Louis C.K. Dives Into The East River For This Heartfelt Louie Promo

While movie culture allows for a specific kind of anticipation to grow between a film and its potential follow-up, TV doesn’t quite allow for that, as seasons tend to fall into the same pattern year after year. The brilliant stand-up comedian Louis C.K. farted a wrench into those expectations when he announced he’d be taking a hiatus from his acclaimed FX sitcom Louie. But the dark, absurdist comedy is coming back in May, and as expected, FX has been airing some intriguingly abstract promos to remind people who the funniest guy on TV is.

This clip, called “Head Over Heels,” is the most visually appealing of the teasers, and also the first to feature Louie in action. Each of these ads have essentially been little black & white love notes to New York City, full of skyscrapers, city streets and the Brooklyn Bridge. Only now it’s taken to its logical extremes, as Louie jumps from the bridge with while holding a rose, soon swimming away as it hangs from his teeth, followed by a skywriter spelling his name out, with a heart replacing the “o.” I’m willing to wager a guess that Louie won’t spend too much time in the South or overseas in this season.

Personally, I love these spots that don’t rely on borrowed footage from the series itself, as is the norm with most dramas and shows just starting out. Louie is established enough that he doesn’t need to actually give people any jokes, and most of them wouldn’t work as well out of episodic context anyway. I can only sacrifice rubber chickens to the comedy gods he goes purely zany for next season’s ads, like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia did with their faux foreign short films.

In case you missed the two most recent Louie promos, involving a bench and a subway entrance, we have them for you below.

Louie’s Season 4 will premiere on Monday, May 5, with back-to-back new episodes, in which he’ll probably make a mistake that his daughters will have to fix, while trying to find love in all the wrong places…in New York City. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps we’ll see you there.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.