Louie may be dead, but that hasn't stopped resident realist Louis C.K. from vicariously delivering his unique brand of post-Pootie Tang existentialism. Following the critical acclaim of the Zach Galifianakis-starring Baskets and the self-released Horace and Pete, Louis C.K. is back as producer of Better Things. The FX series stars Louie's Pamela Adlon, who co-created the comedy with C.K., as a working actor and mother who's trying to carve out a name for herself in the relentless city of Los Angeles.
Adlon and C.K. go way back, even as far back as the supremely misunderstood Lucky Louie. That series, which walked the line between sincere multi-cam comedy and parody of the genre, eventually led to Adlon's casting as C.K.'s on-again, off-again love interest on Louie.
Though talking about the continued dopeness of this Louis C.K. and FX partnership is awesome, Better Things has something far more important going for it. According toDeadline, the semi-autobiographical tale marks the first comedy series in the network’s history with a woman as its lead. It's, um, obviously about time!
"Pamela is one of the sharpest and most endearing actresses working in television today, and we are thrilled she has joined forces with Louis to create a series that is raw, personal and incredibly funny," Eric Schrier, president of original programming at FX Networks, said when announcing the series last August. Celia Imrie, Olivia Edward, Hannah Alligood, and Mikey Madison also star.
Better Things gives FX another apparent victory starting with its Sept. 8 premiere. Do yourself a solid and watch it.