LOUIE is one of the funniest shows on TV, possibly of all time. It is quirky, unique, and completely hilarious. Louis CK is a brilliant comic and a pretty damn good director as well. CK writes, directs, and edits every episode of LOUIE himself. The show has veered from a verite style to surreal, sometimes in the same episode. He has featured phenomenal guest stars including Robin Williams, Parker Posey, Melissa Leo, Chloe Sevigny, Garry Marshall, and even David Lynch.
After three great seasons, CK is taking a full year off from LOUIE to avoid creative burn-out. CK told The Hollywood Reporter “I want season four to go somewhere new … I’m looking back to when I did the first season and the time I took to do the show and decide which directions to go in and I want that back again. I want a little breathing room.” He is going to take that year and complete a stand-up tour before beginning to write the new episodes in 2013 for filming and broadcast in May 2014.
FX President John Landgraf had this to say about the hiatus: “Louie has continued to raise the bar and recharge his batteries. I don’t think there’s anyone else in business who’s produced, starred, directed and edited all but seven episodes … I’m not surprised he needs a bit of a break.”
If you haven’t seen LOUIE, you are missing out. I defy you to not laugh your ass off at least a dozen times each episode. Some even take a serious turn, like his episode surrounding a USO trip to the Middle East. I hope this break will refresh Louis CK and bring back another spectacular batch of episodes, even if we have to wait over a year.