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So, Videogum Absolute Favorite, Louis C.K., has a new show on F/X, Louie, which premiered last night. And: it’s good. It is a good show. (Sidenote: Louis’s last show, Lucky Louie, was not a good show, as much as it pains me to say it. I watched the whole thing, and I told people it had “promise,” which is to say, I TRIED.) Two episodes aired back-to-back last night, but we will confine our discussion to the pilot/premiere because some of us, it could be any of us, really, only watched the first episode, and are saving the second episode for a DVR treat, and cannot be fired because we quit. So: the bus sketch was charming enough, and I laughed out loud at “you red-headed nobody piece of shit” (context is useful, but so watch the show!), and the date with Chelsea Peretti had some really great moments, especially the bathroom sequence and the old helicopter gag. This show has a lot of promise, and I really mean it this time!
But here is the thing: the best part of the show was Louis’s stand-up, which is what happens when you are The Best Stand-Up Comedian in America. These interstitial “tone pieces,” meant to set the stage for the sketches, were by far the funniest and most honest part of the whole thing. And watching these jokes (for the second time*) kind of made you, or at least made me, wish that the show was just a half hour of Louis telling jokes on stage. No offense to the sketches, which were some of the funnier, best written, and most interesting things I have seen on TV in awhile, but in side-by-side comparison, they lose every time. And so, please enjoy all of the stand-up bits from last night’s premiere episode of Louie:
The show may be uneven and take time to get it’s footing, but the show has this, and this is the best. So.
*FULL DISCLOSURE: Every stand-up clip from last night’s premiere was taped at the “free” live show that I attended last spring, which you can read about, if you want, for some reason, here.
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I attended the taping that’s used for the second show and I was shocked how small the crew was. This show is almost literally made by like eight people. Amazing. No spoiler here, but the poker game in the second episode shows that this series is going to be less about hitting regular yucks and more about mood and surprises. Awesome.
Stand-up comedy and sitcom comedy are two different ball games. It is unfortunate that some of my favorite comedians do not excel in their TV shows. (Sarah Silverman is one example, although that show certainly had its moments.) I’ll keep watching this for the stand-up. The sketches make me smile, sort of, but I find they are mostly just lifeless (and sort of depressing?).
I think it’s just hard to make Louis C.K. is 42 and Single not a bit depressing
also he totally has a picture of one of those black kids in his wallet
Depressing things can’t be funny?
Of course they can, but I’m still concerned a bit, just a little, don’t kill yourself Louie
The guy watches nothing serious amounts of Pasolini and Godard, so it’s not too shocking.
And apparently listens to the Black Eyed Peas in his Infiniti? Take another listen at 2:53. Boom Boom Pow, indeed.
I thought the stand up was depressing to. Maybe the relationship bit was just to close to home.
I was the person in the audience who did the math on the number of years Louis C.K. was married! You can almost hear my voice if you turn the volume up to the max and put your ear right up against the speaker. When he said, “That’s my wife,” he was talking about me! I would totally be his wife if I wasn’t already married. (I hope my husband isn’t reading this.)
Really? That’s so exciting! You’re famous now, in my heart.
Yay! I knew my math skills would come in handy some day.
Big pats on the back to you for providing that bit. When it played I said to myself, “Now if a man had answered that, NO BIT!” Or I guess they could have dubbed in a woman’s voice… But still, you are great for being there and saying that.
Thank you! The universe works in mysterious ways…
The second episode is much better than the first. Like, it’s pie–so good.
agree. that poker sequence was wondcomfortable (wonderfully uncomfortable?) and Nick DiPaolo is the worst. Like…not worth a bundle of sticks worst
The bathroom scene in the pizza joint was the funniest thing I’ve seen on TV in a while. Also, he is SO RIGHT about the milk.
The bathroom scene was the only disappointment to me, because I’ve seen the “guy pounding on the door then leaving” gag pulled somewhere else, and it ruined it for me. But the milk thing had me lolololing.
As soon as I saw the bathroom door I knew it was coming. The thing that bugged me is that they left their pizza just sitting on a table in the middle of NYC… like it was going to be there “untouched” when they got back. Am I crazy to think that was crazy?
There’s no place to watch this online? What is this, 2005?! I want everything and I want it NOW!!!
Verruca, sweetheart, you can watch it on Hulu as soon as the streaming rights are worked out.
No! I need it now!
(I actually don’t, but I kinda do.)
