Bad News, 'Louie' Fans: The Show Is Going on an "Indefinite Hiatus"

The FX sitcom won't return until Louis C.K. feels like it.

Image via FX Productions

Bad news Louie fans: FX has absolutely no idea when Louis C.K. will be back with a season six. Chances are, if you're a fan of Louie's episodic, form-breaking travails of a middle-aged bald comedian taking Ls, then you also enjoy the same thing in decidedly lighter fare on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. The two shows are often over-compared but now C.K. is taking a page from Larry David's book and playing with our emotions, via indefinite hiatus. After five seasons (particularly the most recent which saw the show successfully return to the basics after season four's heavy reliance on story-arcs) C.K. has earned himself enough clout with FX that he can, like Larry, return to making the show when he feels ready. Apparently he's been plotting on a hiatus since 2010.

FX president John Landgraf made the announcement today at the Television Critics Association's press tour: "Louis’ anxious to take a break and work on other things,” Landgraf said. “I think Curb is the right analogy. So, the truth is, I really don’t know [when the show will return]. He’s made 61 magnificent episodes of television, and we did an overall deal with him a couple of years ago and that has proven incredibly productive....He could decide to take as long as a six-month hiatus…he could decide to take a two-year hiatus and we could be where HBO is with Larry David, announcing periodically that subsequent seasons will air.”

FX's support is probably strengthened by the fact that Louis isn't departing completely. He's producing and directing Better Things, a Louie companion series of sorts coming to the network along with his collaborator Pamela Adlon. Adlon, who plays Pam on Louie and frequently co-writes episodes, will step up to the camera full-time to play a "working actor with no filter trying to earn a living, navigate her daughters’ lives, have fun with a friend or two, and also— just maybe—squeeze in some private time once in a while." So even if we don't get new Louie anytime, his brand of humor will remain prevalent through his and Adlon's show. Let's just hope C.K. doesn't go full Larry and take years between seasons, though.

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