Louis C.K. as Louie. (Handout)

Louis C.K. echoed a familiar lament for parents when discussing the third season of his critically acclaimed series Louie.

“My kids are getting more complicated, they’re older, so I’m getting into a more combative relationship with them, and that’s definitely part of (season three),” C.K. said.

“When you’re a parent it’s easier when you’re in total control. But it’s different when your kids become energetic adversaries.”

The third season of Louie - and yes, that’s Louie with an “e” for the show, and Louis with an “s” for the actual guy - debuts June 28 on FX Canada (the same night it debuts on FX in the United States).

C.K. is a well-known comedian who built his reputation on the gruelling standup scene, where he still is beloved, if ticket sales and crowd reaction are any indication. In fact, always having that to fall back upon has allowed C.K. to approach his TV show with a “my way or the highway” attitude.

“I don’t know why they (FX) gave me this much freedom,” C.K. said. “If I was running FX, I would never have given me what they’ve given me. It was irresponsible and it was not a good idea.

“But if they don’t let me do it the way that it should be done, I just won’t do it. And one thing that enables me to do that is, I can go on the road and do comedy. I could just go do standup. I don’t need this s---.”

Louie centres on the everyday life of C.K., who plays a fictionalized version of himself, raising two daughters as a divorced dad. If you’ve ever seen Louie, you know it has an odd rhythm, and that isn’t a criticism, just an acknowledgment that it’s different.

Part of C.K.’s commitment to being different has to do with his first TV show, Lucky Louie, which aired for one season in 2006.

“I did a lot of things to try to keep that show on the air that I really didn’t think were good for the show,” C.K. admitted. “There’s an arc to sitcoms, a pattern they all fit. We were hitting that pattern, which I thought was a mistake.”

Critics, however, took to Louie right from the start.

“I’m terrified of season three not being as good as season two,” C.K. admitted. “That keeps me world weary. And also, you know, it’s a weird time to be an American and human. So there’s a lot to keep me depressed.”

Typical standup comedian, always looking at the dark side.

“I’m not very different from who I was before this show happened,” C.K. claimed. “But I definitely take a lot of joy from what I’m getting to do and having people like it.

“So it’s not lost on me. I’d be a real a------ to not notice that I’m having a great life right now.”

bill.harris@sunmedia.ca