louie

‘Better Things’ Sheds Some Light on Characters and Plot at TCA Panel

better things, louie, pamela adlon, tca

‘Better Things’ Sheds Some Light on Characters and Plot at TCA Panel

Notably, Pamela Adlon will be playing a single mom/working actress named Sam, which means she’s a completely different working single mom than the one on Louie just named Pamela.

From what we’ve seen so far, Better Things does look like a spiritual sequel to Louie and Adlon added that “I feel that everything is funny in my life and there is a lot of funny in the darkness…I don’t like anything that’s dark without heart.”

Louis C.K. Has Just Released a New Web Series “Horace and Pete” on His Website

January 30, 2016

horace and pete, louie, louis ck, steve buscemi

Well, this might make up for not knowing when the next season of Louie is coming around.

Big names seem to be into dropping their new projects with no promotion whatsoever. Louis C.K.’s latest ‘brand new thing’, as he e-mail sent this morning was labeled, had a link to a new web series Horace and Pete that follows C.K. and Steve Buscemi running a bar together.

According to Gothamist, Alan Alda, Kurt Metzger, Jessica Lange, Steven Wright, Nick DiPaolo, Rebecca Hall, Edie Falco, and Aidy Bryant all co-star in this first episode.

It’s $5 to buy just this first episode, but it is over an hour long and is essentially premiering on LouisCK.net. We’re guessing that you’ll cough that up, especially since it’s unsure when the next project, whether it be a show or stand-up special, with C.K. in it will come about (save for his role in The Secret Life of Pets).

Transparent, Veep, Key & Peele, Bill Murray, and More Get Nominations for 22nd SAG Awards

December 9, 2015

big bang theory, carol burnett, key & peele, kristen wiig, louie, louis c.k., modern family, orange is the new black, sag awards, screen actors guild, shameless, spoils before dying, transparent, veep

Most of these nominations are, by now, the usual awards season suspects.

The nominees for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, coming up on Jan. 30th, have just been announced. As far as comedy is concerned, the perennial favorites are around again: Veep, Modern Family, Louis C.K., Key & Peele, Transparent, The Big Bang Theory. Some inclusions of note among the field are Bill Murray for his special that was just released very recently, Kristen Wiig for The Spoils Before Dying, and Carol Burnett receiving a lifetime achievement award.

See the rest of the comedy nominees below and the full list here.

Unlike The Emmys thought, The SAG Awards have put Orange Is The New Black and Shameless into consideration in the comedy category and both garner nominations.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
BILL MURRAY “A VERY MURRAY CHRISTMAS” (Netflix)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
KRISTEN WIIG “THE SPOILS BEFORE DYING” (IFC)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
LOUIS C.K. / Louie – “LOUIE” (FX Networks)
WILLIAM H. MACY / Frank – “SHAMELESS” (Showtime)
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper – “THE BIG BANG THEORY” (CBS)
JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman – “TRANSPARENT” (Amazon)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren – “ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” (Netflix)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton – “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
ELLIE KEMPER / Kimmy Schmidt – “UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT” (Netflix)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / President Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)
AMY POEHLER / Leslie Knope – “PARKS AND RECREATION” (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
MAYIM BIALIK / Amy Farrah Fowler
KALEY CUOCO / Penny
JOHNNY GALECKI / Leonard Hofstadter
SIMON HELBERG / Howard Wolowitz
KUNAL NAYYAR / Rajesh Koothrappali
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper
MELISSA RAUCH / Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz

KEY & PEELE (Comedy Central)
KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY / Various Characters
JORDAN PEELE / Various Characters

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy
AUBREY ANDERSON EMMONS / Lily Tucker-Pritchett
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell Pritchett
NOLAN GOULD / Luke Dunphy
SARAH HYLAND / Haley Dunphy
ED O’NEILL / Jay Pritchett
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
ARIEL WINTER / Alex Dunphy

