12 Favorite Comedies of 2011: ‘The Larry Sanders Show’ and ‘Louie’
These two series feature standup comics with singular voices, who found critical success on television, though it was decades apart.
The Larry Sanders Show
I know Sanders has been off the air since 1998, but somehow I managed to make it to 2011 without ever watching it. For someone who loves TV about TV, I can’t really explain how this happened, but I have to thank IFC and Netflix for rectifying it in spades this year. I’m sure I stumbled on it during its original run, but I can’t imagine that my elementary school self would’ve been able to appreciate it as well as I can today.
The cast is impeccable, with Rip Torn and Jeffrey Tambor elevating everything and everyone around them. But the show’s confidence in itself is impressive, especially for the era. Credit that to Shandling’s own comic sensibility and career trajectory. The show’s conceit lay with its conceited title character, whose barely existent self-confidence juxtaposed with Hank’s unvarnished opportunism created much of the show’s tension and subtext.
And if you had more than a passing interest in pop culture in the ’90s, the show’s cameos, asides, and references play more as time capsule than as outdated. 2010′s Leno-Conan debacle probably helped to make Sanders relevant once again, but the show has more than earned its reputation on its own merits, and I’m glad I got to enjoy all 89 episodes in 2011.
Louie
Louis CK in "Louie." (FX)
Louis CK’s FX show defies easy categorization, and that’s part of what makes it a case study in the future of television. Produced on a shoestring budget with almost no network oversight, it is essentially a one-man band delving into any topic that strikes its auteur’s fancy that week. I came to the show this year, in its second season, and was treated to a panoply of subjects and styles over 13 episodes.
While preparing for a first date, Louie witnesses a freak decapitation on the street. After a rough night on stage, he gets career advice from comic legend Joan Rivers. He attempts to introduce his young daughters to their aging great aunt, who dies during their visit. One installment was an extended essay on masturbation, while another dealt with the crushing weight of unrequited love.
Like life, the show is a mixed bag of topics, emotions, and encounters. But the throughline is Louis CK’s unique perspective on whatever events happen to unfold. FX seems pleased with the show’s buzz, but even if it doesn’t last forever, the bold comedian’s recent online concert experiment is evidence that he has a fan base and can make entertainment in whatever format and for whatever duration he so chooses. The truth really will set you free, even in the malicious wonderland of entertainment.
