Louis C.K.’s television absence has apparently made viewers’ hearts grow fonder…

After a 19-month break, the 46-year-old Mexican American actor/comedian’s Emmy-winning FX comedy Louie has registered strong numbers in its Season 4 premiere.

The premiere episode saw a 19-percent rise in viewership over the show’s Season 3 average (941,000 vs. 791,000).

Louie was also up 26% in adults 18-49 (635,000 vs. 505,000).

The Season 4 debut of Louie outperformed its half-hour lead-in audience –  9:30 PM’s  Horrible Bosses — by 16% (941,000 vs. 809,000) in total viewers.

The second Louie episode of the new season grew its demo crowd by 3% (651,000 vs. 635,000) compared with the first episode and retained 97% of the overall audience (910,000 vs. 941,000).

Compared with its Season 3 average, Season 4 of Louie is up 17% in overall audience (925,000 vs 791,000) and 27% in the key demo (643,000 vs. 505,000).