We think of him as a funny, sharply observed comedian, but Louie C.K. is a renaissance man. When his show “Louie” started on FX, it quickly became critically acclaimed and one of the best shows on television (so good that he even convinced David Lynch to make an appearance). But people forget how much effort it took and how much it took out of the creator. Louie C.K. wasn’t just the star, he wrote, directed, produced and edited the show all by himself.
Beyond that, he seemed to tire of the character and there were some big breaks between the show’s five seasons (“Louie” last aired in 2015). Since then he’s been helping comedian friends get their shows on the air, aiding Pamela Adlon’s “Better Things,” Zach Galifianakis’ “Baskets” and Tig Notaro‘s “One Mississippi.”
Let’s not forget that C.K. also pulled a Radiohead, dropping his surprise secret show “Horace & Pete” out of nowhere (no one knew it existed until it was live). He wrote, directed, produced, edited, financed and distributed that one. In short, Louie C.K. has been busy, and as much as FX wants more of the show, it sounds like we may never see “Louie” again.
“I think he’s changed a lot since he made the last season of ‘Louie,’ ” FX CEO John Landgraf told reporters at the TCA Press Tour yesterday (via Esquire). “If it ever comes back, it will be a really different show because he’s a different guy.”
“Louie” was always semi-autobiographical and based on many of the comedian’s struggles both personal and professional, but with his enormous success, it seems as if Louie C.K. feels as though he has moved on from that character. “I think for [CK], it was starting to feel a little faux, a little false,” Landgraf explained. There came a point where he had to choose either to “take the Louie on the show through the path of success that he’s gone through, or stop making it.”
Later in the day during a panel for “Better Things,” Louie C.K. basically said as much. There won’t be more “Louie” unless it comes back in another form, but even then, it’s not something he’s mulling over.
“I don’t think I’d do that version again,” he said. “I haven’t been that guy for a while, in the stained black T-shirt with the young kids… I always thought that if I did ‘Louie’ again I might circle back to a different version. No idea if that will happen, I don’t think about it much.”
It’s a bummer for fans, but not exactly a huge surprise given his previous statements echoing much of the same sentiment. What will Louie C.K. do next? In terms of his own series, that’s unknown. Perhaps until then he’ll continue to act as a consigliere for comedians trying to get new shows off the ground.