FX Orders Zach Galifianakis Clown Comedy ‘Baskets’ to Series

“Bored to Death” fans can rejoice. Zach Galifianakis is back on TV.

Or he will be as soon as he shoots “Baskets,” the new FX series co-created by the “Hangover” star along with Louis C.K. and Jonathan Krisel. Galifianakis has been making regular appearances on the small screen as a guest actor on series like “Bob’s Burgers,” “Comedy Bang Bang” and even “The Simpsons,” but “Baskets” marks his first starring role on TV since “Bored to Death” was canceled in 2011.

“Baskets” centers around Chip Baskets, an aspiring clown who’s denied admittance to a prestigious clown school in Paris, France, and instead finds himself working at a local rodeo in Bakersfield, California. Anyone who’s been to Bakersfield will understand the contrast in culture between the mid-size town north of Los Angeles and the capital of France, while the rest of the world will soon undoubtedly learn when the show premieres.

“Soon,” however, is a relative term. Production on “Baskets” won’t begin until next year, and FX isn’t planning to release the first episode until sometime in 2016. Galifianakis is undoubtedly busy promoting upcoming fall films like “Birdman” and preparing to shoot other features like “Freeheld” and “Loomis Fargo,” the latter of which is scheduled for an August 2015 release.

“Baskets” marks the first production between FX and Louis C.K.’s production company, Pig Newton. C.K. co-wrote the pilot episode with Galifianakis and Krisel. The veteran TV director of “Portlandia” and “Saturday Night Live” also directed the pilot episode.