“We can’t all be florists or dishwashers. Some of us have to be artists.” No, this is not the trailer for Girls’ new season; it’s the trailer for Baskets, the FX comedy that sees Zach Galifianikis play an aspiring clown, Chip Baskets, who flunks out of French clown school and is forced to ply his trade at a California rodeo.
As that quote suggests, though, Baskets’ lofty opinion of clowncraft persists despite his circumstances—which is where the comedy comes in. Galifianikis seems to have the perfect vehicle for his dark, offbeat rhythms here, and with producers like Louis C.K. and Portlandia’s Jonathan Krisel the show should be a very funny, very mordant tale of a dope’s big dream. It premieres Jan. 21.