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)
UZO ADUBA / Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren
MIKE BIRBIGLIA / Danny Pearson
MARSHA STEPHANIE BLAKE / Berdie Rogers
DANIELLE BROOKS / Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson
LAVERNE COX / Sophia Burset
JACKIE CRUZ / Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales
CATHERINE CURTIN / Wanda Bell
LEA DELARIA / Carrie “Big Boo” Black
BETH FOWLER / Sister Jane Ingalls
JOEL MARSH GARLAND / Scott O’Neill
KIMIKO GLENN / Brook Soso
ANNIE GOLDEN / Norma Romano
DIANE GUERRERO / Maritza Ramos
MICHAEL J. HARNEY / Sam Healy
VICKY JEUDY / Janae Watson
SELENIS LEYVA / Gloria Mendoza
TARYN MANNING / Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett
ADRIENNE C. MOORE / Black Cindy
KATE MULGREW / Galina “Red” Reznikov
EMMA MYLES / Leanne Taylor
MATT PETERS / Joel Luschek
LORI PETTY / Lolly Whitehill
JESSICA PIMENTEL / Maria Ruiz
DASCHA POLANCO / Dayanara Diaz
LAURA PREPON / Alex Vause
ELIZABETH RODRIGUEZ / Aleida Diaz
RUBY ROSE / Stella Carlin
NICK SANDOW / Joe Caputo
ABIGAIL SAVAGE / Gina
TAYLOR SCHILLING / Piper Chapman
CONSTANCE SHULMAN / Yoga Jones
DALE SOULES / Frieda
YAEL STONE / Lorna Morello
SAMIRA WILEY / Poussey Washington

TRANSPARENT (Amazon)
ALEXANDRA BILLINGS / Davina Rejennae
CARRIE BROWNSTEIN / Syd Feldman
JAY DUPLASS / Josh Pfefferman
KATHRYN HAHN / Raquel Fein
GABY HOFFMANN / Ali Pfefferman
CHERRY JONES / Leslie Mackinaw
AMY LANDECKER / Sarah Pfefferman
JUDITH LIGHT / Shelly Pfefferman
HARI NEF / Gittel/Gerson
EMILY ROBINSON / Rose Boymelgreen
JEFFREY TAMBOR / Maura Pfefferman

VEEP (HBO)
DIEDRICH BADER / Bill Ericsson
SUFE BRADSHAW / Sue Wilson
ANNA CHLUMSKY / Amy Brookheimer
GARY COLE / Kent Davidson
KEVIN DUNN / Ben Cafferty
TONY HALE / Gary Walsh
HUGH LAURIE / Tom James
PHIL REEVES / Doyle
SAM RICHARDSON / Richard
REID SCOTT / Dan Egan
TIMOTHY SIMONS / Jonah Ryan
SARAH SUTHERLAND / Catherine
MATT WALSH / Mike McLintock

52nd Annual SAG Life Achievement Award
CAROL BURNETT

Steven Wright Talks Shop, Specifically Consulting on “Louie” with Seth Meyers

October 30, 2015

louie, louis ck, seth meyers, steven wright

With Craig Ferguson no longer behind a late night talk show desk, Steven Wright won’t get to out-weird Craig while doing something like reading e-mails like he used to do all the time.

However, Wright is still willing to chat, perhaps in a less bit-based conversation, on late night and did so with Seth Meyers this week.

Watch Steven get into his comedic process as well as explaining what he exactly does on Louie with Louis C.K.

“Louie” Is Going to Take Another Hiatus

fx, louie, louis ck

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Consider he has two other shows he’s producing, continuing to do stand-up, and probably more projects that are unannounced, it’s surprising that he doesn’t take breaks from his shows more often.

Announced at FX’s day at the TCA press tour, Louis C.K. will be taking more time off from his award winning series Louie.

As to if and when a sixth season will happen, there are no details. However, C.K. will have plenty of other stuff coming out to make up for it.

Comedy Central, “Veep”, “Silicon Valley”, Louis C.K., and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” Come Up Big in 2015 Primetime Emmy Nominations

comedy central, louie, louis ck, netflix, silicon valley, snl, unbreakable kimmy schmidt, veep

Comedy Central received 26 Primetime Emmy nominations as a network, 9 went to Louis C.K. for his show Louie/hosting SNL/his own stand-up special and Veep, and 7 went to both Silicon Valley and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Actually, Veep, SNL, Inside Amy Schumer, Silicon Valley, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Key & Peele, The Late Show with David Letterman, Louie, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Simpsons, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Last Man on Earth, and Last Week Tonight got more than four nominations each.

As far as networks go, Comedy Central racked its 25 Emmys between it plethora of acclaimed series including Inside Amy Schumer, Key & Peele, The Daily Show, @midnight with Chris Hardwick, South Park, Drunk History and The Colbert Report.

Cartoon Network got 4 nominations, Adult Swim received 3, and Funny or Die, IFC, and LouisCK.net all received 2.

