It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Difference between revisions
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== History == |
== History == |
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The show began as a short film idea written by [[Rob McElhenney]] about a man telling his friend he has [[cancer]], |
The show began as a short film idea written by [[Rob McElhenney]] about a man telling his friend he has [[cancer]], whilst the friend is only intent on trying to borrow some [[sugar]]. This was then developed into a pilot called ''It's Always Sunny on TV'' and was shot on a [[Camcorder|digital camcorder]] by [[Charlie Day]], [[Glenn Howerton]], and Rob McElhenney. This pilot was shopped by the actors around various studios, their [[Pitch (filmmaking)|pitch]] being simply showing the DVD of the pilot to executives. After viewing the pilot, [[FX (TV channel)|FX Network]] ordered the first season. Although it is often stated publicly that the pilot was shot for $200,<ref name=IGN>{{cite web|last=Goldman |first=Eric |url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/715/715238p2.html |title=IGN: ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' Premiere |publisher=Tv.ign.com |date= |accessdate=2009-06-22}}</ref> the makers of the show have claimed that the cost was much lower because the only costs were videotapes.<ref name=IGN /> [[Danny DeVito]], who joined the show in season two, said on ''[[The Daily Show]]'' (August 3, 2006) and on ''The [[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' (September 6, 2007) that the cost was only $85. |
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The first season ran for seven episodes with the season finale airing September 13, 2005. According to McElhenney,<ref name=IGN /> word of mouth on the show was that it was good enough for FX to renew it for a second, which ran from June 29 to August 17, 2006. To boost ratings and achieve more mainstream exposure, Danny DeVito joined the cast in the first episode of the second season, playing the father of Dennis (played by [[Glenn Howerton]]) and Dee (played by [[Kaitlin Olson]]). Reruns of edited first season episodes began airing on FX's parent network, [[Fox Broadcasting|FOX]], in 2006. |
The first season ran for seven episodes with the season finale airing September 13, 2005. According to McElhenney,<ref name=IGN /> word of mouth on the show was that it was good enough for FX to renew it for a second, which ran from June 29 to August 17, 2006. To boost ratings and achieve more mainstream exposure, Danny DeVito joined the cast in the first episode of the second season, playing the father of Dennis (played by [[Glenn Howerton]]) and Dee (played by [[Kaitlin Olson]]). Reruns of edited first season episodes began airing on FX's parent network, [[Fox Broadcasting|FOX]], in 2006. |
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Revision as of 20:13, 20 February 2010
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| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | |
|---|---|
| File:It's Always Sunny Season 1 & 2 DVD Box.jpg Season 1 & 2 DVD Box | |
| Created by | Rob McElhenney |
| Developed by | Rob McElhenney Glenn Howerton |
| Starring | Charlie Day Glenn Howerton Rob McElhenney Kaitlin Olson Danny DeVito (2006 – present) |
| Opening theme | "Temptation Sensation" by Heinz Kiessling |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 58 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | FX |
| Release | August 4, 2005 – present |
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom, which premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. The series was created and developed by Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day, who also star in the show. The series follows the exploits of "The Gang", a group of self-centered friends who run Paddy's Pub, a relatively unsuccessful Irish bar in South Philadelphia.
History
The show began as a short film idea written by Rob McElhenney about a man telling his friend he has cancer, whilst the friend is only intent on trying to borrow some sugar. This was then developed into a pilot called It's Always Sunny on TV and was shot on a digital camcorder by Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob McElhenney. This pilot was shopped by the actors around various studios, their pitch being simply showing the DVD of the pilot to executives. After viewing the pilot, FX Network ordered the first season. Although it is often stated publicly that the pilot was shot for $200,[1] the makers of the show have claimed that the cost was much lower because the only costs were videotapes.[1] Danny DeVito, who joined the show in season two, said on The Daily Show (August 3, 2006) and on The Late Show with David Letterman (September 6, 2007) that the cost was only $85.
The first season ran for seven episodes with the season finale airing September 13, 2005. According to McElhenney,[1] word of mouth on the show was that it was good enough for FX to renew it for a second, which ran from June 29 to August 17, 2006. To boost ratings and achieve more mainstream exposure, Danny DeVito joined the cast in the first episode of the second season, playing the father of Dennis (played by Glenn Howerton) and Dee (played by Kaitlin Olson). Reruns of edited first season episodes began airing on FX's parent network, FOX, in 2006.
On August 18, 2007, a preview episode from a third season episode "Mac is a Serial Killer" appeared on the group's MySpace page. The third season ran from September 13, 2007 to November 15, 2007. On March 5, 2008, FX renewed It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for a fourth season.[2]
On July 15, 2008, it was reported that FX has ordered 39 additional episodes of the series which means that the show will run until at least a seventh season. All remaining seasons will consist of 13 episodes. All five main cast members were secured for the entire scheduled run.[3]
The fifth season premiered on September 17, 2009[4]
Beginning in 2010, Comedy Central will be airing reruns of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.[5]
Synopsis
The series follows The Gang, a group of five alcoholic, unethical underachievers who run Paddy's Pub, a run-down bar in Philadelphia. They are dishonest, selfish, egotistical, and antagonistic, and are often embroiled in controversial issues. Episodes usually find them hatching elaborate schemes, conspiring against one another or others for personal gain or the pleasure of watching their downfall. Their tactics often rely on inflicting emotional and sometimes physical pain on individuals both deserving and undeserving. They regularly use sex to blackmail and manipulate one another and others outside of the group. Their unity is never solid; any of them would quickly dump the others for quick profit or personal gain regardless of the consequences. Almost everything they do results in competition between them.
