Louie Anderson's '90s Sitcom That Everyone Forgets About
The world of comedy has lost a significant member. Deadline confirmed that comedian Louie Anderson died at age 68 after being treated for cancer. Anderson began his career as a stand-up comedian, appearing on "The Johnny Carson Show" in 1984. He went on to have a long and varied career, receiving critical acclaim for the 2016 FX series, "Baskets." Though the role was one of his most recent, some consider "Baskets" to be among the best work of his storied career. Anderson won an Emmy in 2016 for his role as Christine Baskets. Christine was the mother of Chip (Zach Galifianakis), who failed out of clown college but still attempts to live his dream.
Many fans also remember Anderson from "Life With Louie." The animated series aired from 1994-1998 and depicted a fictionalized version of the comedian's childhood. What many may have forgotten, however, is that the actor was headlining another show during the same time.
There was also The Louie Show
Some comedians are given their own shows after becoming household names. To just look at the 1990s, we can see examples like "Seinfeld," "The Drew Carey Show," and "Ellen." While "Life With Louie" may be one of the first things that jumps to mind when fans think of the dearly departed Louie Anderson, he actually had a live-action sitcom around the same time which was, unfortunately, quite short-lived.
"The Louie Show" originally aired on CBS in 1996. The series saw Anderson playing a psychotherapist in the midwest struggling with everything from the peculiarities of his patients to the troubles of his friends and family. While it seems that the series was perhaps less autobiographical than "Life With Louie," the comedian's signature touch was still all over the show. Sadly, that did not prevent the sitcom from getting canceled after just 6 episodes.
Clearly, the failure of "The Louie Show" was a temporary setback for Anderson, who went on to have great success, and will be remembered by fans worldwide.