Here are the individual nominees in the major categories:

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
black-ish-Anthony Anderson
Episodes-Matt LeBlanc
House Of Lies-Don Cheadle
The Last Man On Earth-Will Forte
Louie-Louis C.K.
Shameless-William H. Macy
Transparent-Jeffrey Tambor

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
The Comeback-Lisa Kudrow
Grace And Frankie-Lily Tomlin
Inside Amy Schumer-Amy Schumer
Nurse Jackie-Edie Falco
Parks And Recreation-Amy Poehler
Veep-Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Late Show With David Letterman
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Outstanding Comedy Series
Louie
Modern Family
Parks And Recreation
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
Drunk History
Inside Amy Schumer
Key & Peele
Portlandia
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Brooklyn Nine-Nine-Andre Braugher
Girls-Adam Driver
Key & Peele-Keegan-Michael Key
Modern Family-Ty Burrell
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-Tituss Burgess
Veep-Tony Hale

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory-Mayim Bialik
Getting On-Niecy Nash
Modern Family-Julie Bowen
Mom-Allison Janney
Saturday Night Live-Kate McKinnon
Transparent-Gaby Hoffmann
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-Jane Krakowski
Veep-Anna Chlumsky

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
The Comedians-Mel Brooks
Inside Amy Schumer-Paul Giamatti
Saturday Night Live-Bill Hader
Saturday Night Live-Louis C.K.
Transparent-Bradley Whitford
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-Jon Hamm

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory-Christine Baranski
Girls-Gaby Hoffmann
Louie-Pamela Adlon
Modern Family-Elizabeth Banks
Shameless-Joan Cusack
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt-Tina Fey

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Episodes
The Last Man On Earth
Louie
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
The Last Man On Earth
Louie
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep

Outstanding Variety Special
Bill Maher: Live From D.C.
The Kennedy Center Honors
Louis C.K.: Live At The Comedy Store
Mel Brooks Live At The Geffen
The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special

Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Inside Amy Schumer
Key & Peele
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Outstanding Writing For A Variety Special
The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards
Key & Peele Super Bowl Special
Louis C.K.: Live At The Comedy Store
Mel Brooks Live At The Geffen
The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special

Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Inside Amy Schumer
Late Show With David Letterman
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program
Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis
Billy On The Street
Childrens Hospital
Key & Peele Presents Van And Mike: The Ascension

Outstanding Interactive Program
@midnight With Chris Hardwick
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Saturday Night Live: SNL40
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Outstanding Animated Program
Archer
Bob’s Burgers
Over The Garden Wall
The Simpsons
South Park

Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program
Adventure Time
Disney Mickey Mouse
Regular Show
Robot Chicken
Steven Universe
Wander Over Yonder

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance
Bob’s Burgers-John Roberts
Family Guy-Seth MacFarlane
Robot Chicken-Seth Green
The Simpsons-Dan Castellaneta
The Simpsons-Tress MacNeille
The Simpsons-Hank Azaria

Take a good long look at all of this note how this is a transitional period for comedy as the likes of Parks and Recreation, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and The Late Show with David Letterman have come to a close while Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Last Man on Earth signal the arrival of newcomers.

Get the full list of 2015 Primetime Emmy Nominees here.

“Louie” Can’t Find a Place to Poop

fx, louie, louis c.k.

Here’s a pretty good example of how a stand-up bit can inspire, rather than be transposed into a sitcom scene.

Louis C.K. has had a bit or two about getting older and having to poop and on last night’s episode of Louie there was a whole scene delving right into that topic.

Unlike many comedian based sitcoms that often take stand-up bits and put it right into a scene almost word-for-word, this need to poop while escorting his daughters around gets embellished with more details and nuance as a scene.

The result, as you might expect with Louie, is pretty great.

“Louie” Goes to Some Kind of Potluck

fx, louie, louis c.k., potluck

Beware the dangers of potlucks?

Louie returned for its fifth season last night on FX and is back in full form of a hilarity that defies strict definition or limits.

Just watch C.K. going to a potluck to see what we mean.

“The Comedians” and Season 5 of “Louie” Premiere Tonight

fx, louie, premiere, the comedians

From 10PM to 11PM, stay in and watch or set your DVR.

The series premiere of The Comedians starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad airs tonight at 10PM and the fifth season of Louie premieres right after at 10:30PM.

So, The Comedians will be leading in Louie, which is only slightly intriguing since, but most of you, we’re guessing will be probably watching both later.

