Louie (FX)

I'm watching the new series at the UK pace of an episode a week as opposed to the two in the US. It kills me there's more Louie out there, but at the same time rationing it to ensure it lasts longer is something worth enduring!

Anyway, I've said it before but Louie is the best thing on TV right now (well, from what I've seen anyway: I'm sure there's equally good stuff out there I will one day catch up with). I have nothing but fanboy enthusiasm for it, and what it's doing cannot be understated. It's proper 'auteur' television: one man's full-on realisation of his strange, dreamlike and fiercely intelligent vision. It's effectively a complete deconstruction of modern masculinity, diving deep into the mundanity of modern life and finding both remarkable insight and inspired comedy. While it's frequently very, very funny indeed (the model episode was a masterclass in cringe comedy and carefully crafted surrealism) it also communicates its themes in ever compelling ways. Just watched the 'fat woman' episode last night, and was blown away. After a subtle build up, its astonishing conclusion and monologue hits like a brick, thanks to Sarah Baker's impeccable delivery that addresses a pointlessly taboo subject in an admirably frank and passionate way. And Louis lets the camera soak it in in a wonderfully long and intense take - how rare is it to see a five minute plus sequence in TV without a single edit? How the cinematography positions and highlights the characters further articulates the themes being discussed in the remarkable scene.

Anyway only three episodes in and season four is already living up the high water mark set by the previous ones. This is as intelligent, funny and progressive as television gets. I believe the next batch is a six-part episode - cannot wait to see what Mr. CK does with that expanded scope