Latest news with #ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘It's Always Sunny' Is Only Getting Better With Time
In addition to all of the creative superlatives we can lay on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as it approaches the 20th anniversary of its debut in August, the FX comedy has provided perhaps the greatest return on investment in television history. The series' original, unaired pilot episode — made largely because stars Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton weren't happy with the roles they were getting — cost maybe $200, with the bulk of that covering the price of videocassettes. One hundred and seventy episodes and counting later, Sunny itself is still going strong, and the three friends and co-star Kaitlin Olson are all now staples in either film or other television series. That 200 bucks has built a big enough fortune that McElhenney is today a part owner, with Ryan Reynolds, of a Welsh football club that's the subject of another successful, acclaimed FX show, Welcome to Wrexham. How did a scruffy comedy about five of TV's all-time-worst human beings last this long and do so well? In part by embracing the awfulness of the Gang, in part by being much smarter than they are. More from Rolling Stone Frank Reynolds Is the Next 'Golden Bachelor' in 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Season 17 Trailer 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Little People Collector Set Drops Online: Find It in Stock Here Charlotte Nicdao 'Grinds All Night' in 'Mythic Quest' Fourth Season Trailer Sunny's debut in the summer of 2005 didn't suggest that either longevity or greatness were in the offing. FX scheduled it after another new comedy, Starved, about an eating-disorder support group, which seemed to be the channel's higher priority. (Today, the most memorable thing about Starved is that it gave Sterling K. Brown his first series regular role, a decade before This Is Us.) The premiere, 'The Gang Gets Racist,' had the rough shape of the show Sunny became — Charlie (Day) says the n-word, but only when quoting a new Black acquaintance; Dennis (Howerton) is excited by the attention he gets when Paddy's Pub becomes a gay hotspot while Mac (McElhenney) is dismayed with the new clientele — but also seemed to be holding itself back from letting the Gang become truly despicable. It was the arrival of sitcom legend Danny DeVito as the businessman father of Dennis and Sweet Dee (Olson) that not only got the show a second season, but also helped provide a necessary commitment to dark comedy. Frank's presence created a dirtbag feedback loop: The more he came to enjoy the Gang's worst behavior, the worse they began to behave, and the funnier and more pointed Sunny became. It's staggering to try to rank the Gang's worst offenses. Persuading a priest to give up the collar, leading him to become an unhoused crack addict? Burning down various people's homes and businesses? Torturing a little person out of a mistaken belief he was a leprechaun? The implication that Dennis is a sexual predator and/or a serial killer? The magic trick is that Sunny gradually learned how to distinguish its POV from the characters', showing empathy not only for the Gang's victims, but also the Gang itself. It's hard to imagine the show today putting a slur for a developmentally disabled person into an episode title, which happened in a Season Three installment about Dee dating a rapper with a childlike demeanor. (That one's now best remembered for a subplot about the guys launching separate rock bands, which eventually led to the beloved 'The Nightman Cometh' musical episode.) When Mac finally came out of the closet in Season 12, the joke was never that he was gay, but about him being just as clueless as when he was pretending to be straight; the following year ended with a shockingly poignant interpretive-dance number he performed for his homophobic inmate father. The longer Sunny has stuck around, the more it's been willing and able to pull off experiments like that, or 'The Nightman Cometh,' or Season 10's 'Charlie Work,' which was presented as an unbroken take detailing everything Charlie does to keep the bar functioning while the rest of the Gang is focused on misguided schemes. The show has become endlessly memeable, to the point where people who have never watched one minute of it can recognize Charlie ranting in front of a murder board; it's just a lot funnier if you've seen the actual episode ('Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack'), where the Gang gets office jobs for the health insurance, and Charlie becomes convinced there's a company-wide conspiracy about a man named Pepe Silvia. Then there are the gags that should make no sense — Charlie donning a neon-green body stocking at