The show has a loose format atypical for television comedy series, consisting of largely unconnected storylines and segments (described by FX president John Landgraf as "extended vignettes")[4] that revolve around Louie's life, punctuated by live stand-up performances.

The show's comedy consisted of such styles as surrealism, satire, absurdism, and gallows humor.

's production company, Pig Newton, in November 2017, after he confirmed that a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him were true.

[9] Louie is loosely based on the life of comedian Louis C.K., showing segments of him performing his stand-up routine onstage, and depicting his struggles as a divorced father of two girls.

The stand-up in the show consists of original material recorded for the series, and is usually shot from the stage rather than from the more traditional audience perspective.

Sometimes these comedy segments are integrated into the stories themselves, whereas other times they simply serve to bookend them with a loosely connected topic.

's co-star in Lucky Louie) occasionally provide story arc continuity between episodes.

[11] The pilot episode includes segments depicting a school field trip and an embarrassing first date, with subsequent episodes covering a diverse range of material, including divorce, sex, sexual orientation, depression, and Catholic guilt.

Louie lacks a regular fixed cast, and instead features many guest appearances by stand-up comedians and actors.

However, the show features a number of recurring characters, including Louie's two daughters, Lilly (Hadley Delany) and Jane (Ursula Parker); his brother Bobby (Robert Kelly); his teenage-looking agent Doug (Edward Gelbinovich); Pamela (Pamela Adlon), his best friend and love interest; Dr. Ben (Ricky Gervais), Louie's juvenile and arrogant doctor; Louie's therapist (David Patrick Kelly); and his ex-wife, Janet (Susan Kelechi Watson).

B. Smoove, Dave Attell, Michael Cera, John Lithgow, Big Jay Oakerson, and Steven Wright.

serves as the show's sole writer and director, an unusual combination in American TV production.

's prior semi-autobiographical HBO sitcom Lucky Louie, served as a consulting producer of the series.

announced that he would be handing off some editing duties to longtime Woody Allen collaborator Susan E.

mentioned various influences for the show, which include Allen, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling and John Waters.

[22] Criticisms largely centered on the pacing and low-key delivery of the show's jokes, which often include long setups compared to the rapid-fire punchlines of a traditional sitcom.

[30] Television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked Louie as the 18th best American television show of all time in their book titled TV (The Book), stating that unlike other sitcoms which kept their tone and format the same throughout their respective runs, the series "morphed from week to week, episode to episode, sometimes minute to minute.

In doing so, it translated the thought-processes of stand-up comedy into cinematic terms, and in a way that was new to commercial television.

[32] 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released Season 1 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Region 1 on June 21, 2011.