It’ll be a while until Louis CK pops up from the Washington Square Subway Station again: As he did between Louie’s third and fourth season, the comedian is taking an extended break from his namesake series. FX CEO John Landgraf announced the hiatus to the Television Critics Association today, citing CK’s commitment to other film and TV projects—some of which are also airing on FX Networks. Landgraf had no exact timeline for the break, saying the show could return in six months, or it could be two years.
While not plumbing his personal life and psyche for slice-of-life absurdity, CK won’t wander far from FX, putting time in on the newly picked-up Pamela Adlon vehicle Better Things, the Zach Galifianakis clown comedy Baskets, and a third, yet-to-be-announced series. He’ll undoubtedly also find some time to sleep, eat, breathe, and do the other kinds of things people do when they’re not starring in, directing, producing, and editing their own semi-autobiographical TV shows. Landgraf expressed optimism about Louie’s long-term prospects at the network, noting that the show could run for as long as CK wants to make it. “I hope 20 years is the outside date,” he said to one reporter’s hypothetical suggestion. The A.V. Club accepts this proposal, so long as we don’t have to wait 20 years for Louie’s sixth season.