98LOUIE - TIE

Aired: FX, 2010-Present

The show, about a bemused comedian and divorced father of two girls, has the feel of honest autobiography. It's also told differently less as a running comedic idea that builds to combustion than as loosely connected vignettes, almost like short films, about a lonely man in New York City. It's sad, in a real and funny way. For C.K. the series comes after decades as a stand-up, during which he wrote for The Chris Rock Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien and created the short-lived sitcom Lucky Louie on HBO. The construct of Lucky Louie was to think outside the box from within the old box, parodying the family sitcom by making the language harsher and the atmosphere darker. Louie is much more heartfelt and grounded, and it has real grace notes. C.K., who scripts and directs the shows himself, won an Emmy for writing the episode "Pregnant."