Apparently today is the day we learn that we have to wait a while for our favorite comedies to come back. We woke up to the news that Community has been indefinitely delayed, and now comes word that Louis C.K. will not start shooting the next season of Louie until September 2013, with Season 4 of his acclaimed show arriving in the spring of 2014.
The Community postponement will presumably be shorter, but the Louie delay is actually better news. And the reason for that has to do, of course, with why each of the shows is being delayed. NBC is holding back its beloved sitcom, which it has already meddled with extensively, for marketing reasons. Whereas C.K. is holding off on Season 4 of Louie so he can make it better.
“The last three seasons have been this surge of fun and work and stories and it’s been great,” he said in a conference call with reporters, “but I want the show to keep getting better.” ”I don’t want it to be making the donuts,” he added. “I want it to be something that comes from somewhere important and stays funny.”
Louie has, in fact, gotten better—and more ambitious—each season. Season 3 featured multiple episode arcs with guest stars like Parker Posey and David Lynch, and ended with an incredible fantasia on the theme of family set partly in Beijing (and shot on location). “I want season four to go somewhere new, even if it’s only a slight shift,” C.K. said today. We couldn’t agree more. So even though waiting until 2014 will suck, we’re happy to do so if it means the show will continue not to.
In the meantime, we’ll just rewatch our favorite episodes, and C.K.’s latest comedy special, and keep arguing about whether or not the last season finale was a dream. And if C.K. puts out great live sets by other comics between now and Season 4, Episode 1, we won’t complain.
