Blair Breard On The Success Of Louie, Better Things, & Baskets

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I’ll  never forget the first time I saw Louie starring comedian Louis C.K. Chris discovered it on one of the entertainment websites he reads and made sure we were ready so we didn’t miss it. To say I was blown away would be just about accurate. It was smart, endearing, and funny. So as you can imagine, I was thrilled to interview Executive Producer M.Blair Breard about how Louie came to be, and the other groundbreaking projects she and Louis CK have been working on since.

Blair is Louis C.K.’s producing partner at their company, Pig Newton. Together they have created some of the most critically acclaimed comedies over the last 6 years. Better Things, One Mississippi, Baskets, Horace and Pete and the Emmy Award-winning Louie. And although she is primarily in television now, she cut her teeth in film in New York. I could not imagine a tougher road if I tried. But she kept at it, one job at a time until eventually she met Louis on the film Pootie Tang and her trajectory changed.

Even though he didn’t have much experience then, Blair says it was his strong point of view that drew her to his writing. And clearly that hasn’t changed. He has a very specific style of comedy which she says works perfectly with her style of producing.  He’s the creative guy. She’s the numbers gal. It’s a match made in comedy heaven.

Blair also tells me she was nervous as a film producer when she decided to become a mom. She admits she didn’t know if she would get hired again, or if anyone would treat her differently. It’s interesting to hear such an accomplished producer talk about the same challenges we all face at various levels in this business. My favorite story she tells, is about the time she says she told everyone on her crew van that she was breastfeeding, and if they didn’t like it they could get out. And let’s just say, no one got out.

We talked about Pamela Adlon’s new show Better Things on FX and how it’s basically my life. Except less famous. The show is so real it almost feels like we shouldn’t be watching this woman struggle through parenthood and her career. Pamela plays Sam Fox, a single mother and actress with no filter. The nuances of the jokes are so brilliant. You just want to hug this mom because you either are this mom, or you know her. It also stars “Max” (Mikey Madison), “Frankie” (Hannah Alligood) and “Duke” (Olivia Edward) who play her daughters.

Blair says she was, again, drawn to Pamela’s idea because of her strong point of view. (Are you sensing a theme here?) And Tig Notaro’s show One Mississippi for the same reason. Another thing these women have in common, is that they’re women! We discussed the rise in the number of women behind the camera on TV, creating their own path. Get it ladies!

I especially loved what she said about encouraging writers to just start writing. Embrace your mistakes and try anyway because that’s how you learn and grow. She didn’t confirm if Louie will be back on FX anytime soon, but she does hint that there are some fun projects in the works at Pig Newton. I imagine if they’re anything like what the last 6 years have given us, we are in for more groundbreaking comedies.

You can follow M. Blair Breard on Twitter @BlairBreard and watch Better Things Thursdays on FX. One Mississippi is available now on Amazon. And of course Louie is still TBD, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

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