2031 - Fargo: season one

I write season one assuming that there will be a second season based on the quality of this and what I’ve been able to find online.  This series could have been so bad, instead it’s at least as good as the film it was inspired by - and who knows…. it could be better in some regards…. Noah Hawley has nailed the tone set by the Coens, yet he also makes it uniquely his own.  This features one of the best ensemble casts of any series ever.  From somewhat newcomer Allison Tolman to season veterans Billy Bob Thorton, Oliver Platt, Colin Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Adam Goldberg, to some awesome Canadian stand-outs Shawn Doyle, Joshua Close, Carlos Diaz, and Rachel Blanchard… but the stand-out for me is Martin Freeman.  It’s absolutely a career highlight - the transformation he goes through is nothing short of stunning.  

The entire season stands on it’s own and is quite serialized - each episode begging you to watch the next.  I found very few faults with the series in general outside of… (SPOILER ALERT) if both Lester and Malvo died, how did were the events depicted exactly as they occurred as is stated in the opening credits?…  (END SPOILER).

So if you haven’t dug into this and you’re a fan of the Coens work, this is a must watch.  I’d say it’s almost like a marriage between Fargo and No Country For Old Men.  I loved it, and I can’t wait for season two.

2028 - Louie: season four

This show continues to kick my ass.  Seriously, I might as well just start this with praise.  This is easily my favourite half-hour series of all time.  It blows me away with how wonderfully funny, honestly awkward and incredibly poignant it is.  This is one of the most unique shows there is, and it’s incredibly brave.  There was a big break between seasons, and given how fantastic this season was, I’m absolutely fine with it.  This season seemed to be about Louie’s relationship with women - with his ex’s, his daughters, and women he dates.  And it culminated in (SPOILER ALERT) he and Pamela Adlon starting to date and fall for one another.  I was so happy that it didn’t turn sour and that we’ll hopefully continue to see more of this relationship into the next season of the series.  This could have worked well as as series finale, but I need and want so much more!  I could go into great detail about all that I loved about this, my favourite season of my favourite half-hour series, but please just check it out for yourself.  If you trust my taste in stuff, trust this - Louie is worth your time.  My only complaint is that season 3 is not available yet on DVD/BluRay (please, oh please make it available - and season four).  Please watch this show.  It will make my heart happy.

2014 - Louie: season one (commentary)

I love this show with all I've got.  I broke down and bought the sets because I just can't imagine not having them (where's season 3 though?  Come on people!).  I'd heard a lot of great things about the commentary tracks for the episode, so I decided to burn through the entire thing - and he does a lot for this season - it's a bit of a blur, I'm not entirely sure he did every episode, but there's A LOT - and he goes into really great detail about how he works comedy, actors, and right down to tech stuff like his use of lenses, etc... if you're a film nerd or just a big fan of Louis CK in general then this is a must listen to! :)

1765 - Louie: season three

If you've read my reviews of the past seasons of this series, this will come to no surprise to you.  Louie C.K. is my favourite comedian, and Louie is, hands down, my favourite comedy series currently on the air.  In terms of enjoyment this series is on a par with the films of Woody Allen for me.  The humour is often subtle, but it packs an honest punch and it makes you force a mirror onto yourself and your own life, but without ever being ridiculously heavy handed.
This season told much more of a straight story than the previous.  It would appear that Louis decided to tell a more fluid story of love and loss, aspiration, and reality.  SPOILERS AHEAD.  From meeting the girl of his dreams to watching her slip away in a terrible fashion, from being groomed for one of the top spots in his profession, to suffering in a moat of depression, this season was about Louie having to get out of his lonely funk and do something about himself.  And he's succeeded admirably. 
There is absolutely no other series like this on television and it's the kind of thing that would be just impossible to replicate.  It's unique because it allows one of the greatest entertainers of our generation to just go out there and tell the story he wants to tell.  Here's hoping they let him tell lots more.

