or silence) and no LaughTrack. Most episodes [[HalfwayPlotSwitch have two unrelated stories]], and some of the material is either somewhat surreal or similar to his Youtube material, but overall the show gives the impression of being [[TruthInTelevision fairly true to life.]]

Somewhat similar to ''CurbYourEnthusiasm'', ''Louie'' features no laugh track and most of the humor is derived from [[CringeComedy excruciatingly awkward or painful situations]]; however, it doesn't really carry season arcs beyond the occasional link or two, and each episode half can be seen on its own. Occasionally, the show delves into [[WhamEpisode more serious topics]] (like [=S1E11=] "God") which are more about significant experiences in Louis C.K.'s life that made him who he is.

''Louie'' is a semi-autobiographic comedy show written by, directed by and starring stand-up comedian LouisCK, shown on FX.