Penny Thoughts ‘15—Louie, season 3 (2012) ****

TV-MA, 13 21-min. episodes

Creator: Louis C.K.

Directors: Louis C.K., Liz Plonka

Writers: Louis C.K., Pamela Adlon

Starring: Louis C.K.

Guest starring: Gaby Hoffman, Susan Kalechi Watson, Gary Wilmes, Melissa Leo, Allan Havey, Hadley Delaney, Ursula Parker, Larisa Polonsky, Miguel Gomez, Parker Posey, Maria Bamford, Casey Seimaszko, Robin Williams, Sarah Silverman, Marc Maron, Maria Dizzia, Michael C. Creighton, F. Murray Abraham, Rick Crom, Nick Di Paolo, Jim Norton, William Stephenson, Chloë Sevigny, Roderick Hill, Yul Vazquez, Jay Leno, Garry Marshall, Edward Gelbinovich, David Lynch, Chris Rock, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Jerry Seinfeld, Todd Barry, Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler

I know, I know, I know. I’m way behind here. The amazing thing is that I love this series and I started it just about two weeks after the first episode of the first season premiered, so I’ve been going through it very slowly.  This is, however, one of the best shows on television. Here’s why:

It makes me appreciate being a parent more. It makes me appreciate being an asshole more. It makes me appreciate comedy more. It makes me appreciate dating more. It makes me appreciate not having to date anymore ever again. It makes me appreciate being male. It makes me appreciate my wife. It makes me appreciate New York. It makes me appreciate Parker Posey. It makes me appreciate black & white cinema more. It makes me appreciate Robin Williams not being manic. I makes me appreciate short film more. It makes me appreciate Kansas City more and allows me to understand why one of the best morning radio host in the country might have a beef against Louis C.K. It makes me appreciate the Johnny Dare Morning Show more. It is not a typical shock jock radio show. It makes me appreciate weird and uncomfortable life situations. It makes me appreciate the absurdity of couples’ silly pet names for each other. It makes me appreciate how much worse other people are at parenting than myself. It makes me appreciate the fact that I’ve never had an STD. It makes me appreciate that all parents do things to their children that seem crazy when seen outside of the context of parenting as a whole. It makes me appreciate the hoops we jump through for our kids that they never seem to notice. It makes me appreciate the truth of a cab ride. It makes me appreciate alternative casting. One of the more hilarious aspects of this show is the fact that Louie has cast an adolescent as his agent. It makes me appreciate the fact that I don’t know everything that is going on behind the scenes in late night television. It makes me appreciate that I’m not the only dad who gets in above his depth with Christmas Eve construction. It makes me appreciate the randomness of life.

Warning! Clip contains adult language.