Louis C.K. Nixing Jimmy Fallon’s Chances on “The Dana Carvey Show”, Performing Next to De Blasio With Poop In His Pants, and Coming Up in NYC Comedy

bill de blasio, dana carvey show, louie, louis ck, nyc, stand up, tonight show

Louie is back Thurs. night, which brings another added treat of C.K. doing great rounds at late night and a bunch of fascinating, unfiltered interviews.

On The Tonight Show, Louis C.K. went one unbelievable story right after the other of being the head writer on the short lived Dana Carvey Show and making sure Jimmy Fallon, who apparently is hearing the story for the first time live on TV, didn’t get on the show, then detailing how had to go on stage with poop in his pants at a black tie event, stand alongside Mayor Bill De Blasio.

C.K. also reminisced about the harder, struggle-ridden days of doing stand-up in New York City both on The Tonight Show and in an in-depth interview with The Hollywood Reporter and how appreciative of it he is now.

Also, we’re pretty sure you can see a picture from Louis’ story about standing next to De Blasio with poop in his pants in the THR interview.

Here’s The First Two Clips of Season 5 of “Louie”

louie, louis ck, preview, season 5

Remember, you only have to wait just a week before new episodes.

One of the most acclaimed comedies in recent memory, Louis C,K.’s Louie, returns to FX next week on Thurs. Apr. 9th at 10:30PM.

Until then, you can visually chew on these two clips which echo the earlier seasons of Louie.

“Louie” Season 4 Now Streaming on FXNOW

fx, fxnow, louie

Anyone have a FXNOW password?

Season 5 of Louie premieres next week on Apr. 9th, but, if you have FX/FXNOW, you can stream and binge watch season 4 and catch up now.

For all the cord cutters out there, you might have to bug your family and friends one more time for another login.

These “Louie” Promos Mean That a New Season of “Louie” Is Less Than a Month Away

fx, louie, louis ck, promos, season 5

The fifth season of Louie premieres Thurs. Apr. 9th on FX. That’s less than a month away and even less now than when you started this sentence.

If you don’t believe us for some reason, you can watch these postcard-ish new promos for the new season just to be sure.

After that, feel free to sing Brother Louie out in public until premiere night.

“Grand Budapest Hotel”, “Louie”, “Last Week Tonight”, “High Maintenance” More Win at WGA Awards

February 15, 2015

awards, golden globes, grand budapest hotel, high maintenance, how i met your mother, last week tonight, louie, louis ck, simpsons, wga

The 2015 WGA Awards were handed out last night and the field of winners seems to be raising the least amount of snub talk this awards season. This might have something to do with critical powerhouses like Grand Budapest Hotel and Louie won as well as well-received upstarts like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and High Maintenance on Vimeo winning statues.

Here’s all the comedy winners for this year’s WGA Awards:

–The Grand Budapest Hotel, Screenplay by Wes Anderson; Story by Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness-Original Screenplay
–Louie, Written by Pamela Adlon, Louis C.K.-Comedy Series, Episodic Comedy
–High Maintenance, Written by Katja Blichfeld & Ben Sinclair-Short Form New Media
–The Simpsons, “Brick Like Me”, Written by Brian Kelley-Animated
–Last Week Tonight, Writers: Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner-Comedy/Variety (Including Talk)-Series
–71st Annual Golden Globes Awards, Written by Barry Adelman; Special Material by Alex Baze, Dave Boone, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Jon Macks, Sam Means, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Mike Shoemaker-Comedy/Variety-Music, Awards, Tributes-Specials
–How I Met Your Mother, Written by Dan Greenberger-On-Air Promotion (TV, New Media, or Radio)

See the full list of winners here.

FX Will Premiere “The Comedians” and Season 5 of “Louie” on Apr. 9th

January 19, 2015

billy crystal, fx, jimmy kimmel, josh gad, louie, louis ck, mel brooks, rob reiner, the comedians

This spring, FX will see a whole hour block of series focused on the lives of comedians.

The series premiere of The Comedians with Josh Gad and Billy Crystal playing two comedians bridging generational gaps in comedy and the premiere of the fifth season of Louie will kick off Apr. 9th at 10PM.

Note that, Louie will only have 8 episodes for this latest season, which seems like the season order of a freshman show. However, The Comedians will have Mel Brooks, Jimmy Kimmel, and Rob Reiner as guest stars in their first season (via Variety).

This still makes us curious how comedies are split between FX and FXx.

FX Getting a Louis C.K. Special and a Pamela Adlon Pilot

January 18, 2015

better things, comedy pilot, fx, louie, louis c.k., pamela adlon

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

With FX’s very successful partnership with Louis C.K., it only makes sense that they’re continuing to double down on projects with him.

