Max Yera staff writer
Louis C.K.’s new black comedy “Horace and Pete”has proven to be a quality experiment by the talented comedian.
The show stars C.K. himself as Horace, an estranged father, and renowned actor Steve Buscemi as Pete, a mental health patient, as the co-owners of a 100-year-old Irish bar, Horace and Pete’s.
Above all, the series is brilliantly original. It is neither a clear comedy nor a drama. Rather, it is a reflection of real life, with bits of raw emotion that range from comedic and joyful to passionate and depressing.
As Boston-based web writer and producer at The New Yorker Ian Crouch quoted C.K., “ ‘Funny’ works best in its natural habitat. Right in the jungle along with ‘awful,’ ‘sad,’ ‘confusing’ and ‘nothing’.”
Its format best resembles both a sitcom, though there is no laugh-track, and a live theater production, and as in theater, there is the occasional hesitation between lines.
The acting, nevertheless, is superb. Steve Buscemi, Alan Alda and Edie Falco are dramatically mesmerizing, and C.K. excels in his familiar comedic while depressed state.
Though the series has received relatively little press, as C.K. released the television show on his website without any official announcement, there should be little doubt that any fan of C.K’s or of his FX black comedy “Louie,”or simply anyone searching for an original, authentic source of television, should consider this show.
The first nine episodes are now available for purchase and download here.