sporting events, calling himself 'Green Man,' or Frank becoming obsessed with a rum-soaked ham during a trip to the Jersey Shore — yet work perfectly because it's clear the Gang doesn't think like normal humans do. Even with a recent crossover with family-friendly Abbott Elementary, Sunny hasn't gone soft — Season 16 included an episode called 'Frank Shoots Every Member of the Gang.' But it increasingly feels free to surprise amid the Gang's usual felonies and misdemeanors. McElhenney likes to joke that the secret to being the longest-running live-action sitcom in TV history is that each season is short. Over 16 seasons, they've made only 170 episodes — fewer than I Love Lucy made in six. But most classic comedies were running on fumes by the time they'd produced half as many installments as Sunny has. It's a show that, after two decades, still demonstrates a level of ingenuity, insightfulness, and perseverance that would feel completely foreign to the Gang. The older they get, the worse the Gang is. For Sunny itself, it's the opposite. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Take the World's Hardest ‘It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Quiz
When It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia debuted on FX in 2005, it arrived with little fanfare and even less polish. Shot on a shoestring budget, the pilot was a scrappy, crude comedy about three narcissistic bar owners in South Philly. Philadelphia Inquirer critic Jonathan Storm called it 'Seinfeld on crack,' but the show slowly built a cult following, thanks in part to its absurd plotlines, and the addition of Danny DeVito in the second season. Two decades later, Always Sunny is the longest-running live-action sitcom in American TV history. Its fans quote it endlessly and enjoy dissecting the show's deep lore. If you're one of them, it's time to put your knowledge of the Gang to the test. Let's see how much you jabronis really know. Zero to 32% correct: Well, at least you're not a nerd … but have you actually watched It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? Or are you just vaguely aware that there's a show with Danny DeVito in it where people yell and drink a lot? No judgment — if you've only seen out-of-context clips of Charlie screaming about 'Pepe Silvia,' you've got a wild ride ahead. We suggest starting with Season Two, Episode Three, 'Dee and Dennis Go on Welfare.' There are 17 seasons of debauchery for you to catch up on. Heads up: It starts off weird, and only gets more bizarre from there. More from Rolling Stone The World's Hardest Beatles 'Abbey Road' Quiz 'It's Always Sunny' Is Only Getting Better With Time Take the World's Hardest Quiz: David Bowie 33 to 64% correct: You've likely browned-out on riot juice and know not to ask too many questions when someone brings up 'the implication.' You may not remember every time the Gang wrecked Dee's car or each of Dennis' sociopathic monologues, but you've seen enough to hold your own at Paddy's. If you want to take your knowledge to the next level, we recommend listening to the It's Always Sunny podcast, hosted by Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob Mac (neé McElhenney). Be warned: The podcast stops near the end of the fifth season, which has left many fans disappointed. 65 to 100% correct: You're basically an honorary member of the Gang. You can quote Dayman in its entirety, you've searched to see if bird law actually exists, and you know the Gang purchased a boat in 'The Gang Buys a Boat' using $2,500 they successfully made from You've earned your place among the most hardcore of Sunny superfans. Celebrate your knowledge with a rum ham, milk steak, and a side of jelly beans, raw. Looking for more Rolling Stone ? Try these: The World's Hardest Taylor Swift QuizThe World's Hardest The Office QuizThe World's Hardest Saturday Night Live QuizThe World's Hardest Billy Joel QuizThe World's Hardest Bob Dylan Quiz The World's Hardest Bruce Springsteen QuizThe World's Hardest U2 QuizThe World's Hardest Pink Floyd QuizThe World's Hardest Rolling Stones QuizThe World's Hardest The Who QuizThe World's Hardest David Bowie QuizThe World's Hardest Beatles 'Abbey Road' Quiz Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘It's Always Sunny' Star Glenn Howerton Wanted Series to End: ‘I Was Aching to Do Other Things'