Already, they’ve ordered “Baskets” to series that has Zach Galifianakis going to pursue his dreams of being a clown.

Now, they’re going to get to show his latest stand-up special and have him also direct a comedy pilot starring Pamela Adlon. The pilot “Better Things” sounds like it will pair quite well with Louie since it follows a single mother/actress dealing with three daughters and, maybe, sex and also has Adlon who plays one of the few actually recurring characters on Louie.

We will be looking forward to all of this.

Birdman, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Veep, More Get Nominated for SAG Awards

December 11, 2014

birdman, louie, modern family, nominees, sag awards, screen actors guild, veep

We’re in the thick of awards seasons and more and more nominations get announced every day. The nominees for The Screen Actors Guild Awards were revealed this week and we’re happy to hear that Birdman is getting its due with getting in four categories as well as the presence of perennial favorites Louie, Veep, and Modern Family.

Here are the rest of the comedy nominees for this year’s SAG Awards:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Michael Keaton-Birdman

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Edward Norton-Birdman

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Emma Stone-Birdman
Naomi Watts-St. Vincent

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell-Modern Family
Louis C.K.-Louie
William H. Macy-Shameless
Jim Parsons-The Big Bang Theory
Eric Stonesteer-Modern Family

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba-Orange Is The New Black
Julie Bowen-Modern Family
Edie Falco-Veep
Julia Louis-Dreyfus-Veep
Amy Poehler-Parks and Recreation

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Modern Family
Orange Is The New Black
Veep

Here is the list for the full nominees. The SAG Awards will be televised live on Sun. Jan. 25th on TNT/TBS.

2015 Writers Guild Awards Announce TV Nominations

December 5, 2014

colbert report, daily show, john oliver, jon stewart, last week tonight, louie, the-simpsons, transparent, wga, writers guild award

The 2015 Writers Guild Awards, which will be hosted by The Nightly Show’s Larry Wilmore, just announced their TV and radio nominations. Out of the gate, Transparent and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver got nominated in their first seasons while perennial nominees The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Louie, Veep, and The Colbert Report also got nominated.

Take note how cable and online shows are dominating the field at the WGA as all the comedy nominees include:
Bill Maher: Live From D.C.
Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles
The Colbert Report
SNL
Real Time with Bill Maher
Inside Amy Schumer
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Transparent
Louie
Modern Family
Orange Is The New Black
New Girl
The Simpsons
Bob’s Burgers
Silicon Valley
Veep

See the full list of nominees here.

What Has Happened to Comedy on Broadcast Networks? (Hint: Lots of Canceling)

It would be a little premature to say that there’s writing on the wall, but comedy definitely seems like it is playing second fiddle (or almost no fiddle at all) to hour long dramas at NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox. Comedy is currently flourishing on cable and online and, perhaps, that is where episodic comedy, wholly, is headed.

This TV season alone, freshman comedies Selfie, A to Z, Manhattan Love Story, and Bad Judge have been canceled along with relative new comers The Millers.

Community, Arrested Development, and now The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which had a series order from NBC but didn’t even make it to air, have moved from TV networks to online streaming services.

Just yesterday, it was announced ABC also scrapped a sitcom they had already ordered to series, Members Only starring John Stamos.

Bloggers and John Mulaney alike keep talking about whether Mulaney will last on Fox. On top of all of that, there are rumors that NBC has halted production on Last Comic Standing after it already had brought it back from the dead.

We’re not saying broadcast networks have drawn a hard line on in the sand (yet) prohibiting comedy from their airwaves. Cristela, black-ish, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine have found success just starting out and the networks have a few comedy mainstays like Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, and Two and Half Men. New Girl and The Mindy Project have also seemed to fared well in their tenure at Fox. Also, cable networks TBS and TNT have recently canceled Sullivan & Son and Franklin & Bash, respectively.

Still, this last couple of years have seen an unprecedented shift of the comedy genre as an aggregate on TV from going live on air to every household with a TV on a weeknight to niche cable networks and various online entities ranging anywhere from Netflix to YouTube to Amazon. Key & Peele, Louie, Portlandia, Veep, Transparent, and Children’s Hospital are all just a few perfect examples of this new paradigm.

The future for comedy on TV and the behemoths of television does have yet to be decided. The highly anticipated Last Man on Earth from Chris Miller and Phil Lord starring Will Forte is premiering next year. Networks, like CBS, are starting to get on board with their own streaming service.

