Louis CK has had a stellar couple of years. He’s gone from slightly under the radar comedian’s comedian to the star and show runner of phenomenally well respected and genuinely successful sitcom LOUIE, whilst actively changing the ways comedy is created and distributed. He’s trusted enough by FX to have a completely unique deal, taking a cut on his payment in exchange for complete creative control, and recently sold his new stand up show online, cutting out studio middlemen altogether. So given his newfound fame and status, CBS has placed a pilot order for a show CK created over a decade ago.
BOOMTOWN, a sitcom penned by CK and prolific SEINFELD writer Spike Feresten, is about a group of twenty somethings trying to make it big in various creative industries. In 1999, when the script was first written, it was to star CK and, like many of his projects, take inspiration from his real experiences. Luckily CK is self aware enough to understand that he can’t pass for a twenty-something, even a late twenty-something, so he’ll be strictly behind the camera. As the times have changed, BOOMTOWN’s plot has become even more resonant, with the economy being what it is and so forth.
This isn’t CK’s first experience with network TV: a few years ago he made a typically autobiographical pilot for sitcom SAINT LOUIE, which never made the transition to full series. Elements of CK’s later work suggest his frustration with the experience, particularly a scene in LOUIE in which CK miserably makes his way through a day’s work on a clichéd domestic comedy. Now, though, CK’s name alone carries enough clout that his new show shouldn’t be subjected to such network interference – in theory at least.
Source: AV Club
