Louis CK is back, again. It’s been nearly a decade since the comedian, actor and writer-director admitted his guilt in a series of sexual misconduct allegations, resulting in a number of organizations severing ties and sending him into relative exile – for a few months, anyway. Since then, he’s toured extensively (often to a crowd reception implying he was the one wronged) and self-released four comedy specials, among other endeavors, so it’s not as if the existence of a new one is especially surprising. But it is notable that Ridiculous is backed by Netflix – a full-circle moment for a comic whose last pre-scandal hour titled 2017 was a Netflix release as well.
It’s less a triumphant return than a gradual slinking back, an unspoken assumption that no one really cares that much about his behavior; no particular defense or apology, just a shruggy emoticon. When describing a tour of his elderly father’s prospective nursing home in the special, Louis CK says: “The theme of the tour is: ‘This Is What This Is’,” implying a sense of grim acceptance. It feels a bit like that’s the theme of the Ridiculous tour, too – whether we want it to be or not.