What is clear in the current TV landscape, above all, is that the Internet isn’t going away and, because of that, viewers can watch whatever they want whenever they want to watch it. Thus, people will watch their favorite Key & Peele sketch as many as times as they can stand, binge watch The Simpsons via The Simpsons World app/site, consume as much media that exists online of their favorite comedians (i.e. web series, podcasts, stand-up clips, etc.), and do so at any time of any day in any place versus Thursdays at 8 at home,

In such an environment, it’s much harder than it used to be to launch a broad franchise sitcom that lasts 10 seasons and lives on in syndication, which has been the network TV model for comedy for decades. So, for now, as NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt poignantly remarked during Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s move to Netflix, “…we have a very drama-heavy midseason schedule.”

Modern Family, Louie, Veep, and Colbert Win Again at The Emmys

August 26, 2014

colbert report, louie, louis ck, modern family, primetime emmys, sarah silverman, veep, winners

It’s become routine to expect that Modern Family, ABC’s powerhouse sitcom, FX’s groundbreaking Louie, the brilliant Veep, and the supremely well-crafted Colbert Report win during awards season. Last night, at The Emmys they didn’t break with those expectations at all unlike a lot of the new winners at this year’s Creative Arts Emmys.

Here’s what they and more won at The Primetime Emmys.

Modern Family-Outstanding Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep-Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy
Ty Burrell in Modern Family-Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Jimmy Fallon hosting SNL-Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Louis C.K. for Louie-Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Gail Mancuso for Modern Family-Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
The Colbert Report-Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Variety Series
Don Roy King for Saturday Night Live-Outstanding Directing for Variety Series
Sarah Silverman for We Are Miracles-Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

Read the complete list of Primetime Emmy winners here.

FX Renews Louie for a 7 Episode Fifth Season

fx, louie, louis ck, renewed

The fifth season of Louie has officially been ordered and we won’t have to wait over a year for the season premiere. Next spring, Louis C.K. will have his next batch of episodes rolled out.

However, there will be only 7 episodes for this fifth season, which makes us wonder if they all will just be a half hour long (i.e. maybe they’ll be longer?).

“Married” and “You’re The Worst” Premieres Tonight on FX

fx, judy greer, louie, married, nat faxon, you're the worst

FX latest comedy series, Married, makes its series premiere tonight at 10PM. Nat Faxon and Judy Greer star as a married couple that really test the worst part of the wedding vow “for better or for worst”.

What might be interesting to note is that along with You’re The Worst from Stephen Falk (also premiering tonight), which shows an unlikely couple at the start of a relationship and Louie, FX has lined up an entire timeline of how dysfunctional relationships work.

The Primetime Emmys Announced Their 2014 Nominees

The Primetime Emmys Announced Their 2014 Nominees

Among the comedy nominees were:

Louie, Silicon Valley, Veep, Modern Family, Orange Is The New Black, Spoils of Babylon, Derek, Episodes, Girls, Parks and Recreation, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, SNL, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Key & Peele, Portlandia, Sarah Silverman, Billy Crystal, Inside Amy Schumer, Between Two Ferns, Children’s Hospital, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, “@midnight”, Archer, Futurama, Bob’s Burgers, South Park, Adventure Time, Phineas & Ferb, Robot Chicken, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Community, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

While not all of these shows got Outstanding Comedy Series, it’s great to see Silicon Valley get nominations in its first season (one of them being Outstanding Comedy Series), Key & Peele get the respect it deserves, and have things like Between Two Ferns also get nominated for an Emmy.

You Do Know That Louie Is Playing on FX and Not FXx, Right?

fx, fxx, louie, nerdist, think piece

You Do Know That Louie Is Playing on FX and Not FXx, Right?

Since Louie’s long hiatus, FX has expanded to feature FXx, which is supposed to be a comedy channel. However, when Louie returned, it didn’t air on FXx like one might think.

It has mysteriously stayed on FX in its 4th season, despite it being a sitcom. “We” explore what forces might be at work here in a piece we wrote at Nerdist.

Watch Louis C.K. Suspect The Worst That Could Happen on Tonight Show and Louie

fx, jimmy fallon, louie, louis ck, parenting, tonight show

Last night, Louis C.K. was on both The Tonight Show and his own show Louie. In both appearances, C.K. detailed his suspicion, given a certain situation, the worst circumstances despite the outcome.

One case was Fallon mysterious disappearing and the other was what happens with one’s kids when taking the NYC subway.