page_title: Louie (American TV series)
section_title: Production
hierarchical_section_title: Louie (American TV series) / Production
caption_attribution_description: English: Comedy Cellar stage, 117 MacDougal Street, New York NY. The iconic Comedy Cellar sign was fabricated by Victor Rothman for Stained Glass, Yonkers, N.Y.
context_page_description: Louie is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on FX on June 29, 2010. It is written, directed, created, edited, and produced by comedian Louis C.K., who also stars in the show as a fictionalized version of himself, a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two daughters in New York City. The show has a loose format atypical for television comedy series, consisting of largely unconnected storylines and segments that revolve around Louie's life, punctuated by live stand-up performances.
  The show has been met with critical acclaim and was included in various critics' TV show top-ten lists when it premiered in 2010. C.K. has received several Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his acting, writing, and directing and has won for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 64th and 66th Primetime Emmy Awards.
  Amid an "extended hiatus" for the show, FX ended their business partnership with Louis C.K.'s production company, Pig Newton, in November 2017, after he confirmed that a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him were true.
context_section_description: Rather than accepting a bigger-budget production deal with a larger network, C.K. accepted the modest offer of $200,000 (covering his own fee as well as production costs) to do a pilot with FX, since FX allowed him full creative control. The show is shot on a Red camera setup, and C.K. edits many of the episodes on his personal MacBook Pro. In addition to starring, C.K. serves as the show's sole writer and director, an unusual combination in American TV production. Referring to John Landgraf, who convinced C.K. to accept a deal with FX, C.K. said:
  He had a very loose idea of what he wanted. I said, "Let me shoot a pilot and you don't have anything to do with it. I won't even pitch you the idea or show you the script or show you the footage or show you the casting. Just wire me the money and let me do the show." And he was willing to do that. One of the reasons it was done that way was he only gave me $200,000 for the thing all in. Since I was able to prove this was a way to do it and they liked what they got, I was able to keep doing it that way.
  Louis C.K. directed, cast, and edited the first episode of the show with a budget of $250,000, provided by FX. In the second season, the budget was increased to $300,000 per episode.
  Production began in November 2009. C.K. said of his show, "It's very vignette-y. It's very vérité. All those French words. I use 'em all." C.K.'s Lucky Louie co-star Pamela Adlon serves as consulting producer of the series.
  For the third season, C.K. announced that he would be handing off some editing duties to longtime Woody Allen collaborator Susan E. Morse.
  In a 2013 interview with The New York Times, C.K. mentioned various influences for the show, which include: Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, John Waters and Woody Allen.
caption: The stage of the Comedy Cellar, which is often shown on the series.
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