1685 - It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia: season seven

Aha!  And now I'm finally caught up on the exploits of "The Gang!".  I got behind on this show but I'm finally up to speed.  What I love about the photo above is how well it actually captures the spirit of the show.  These people are a family.  A fucked up family to be sure, but they are that.  They don't always get along, they almost always put themselves before anyone else, and will throw someone else under the bus at a moments notice, but when the chips are down (and everyone else is against them) they'll beat the odds to... get back to status quo. 
Some critics have made a point of commenting about how this is the most uneven season of the show thus far, and also how 'meta' is it.  It never bothered me, and when characters like these guys become self-aware from time to time, it's pretty damn rewarding.  I have to say though, I think that Dennis Reynolds wins the award for character who has officially gone to the dark side.  They really played with his sexual exploits this season, and the reveal of his 'tools' in the finale was perfect. 
I don't feel the need to go into specifics of the season as revealing even the episode titles gives the best of gags away, but I think that the show is doing a good job of keeping things fresh while still remaining true to what it is.  They've signed up for at least two more seasons so I'll be interested to see where they head.  Will Matt stay fat?  That'll be interesting...

1656 - It's Always Sunny in Philidephia: season six

So I got distracted by life and totally missed an entire season of this show (and apparently missed comment on seasons four and five as well - my bad). So now I'm playing catch-up so that I can get to the seventh season to see what's going on with Fat Mac.
This is a show that's been described as Seinfeld-on-crack, and I don't think that's a terrible description of it by any means.  At one point I considered writing a spec for this series and all my ideas stemmed from title ideas, which are a highlight on this series.  This season included "Mac Fights Gay Marriage", "Who Got Dee Pregnant?", and "The Gang Gets Stranded in the Woods" to name but a few.  I liked how this season had a few carry over stories, like Dennis getting married - Dee and Charlie working at the school - Dee's pregnancy.  The extra continuity adds to the fun, I think, even though this series works quite well in it's standalone nature. 
I've already written about the Christmas special which ended this season (pure wonderfulness), so click on the tags below for that.
There's a lot to like about this show and it truly is a unique and original show that takes from successful shows of the past and really makes it their own.  The FX comedy model is a great one and I think we'd do well to do a similar one here in Canada.  If you haven't caught onto this show yet and you like your comedy on the dark side of things, this is a no-brainer.  Check it out.

1636 - Louie: season two

This could very well be my favorite show right now.  Louie is a show that is absolutely unlike any other.  There are moments of it that are a tad frustrating, and one could even argue indulgent, but I'll allow those moments because, at it's core, this is a show about how fucked up we all are, but how we can't help but keep trying.  For those who haven't been exposed to it's brilliance, Louie CK plays a version of himself the stand-up comic.  And no, it's not some bad imitation of Seinfeld.  The beauty of Louie is that it doesn't really have any kind of standard format or cast, outside of Louie CK himself.  We see regular people come and go, but this is a show about a man trying to figure out how he fits into a world that he loves and is frustrated by at every turn. 
It's a treat because each little sequence is us watching Louie try and make sense of his world, or play with the ideas inside of it.  From visiting a racist elderly relative, to getting concert tickets for his daughter from an enemy, to professing his love for someone who has absolutely no interest in him, it's a show that is fearless and honest and uncomfortable and real.  Few artist get to a place of freedom like Louis has with this series, and of those that do, I'm not sure any are as successful as getting their point across as he is.
If you start watching one new series, make it this one.  It's phenomenal. 

1621 - Louie: season one

I was late to this series, and I've got a whole other season to catch up on still.  But that's the best thing about discovering a new show that you love - that there's this treasure trove of goodness for you to just dive into - and that's exactly how I feel about this show.
It's hard to explain what this series is about.  For those that don't know Louis CK is a stand-up comic, and in my opinion, one of the most intelligent, hilarious, and heart-breaking that there is.  There is an emotion behind his comedy that just resonates with me - it's like listening to a kindred spirit.  A lot of his stuff is about family and things revolving around that - and his signature style is that he's a bit rough an inappropriate, but you know that it all comes from a place of love.
It's a difficult show in terms that there aren't really structured episodes - it became slightly more structured near the end of this season, but it's mostly watching Louie do some stand-up and then there are these scenes/skits/whatever-you-want-to-call them that help illustrate the point.  Those scenes are hilarious mostly because they come from a place of frightening honesty.  There is a level of comedy going on here that I think could make most comedy writers jealous.  It's pretty inspiring stuff, and you know that it all comes from a place in his life that's more often than not, painful. 
It's even more impressive to know how much work Louis puts into this show - he writes and directs each episode and edits a fair share of it as well.  I'm really excited to see the next season of this.  I'm even more excited knowing that it's network FX, is on it's way to Canada.  Here's hoping they're looking to make the same quality of show here.  If you're a fan of stand-up comedy, especially Louis CK's, then this is something that you don't want to miss.