Louis C.K. discusses his show at screening event


Comedian Louis C.K.’s newest show, Horace and Pete, has been taking over the internet. Deadline recently hosted an exclusive screening series called Awardsline, which featured screenings of many popular films and television series as well as Q&As with key people from the productions. Deadline showed C.K.’s Horace and Pete last Wednesday at the Landmark Theatre in West Los Angeles with a post-screening discussion about the show with Louis C.K. himself, which was open to USC students and Deadline members alike.

Horace and Pete tells the story of two brothers named Horace and Pete, played by Louis C.K. and Steve Buscemi, running a family-owned bar, Horace and Pete’s, in Brooklyn. The series follows the two characters through their ups and downs, and discusses issues of love, marriage, family, current events and more. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Edie Falco, Jessica Lange, Kurt Metzger, Rebecca Hall, Steven Wright and others, the show premiered in February but did not gain much attention until now. Louis C.K. was very adamant about not wanting to reveal any details about the episodes until they aired in order to keep the story new and interesting.

“I didn’t want it to matter if the show hit or not. The main reason I did it this way was for dramatic effect, for the story,” C.K. said at the screening.

The screening featured episodes one and three of the series, which were completely different from each other in format and structure. Episode 1 is formatted like a play, with a more traditional plot, introducing the characters and explaining the history of Horace and Pete’s. In contrast, Episode 3 begins with a 10-minute monologue by Laurie Metcalf and continues with more conversation for almost the full episode. Although this approach of just using tight angles and monologues is unconventional, the show pulls it off mainly because of the thoughtful writing and stunning performances by Metcalf and C.K. These different styles work together masterfully because of the cohesive writing that taps into many vulnerabilities of the character, which is something most comedies won’t touch. This is done in a way that doesn’t feel uncomfortable, but instead impressively relatable.

The series was shot as a live show, with two to three takes of the full performances from four cameras. Production of each episode ran from Monday to Friday of each week to keep the writing relevant to current events. The episodes were released on Saturday mornings online and quickly picked up steam as the season went on.

The show has been submitted for the Emmy drama category and marks an interesting time for changing media platforms. Despite the praise that it has received, Louis C.K. revealed to fans that he will not be producing a second season of the show. However, an Emmy win could really change things. Until then, Horace and Pete can be streamed online from Louis C.K.’s website.