Louis C.K. has apparently been working on a secret project while, to the dismay of many fans, taking a break from FX’s critically acclaimed comedy Louie . The comedian turned actor released the pilot of Horace and Pete without warning. The surprise series is now available to purchase for $5 on his personal website. C.K. stars as Horace and Steve Buscemi as Pete. The duo run a Brooklyn bar together, fittingly named Horace & Pete’s.
C.K. did not give many details in the announcement email titled "A Brand New Thing From Louis C.K.” sent to fans on his mailing list. "Hi there. Horace and Pete episode one is available for download. $5. Go here to watch it . We hope you like it. Regards, Louis,” C.K. wrote on his site with no further explanation.
Horace and Pete seems to take the form of a stage play and even includes an intermission. It’s more of a drama than a comedy, early viewers report on Reddit. Alan Alda plays Pete’s uncle (also named Pete). Nick DiPaolo, Kurt Metzger, Steven Wright, Jessica Lange, Edie Falco, Rebecca Hall, Aidy Bryant also appear in the first episode. The 67-minute premiere mentions current events like Donald Trump’s presidential run and the Super Bowl. Gothamist reports the theme song was written by Paul Simon.
There is no word on when C.K. will release the second episode or how many episodes there will be in the first season. Head here to watch the first episode.
As for Louie, it’s unclear when the show will return from its hiatus for the sixth season. C.K. has also been working on Zach Galifianakis’ comedy series Baskets , which premiered on FX Jan. 21. What’s more, C.K. is working on Better Things, another FX comedy co-created by Pamela Adlon partially based on her life. Finally, C.K. will dip into the animated world with a mysterious FX cartoon series he is set to produce, co-write and star in alongside Albert Brooks.