After 20 years and 17 seasons, it's tough to imagine a world where 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' isn't on television, but there was a point where one member of its reliable ensemble — which consists of Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney (aka Rob Mac), Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito — almost bowed out. At the July 1 PaleyLive 20th anniversary panel (via People), Howerton revealed that prior to the start of Season 12, which broadcast on FXX in 2017, he told the creative team, 'Look, I just don't want to wear out our welcome.' 'I was worried that maybe we had sort of peaked or something, and I just was like, you know, we've been doing this for a long time. And I think I was also anxious,' Howerton said. 'I had not figured out yet how to stretch myself and be able to do other things that I wanted to do with my career outside of the show… I just hadn't figured out how to do that yet. I was aching to do other things, and so I was starting to feel a little boxed in, frankly.' More from IndieWire Quinta Brunson Signals That 'Abbott Elementary' May End Soon: 'Our Show Is Very Time-Consuming' Hollywood Remembers Julian McMahon, Star of 'Nip Tuck,' 'Charmed,' 'Fantastic Four' - 'A Clown Disguised as a Matinee Idol' The cast was insistent, saying that they did not want the show to end. He simply said, 'Oh, well I can't stop you.' 'And then Seasons 13 and 14, I came back as an actor but I wasn't in the writers' room.' Howerton had made appearances in many other series, including 'The Mindy Project' and 'Fargo,' but after he 'figured out how to do that' — meaning juggle additional projects — he would take on such hefty assignments as the sitcom 'A.P. Bio' and films like 'The Hunt' and 'Blackberry.' Meanwhile, 'It's Always Sunny' kept going, and so did he. '[They] just kept writing it and kept writing him in,' McElhenney said, the show's official creator. 'And we're like, he's just gonna eventually say he's coming back. That's what happened.' 'It's Always Sunny' will drop its first two episodes of its 17th season, which will contain eight episodes, on July 9. Its season premiere will include the highly-anticipated second part of a crossover event with fellow Philadelphia-set sitcom 'Abbott Elementary.' An episode of that series with guest appearances from the entire 'Sunny' cast aired on ABC in January. Watch the Season 17 trailer below: Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hitting on Mary Tyler Moore Launched Charlie Day's Career
Charlie Day is obviously best known for playing beloved degenerate Charlie Kelly on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But the actor has appeared in a number of other notable movies and TV shows, including Horrible Bosses, Fool's Paradise and one episode of Law & Order — although he only had a very small part as a helpful witness, unlike Mac, who somehow landed a juicy teen murderer role. But Day's first ever on-screen acting job was in Mary & Rhoda. The 2000 TV movie began as a pilot for a planned reboot of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but CBS ultimately passed on the 'updated' version. 'If you loved The Mary Tyler Moore Show, stay away from Mary & Rhoda,' one review read. During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Day recalled that the role was limited to just one line. His character, named 'Mailroom Kid,' simply had to tell Moore's Mary Richards that she's 'looking fine.' But Day clearly misunderstood the assignment. 'I thought it was supposed to be done sort of sarcastically, cause I'm 20 years old,' Day explained. 'Something like, 'Eh, looking fine, lady.'' When asked how old Moore was at the time, Day replied, 'Seventy… thousand. I don't know.' 'I get down to set, and the director's like, 'So you're really kind of hitting on her,'' Day continued. 'And so I had to do it completely differently.' Clearly pretending to come onto a TV legend in a failed pilot no one remembers worked out great. 'It launched my whole career. I took off!' Day proudly declared. While Day has since become a famous, tuxedo-owning actor, he did entertain taking a similarly minuscule role after being asked to audition for an acclaimed filmmaker. 'It was for something David Fincher was making,' Day told Kimmel. 'But the part was one line. And I was thinking, 'I'm past this.'' But he decided to read for the part anyway, even though the whole job was just to say, 'Heads. No tails!' while someone else flipped a coin. According to Day, the casting director was surprised to see a familiar face trying out for a job that ranked only slightly above 'background extra.' Based on Day's description, the project was likely Mank, Fincher's 2020 biopic about Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz. And the character was probably legendary Hollywood comedian and singer Eddie Cantor. So, even though the part was small, casting a well-known comic actor would have actually made sense. Unfortunately, Day didn't get the gig that he thought was beneath him. Maybe he can return the favor and invite Fincher to apply to guest-direct an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Get more Cracked directly to your inbox. Sign up for Cracked newsletters at Cracked News Letters Signup.
