60 best sitcoms of all time

20. Louie

FX’s Louie is the spiritual successor to Seinfeld, only with a different flavor of humor and with its difficulty level set to expert for Louis C.K. He’s not just playing himself and writing the show, he’s also directing it and even editing it. The show isn’t just about Louie; it really is his in every major aspect. That’s incredibly admirable, not only because of how much work he has to put in, but because it means audiences are truly getting a sense of C.K.’s talent and personality by seeing more than just a fictional version of him every week.

One of the wonderful things about Louie has been the on and off-screen partnership between C.K. and Pamela Adlon. Audiences probably know Adlon as the voice of Bobby Hill on King of the Hill, but in Louie, we’ve gotten to see her live acting talent, as well as her writing chops. Adlon’s now working on her own starring vehicle, Better Things, and hopefully it will be as great as her work on Louie (and later Californication).

Louie is also great for everything it’s not. It’s not a typical sitcom; instead it’s vignettes punctuated by scenes of C.K.’s stand-up. It’s not following the usual sitcom plotlines. There’s no pretense and no BS. It’s just C.K. doing his best work in every respect, and he’s delivered a show that’s funny, refreshingly no-nonsense and creatively inspiring.

Next: 19. Arrested Development