Lucky Louie? No. Lucky Us.

Sunday’s Boston Globe magazine chronicled Louis CK’s attempt to redefine the sitcom on HBO. (use Bugmenot) Much is made of “Lucky Louie” using pay-cable-only words, but the innovation I’m interested in is how the show’s characters are not only not nice to each other, but sometimes don’t even want to try to be nice. The show is continuing the strengths of his recent HBO Special (best stand-up on TV of the year. Reduced my wife and I to tears) where the difficulties of maintaining a marriage while raising a child were pulled off with complete command of the absurd (my favorite being a fight with his wife over hide-and-seek).

Since much of “Lucky Louie” attempts to render a darker, truer version of husband-wife dynamics than any currently airing, it’s affecting even to the creators. After beating out one story, Louis CK has the revelation that his wife harbors similar hatreds of him and how he doesn’t know what to do about that. It’s not a show where the dumb husband can screw up and the wife forgives him 1,000 times (or for five seasons). There’s an attempt to create real marital jeopardy here. Such tension might not be easily funny, but HBO seems extremely confident, raising their order eight scripts, which if all are made, will give the show 21 episodes (including pilot).

I’m very excited about the show in that everything I’ve read about it reminds me of early Roseanne, where the Conners reflected how difficult family life can be. As I’ve been rediscovering that show lately, I’ve been realizing how missed something like it is on TV. And “Lucky Louie” sounds even more brave in rendering married life and finding humor in it. It’s a relief from comedies about Hollywood backstage antics, even well executed ones. “Lucky Louie” is hopefully a real treat.

If you’re in Los Angeles, here’s where you can get tickets to see a taping of Lucky Louie. Anyone who goes, report back in the comment section.