Zach Galifianakis and Louis C.K.’s Clown Comedy Headed to FX
Zach Galifianakis and Louis C.K. will send in the clowns: FX has ordered a 10-episode run of Baskets, a new comedy series co-written by the two that centers around an aspiring clown, Entertainment Weekly reports.
Galifianakis will star as Chip Baskets, a man determined to become a professional clown, though he has to begin his journey in the rodeo after he’s rejected from a prestigious clown school in Paris. Executive producers C.K. and Galifianakis wrote the pilot with Jonathan Krisel (Saturday Night Live, Portlandia), who will also serve as show runner.
“Zach Galifianakis, Louis C.K. and Jonathan Krisel have created an absolutely brilliant show,” said Eric Schrier, one of FX’s presidents of original programming. “To say Zach’s portrayal of the lead character Chip Baskets is hilarious/unique/riveting/fascinating would be an understatement. We can’t wait for the world to meet him.”
Baskets will begin production next year and will likely premiere in 2016. FX ordered a pilot of the series earlier this year as part of the C.K.’s new production deal with the network. While the deal doesn’t cover C.K.’s hit series, Louie, it allows him to recruit new writing and production talents to help create shows for FX and its various off-shoot networks.
After an 18 month hiatus, Louie finally returned to the airwaves this past May for its fourth season, and just last week C.K. picked up the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (he was also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor, and the show was up for Outstanding Comedy Series).
As for Galifianakis, the comedian has been keeping busy with a ton of TV work, as well as smaller projects, including the video for Kevin Drew’s “You in You Were,” and a Funny or Die clip in which he and his former Bored to Death co-star Ted Danson attempt to turn the National‘s documentary, Mistaken for Strangers into a play. Galifiankis is also set to appear in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s upcoming movie, Birdman.