Louie

Louis CK is one of the funniest men on the planet. He's my favorite comedian who's currently still performing, which makes him pretty high up on my list of favorites of all time. He's just a funny, funny guy. He's an excellent performer, a great writer, and already a veteran of more than a few TV shows, some successful, some not so much. And now he has another show... and it's ok.

All of his staring vehicles so far have pretty much been named Louis, Louie, or some other variation on his name, and been based heavily upon his stand up act. And this is all well and good, because Louis CK is a likable guy and his stand up material is brilliant. But as a sitcom, not so much. This just isn't the right vehicle for him. It isn't that he's a bad actor or that the scripts are bad, just that... well... I dunno. It's just not that funny. It's funny enough to watch if it's on, but I can't recommend anybody seek it out, not even for Louis CK fans.

The format is kind of like early Seinfeld, in that stand up bits are inter-cut with more sitcomy scenes. The problem is, the stand up scenes are so strong and so funny, it's always a let down to skip back to the more mediocre sitcom scenes. The show is almost slap stick, with long stretches that feel like a silent movie almost. I think slap stick is great, and I'd certainly love to see more of that kind of thing on TV, but that's hardly Louis's strong suit. Still, we're only two episodes in so it can only get better. I'll stick with it because I like Louis.