Okay, then:
http://isohunt.com/lite/#q=louie&p=1
It was great! Both episodes. The whole format of the show works really well too- episodes based on themes rather than plots. Also, did anyone else think the dating sketch felt similar to early Woody Allen stuff? Anyway- great great great great. (Fun to see all those comedians. Hannibal Buress!)
Great.
Woody Allen was exactly who I had in mind while watching that sequence. I hear from friends who’ve seen the first 4 episodes that the show keeps springing surprises constantly and is really new and different. Like instead of making a TV show, he’s making some pretty amazing short films and then splicing stand-up into them.
I like that he’s pulling back on the working-class schtick. I mean yes, he used to be broke, but it’s obvious now that the guy’s got money, we’re not gonna buy that he’s poor all the time. So buying the fleet of limos for the kids, and talking about the Infiniti, while still maintaining the same worldview must have been hard to keep funny without seeming obnoxious, but he pulls it off.
That said, I felt the first episode was leaps and bounds better than the second one, which was merely decent. I feel like if you saw that one before you saw the pilot, you would call it promising in the Lucky Louie promising. Maybe it’s just because I fucking hate Nick DiPaolo and Jim Norton with a goddamn fucking passion.
Agreed on DiPaolo and Norton, but the other bits in the episode (his brother and his feelings, Tammy), were solid gold in my opinion.
While I am also not really a fan of Jim Norton, and I believe Nick Dipaolo is horrible and (probably?) an asshole, I found that poker scene to be one of the most interesting things I’ve seen on tv in a long time. It was just this joking atmosphere that suddenly became kind of serious for a moment where you really felt sort of uncomfortable for Louis but also for yourself on the nonchalant use of the term ‘faggot’, and it did it all without feeling remotely like it was trying to push some kind of moral about it. It was very ‘real talk’ and I found that capital C(k) Cool.
I agree about the scene itself – I liked the totally out-of-left-field earnest direction that it took and how it went into an area that I never would have expected it to. And then of course it made me hate Nick Dipaolo even more for predictably diffusing it with the “faggot” comment at the end. You could see it coming from a mile away and just fuck that guy.
OMG are you guys THAT STUPID?? Louie WROTE the scene! Di Paolo said what was in the script!! I worked on the set and it was scripted!! Holy shit.
My friends and I had a small party to celebrate the premiere of “Louie.” We howled with laughter (obvs) through both episodes, but the mood afterward was, “Better enjoy this while it lasts.” Regarding that interview Gabe posted yesterday, I think Louis is right about compelling characters being more interesting and oftentimes funnier than television’s standard comedic characters, but I don’t know… It just felt like something was slightly off kilter. I honestly think he’s handicapping himself on production value again like he did with “Lucky.” Somebody give Louis C.K. some actual fucking money please so he’ll stop having to do everything himself in iMovie! I like the control he has of course, but just give the guy enough capital to hire some talented support.
Does anyone know if those were his real daughters? I kind of hope not…. I feel like I know way too much about them, and putting a face to the stories makes me feel kinda creepy.
I don’t think Louis has it in him to Apatow his kids like that.
Ewww Ewww Ewww I know! I was thinking that the whole time.
ugh……read the end credits. they kids are ACTORS who are following a SCRIPT as well.
I was 8-years old when Seinfeld ended, so I didn’t see it (as far as I can remember) when it was on. But I feel like this is very Seinfeldian in it’s premise. Great stand-up, then the episode based around the set. Also, stand-up bass to transition between scenes? I think that may have only been in the first episode, maybe as some sort of homage to seinfeld. Anyway, I liked it.
The monkey getting fingered face deserves mention. Funniest thing on TV this year IMO.
The other day I was in a fairly professional setting. Someone said “The person can’t be fingered, but the automobile can be fingered.” I tried so hard to hold back my laughter. Even if this quote was in context it wouldn’t make sense.
JG Ballard just jizzed in his grave.
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The milk carton bit was a lot funnier when he did it on Leno. He’s 100% right though. When I was in the 2nd grade I couldn’t open that shit either. I always ended up making the dirty hole in them so I relate.
It makes sense that it was funnier on Luois’ recent appearance on the Tonight Show if all the stand-uyp was recorded last spring.
He’s had a good year to perfect talking about that experience.
*Louis’
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Lucky Louie most definitely had it’s moments.
Anybody who goes to this site doesn’t deserve to find beauty online.
I wanted to love this show so much.I agree that the stand up is by far the best thing about this show.I cannot see how you can sustain something this bleak and in parts so implausible. The female character /presence again is a sour harridan.This was the core problem with Lucky Louie,There is this unfunny nihilism that seeps into things as soon as we turn away from his wonderful stand up..