I probably spend too much time in this column complaining about the state of entertainment television, especially when Louis C.K. has put out a masterpiece.

On Jan. 30, a 67-minute episode of “Horace and Pete” appeared on LouisCK.net. C.K. did nothing to promote the show, and neither did the other actors — or anyone involved for that matter. Nobody knew this show existed until the release. The only people alerted were those subscribed to emails from Louis C.K.’s website.

“Horace and Pete” is the TV equivalent of Kendrick Lamar dropping an album out of nowhere.

But the lack of promotion actually serves the viewing experience.  You know nothing about the show when you start, which was C.K.’s ultimate goal.

I won’t give a rundown of the show’s content because I love this lack of promotion.  C.K. didn’t even talk about “Horace and Pete” publicly until he went on Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about the show earlier this month.

He told Kimmel:
“I just want it to appear, I just want it to suddenly appear.  And I thought, this is a gift to the viewers. Because I hate when I see … they tell me everything before I see a show. You see a preview for a movie, I just saw the f*cking movie.”

And is he wrong? Go to IMDb, watch a few trailers and ask yourself if you feel like you’ve seen most of the movie — the answer is probably yes.

If studios are making trailers like that, it means it does not deter people from still paying to go see the movie. But as you might imagine, Louis C.K. cares not about the revenue of his shows.

Without any advertising or commercials, there isn’t really a way to make money. But the show also isn’t available anywhere outside of C.K.’s website. To compensate, each episode costs a few bucks.

The funny part is, you’re literally sending him your money.  The first episode is $5, the second is $2 and the rest are $3.

If this model seems strange for you, C.K. has an explanation: “There isn’t some company making a business plan, there’s just an idiot.”

If you aren’t sold on trying out the show, here’s a few more crazy and original things that make it great.

The show was shot on a stage with multiple cameras like a sitcom.  However, it is not a comedy and has no studio audience. The atmosphere is solemn and sad, especially with how quiet it is the whole time. Jokes, insults and crying that would usually get a reaction from a studio crowd instead precede uncomfortable silence.

One of the episodes is just a single conversation between two people about cheating and being cheated on.  There’s no long shot and no flashbacks. It’s just a two-shot of a man sitting across from a woman, both of whom use the intimate nature of the shot to their advantage in making viewers feel gross yet interested.

Additionally, Paul Simon wrote and recorded the theme song.

Just like his other TV show “Louie,” Louis C.K. writes and directs every episode of “Horace and Pete.” His great voice in writing and controlling the show is its most impressive aspect.

If you love Louis C.K., “Louie” or twisted stuff in general, you’ll love “Horace and Pete.” One of the show’s characters puts it best: “You really have a skill at justifying horrible things.”

Kyle Stevens is a sophomore advertising major. His column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email him at ksteve03@syr.edu or reach him on Twitter at @kstevs_.

Published on March 20, 2016 at 7:44 pm