FX delays ‘Louie’ until 2014

Fans of FX’s critically acclaimed show “Louie” got some bad news last week, when it was announced that the shows fourth season will be delayed.

Instead of airing next summer like the first three seasons, season four will be pushed back to spring of 2014. For those unfamiliar with the show, Louie stars comic Louis C.K. The show is about a stand-up comedian and divorced father of two girls who is followed through his everyday life, as he meets various characters, struggles with his love life and pursues humor.

The delay comes at an interesting time, as the show was just starting to gain momentum within the last year. “Louie” was just nominated for three Emmys, with C.K. winning for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. With ratings rising each season, the show has found itself on many critics top shows to watch lists. One has to hope that the delay won’t affect all of the positive praise.

The decision to delay the fourth season came from C.K. himself. Considering he has produced, stared in, directed and edited the majority of all episodes the past three seasons a breather could be just what he needs to keep the shows quality in tact.

During the hiatus, C.K. will continue with his standup tour, which goes through next February. There is a good chance the tour will end up being turned into a special sometime down the line. Between the tour and potential special, that doesn’t leave a lot of down time for a man who produces, directs and stars in his own show.

The move may be questionable, but it won’t be the first time that an established show took a breather. Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which in a similar fashion follows David’s “life” as a semi-retired comedy writer has also been known to take a few years off between seasons. This past year AMC’s “Mad Men” returned for its fifth season after a year off. Thankfully for the shows sake, fans didn’t leave during the hiatus, with the fifth season finale even getting the series highest season finale ratings in the series history. It may be risky taking a year off, but it has been done, and if the quality remains, the fans have proven to be there.

For fans unsure on how to survive the wait, the first two seasons of “Louie” are available for streaming from Netflix’s Instant Watch. All three seasons are also available on iTunes. Along with network re-runs at least fans will be able to re-watch the first three seasons as they wait until 2014 for season four.

As busy as C.K. appears to be, the delay could be for the best. Fans may hate having to wait but it would be easy for C.K. just to rush through a season because he has to get it done. If taking a breather keeps the quality of the show up to par then it should be worth it.

Let the waiting begin.