Lucky Louie

Pamela Adlon once said that this show had to lower the volume of the live audience's laughter because it was disrupting the production. That's unprecedented, but it's easy to understand why. I haven't laughed out loud to a TV show in a while, much less to the degree I did with Lucky Louie. This show has some of Louis' absolute best material. Its only flaws are the casting and writing for some of the minor roles. If you aren't convinced after the first scene of the series you'll probably hate it.

Um... I can see why it didn't catch on. Oops, I just criticized Louis CK on the internet, please help- *bag pulled over head and dragged off by Internet Comedy Hipster Secret Police*

loved the shitty apartment

I'm a huge fan of Louis CK and most of what he's done, but not of this show. It's somewhat typical sit-com affair, and it's sit-com-esque jokes and gags vary in how well they land. But the show is also infatuated with being risque, with tons of swearing and a bit of full frontal nudity, which comes across far more annoying and unimpressive than enjoyable. Its stressful portrayal of marriage is pretty effective, but more for a domestic drama than a sit-com.

I really enjoyed its mundane, working class setting and a repetitive cyclical life it depicts. It is funny in a way that lets the social and material conditions sneak into its universe and influence the events/characters. Also, probably one of the most moving, strangely sentimental theme musics ever.

Louis C.K. is an excellent stand-up comedian, and seeing him in a sitcom setting has its pros and cons. The characters are a lot of fun, and the way his humour blends with the everyday-life incidents that make up the plot results in some great comedic moments. The best episodes are the ones where his politically incorrect comedy is paired with realistic characterization, unlike the one and only season’s second half, which unfortunately veers a little too much towards harmless sitcom territory.

Not bad. But if you don't like the normal sitcom setup, don't use it ironically. Find a way to display your material that will serve it well. To quote Hank Hill's words on Christian rock, "You're not making Christianity better, you're just making rock n' roll worse."

Today it's easier to see what CK was trying to do with this series, but it wasn't so clear at the time: wrapping the aesthetics of a golden-age sitcom around content that would be more at home in his standup act. I like the roughness, and it's really quite funny as sitcoms go but I think for most viewers it just fell into the uncanny valley.

Rough around the edges, and a little by-the-book-sitcom, I still liked this better than C.K's later series "Louis" which is a little too bleak for my funny-bone.