LOUIE: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
(not rated)
MOVIE: *** (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
Last year, I enjoyed watching the first season of Louis CK’s new FX series “Louie.” The guy has been through the wringer in many ways, including his stage act, his marriage, his television shows and his life in general. Like any comedian, his life is most enjoyable to watch in a sarcastic and sardonic way.
My biggest problem with the first season was how dark the show got at times. I don’t mind dark humor, but sometimes Louis CK loses the humor and just goes dark for dark’s sake. That nature is toned down a bit in this series, but it’s still there. However, when it does happen, it only does so for a small bit. Other than that, the humor is still here, even if it’s understated a bit.
This season has some bitingly funny episodes, tackling some more great topics from the comedian. There’s more depressing relationship drama with his friend Pamela, who also serves as a writer on the show. The highlights of the season (outside of the insanely politically incorrect moment with his great aunt), however, come from select cameos from people like Joan Rivers and Bob Saget. Even Dane Cook, who was the center of a comedy controversy a few years back with Louis CK, comes on the show to set the record straight.
Now that the series is a big enough hit for FX, and Louis CK has made some noise by direct-distributing his comedy to his fans, he’s been given a longer leash. That makes things work best for the comedy. It gets more daring and pushes the envelope, which has always been what Louis CK has been about.
The second season DVD includes commentary on select episodes as well as the featurette “Fox Movie Channel presents World Premiere: Louie Season 2.”