Louis C.K.

Comic and actor Louis C.K. created and stars in the new HBO comedy series Lucky Louie. C.K. has been a writer for David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Chris Rock and Saturday Night Live. He also wrote, produced and directed the film Pootie Tang. Lucky Louie airs Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO, following Entourage.

The star of the FX series Louie talks about the pain of his first-ever open mic experience and the "massive gift" of taking care of others before himself.

The comic tells Fresh Air that after Season 3, he "aggressively forgot the show existed for a few months." Then he got back to work. Louie is now in its fourth season.

Fresh Air's critic at large, John Powers, says Louis C.K.'s raunchy FX show is changing the way comedy is done — for the better. "More than any TV comedy ever, it's all about capturing moments of truth and freshness," he says.