The title of most episodes is presented as a punchline tying in with the gag in the cold open. For example, in one cold open, Dee protests that whenever Frank hangs out with The Gang, someone gets hurt. Frank disagrees and asks "I'm just palling around with the guys, how's anyone going to get hurt?" Immediately the title card appears, reading "Frank Sets Sweet Dee on Fire". The title appears as the theme song starts, directly before the credits roll. The title is almost always a complete sentence describing the plot of the episode. The wording usually contains either "The Gang" or one of the five by name as the subject of the sentence, such as "The Gang Solves the North Korea Situation" or "Sweet Dee's Dating a Retarded Person".
Cast and characters
Selected guest stars
- Autumn Reeser - appears in "Charlie Wants an Abortion" as Megan, a pro-life activist that Mac meets at a pro-life center.
- Heather Donahue - appears in "Charlie Wants an Abortion" as Stacy Corvelli, a woman who claims Charlie is the father of her son.
- Jaimie Alexander - appears in "Underage Drinking: A National Concern" as Tammy, a high-school student who blackmails Dennis into escorting her to her prom.
- Michael Rosenbaum - appears in "Gun Fever" as Colin, a gun-loving thief who steals from the neighboring bars in Philadelphia by manipulating their female bartenders.
- Dennis Haskins - appears in "Charlie Got Molested" as Coach Murray, who is being prosecuted by the McPoyle brothers; they falsely claim that he molested them back in their school days. Mac makes a notable pass at him to see if he is desirable among pedophiles.
- Eddie Mekka - appears in "Hundred Dollar Baby" as Bobby Thunderson, Frank's old boxing rival from the 1960s, now the father of Dee's new boxing rival.
- Stephen Collins - appears in "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad" as Dennis and Dee's biological father, who contacts them via MySpace. Also appears in "Dennis and Dee's Mom is Dead".
- Faizon Love - appears in "The Gang Gets Invincible" as the head trainer and coach of the Philadelphia Eagles development team.
- Geoffrey Owens - appears in "The Gang Gets Invincible" as himself, hired to play Donovan McNabb. The Gang immediately identify him as a McDonald's spokesperson and "the guy from The Cosby Show, Alvin".
- Richard Ruccolo - appears as a corporate rep in "The Gang Sells Out".
- Judy Greer - appears in "The Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty McGoo" as fashion designer/clothing store owner Ingrid Nelson (aka Fatty McGoo). She is a former schoolmate Dee used to torment—but she used this as inspiration to become far more successful than Dee.
- The Sklar Brothers - appeared in the episode "The Gang Dances Their Asses Off" as the obnoxious radio DJs hosting the Dance Marathon for the bar.
- Fisher Stevens - appears as Lyle Korman, a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer who is kidnapped by The Gang after he gives Paddy's Bar a negative review.
- Sinbad and Rob Thomas - both appear in "Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life". They play fictionalized versions of themselves as fellow patients Dennis encounters after being dumped outside a rehab hospital by Frank and Mac, with Sinbad playing a dominant bully and Rob Thomas playing his bitch.
- Jon Runyan - appears as a construction worker interviewed by Sweet Dee in "America's Next Top Paddy's Billboard Contest".
- Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison also make appearances as construction workers in "America's Next Top Paddy's Billboard Contest", performing as radio disk jockeys on 93.3 WMMR in Philadelphia.
- Melanie Lynskey - appears in "The Gang Exploits the Mortgage Crisis" as Kate, a woman who interviews Dee to see if she is appropriate to carry her child as a surrogate.
- Nora Dunn - appears in "The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention" as Donna the maternal aunt of Dennis and Dee.
- Mary Lynn Rajskub - appears in "The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention" as Gail the Snail, the cousin of Dennis and Dee.
- Nick Wechsler - appears in "The Waitress Is Getting Married" as the Waitress' fiancé Brad Fisher. Brad used to suffer from acne and was dumped by both the waitress and Sweet Dee in High School.
- Roddy Piper - appears in "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops" as 'Da Maniac. 'Da Maniac is a old professional wrestler the gang hires to be in their wrestling show.
- Don Frye - appears in "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops" as 'Da Maniac's opponent when the gang attends a wrestling show. Frye was not credited for his role.
- Travis Schuldt - appears in "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops" and "The D.E.N.N.I.S. System" as Ben the Soldier. Ben is a soldier who Dee was talking to over the internet.
- Dennis Hart (actor) - appears in "Charlie Has Cancer" and "The World Series Defence" as 'The Hate Crime Guy'.
- Jill Latiano - appears in "The D.E.N.N.I.S. System" as Caylee. She plays the girl that thwarts Dennis in his system of seduction. She is also Glenn Howerton's wife.
- David Huddleston - appears in "It's a Very Sunny Christmas" as Eugene Hamilton, Frank's former business partner whom Frank scammed out of millions
Episodes
| Season | # Eps | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 7 | August 4, 2005 | September 15, 2005 |
| Season 2 | 10 | June 29, 2006 | August 17, 2006 |
| Season 3 | 15 | September 13, 2007 | November 15, 2007 |
| Season 4 | 13 | September 18, 2008 | November 20, 2008 |
| Season 5 | 13 | September 17, 2009 | December 10, 2009 |
Music
The music used on the show is usually classical or easy listening, such as "Flute Thing", in order to strike an ironic contrast with the show's chaotic nature.
The theme song is a piece of production music called "Temptation Sensation" by German composer Heinz Kiessling. This was originally because of the show's extremely low budget but has since become a trademark of the aforementioned thematic contrast. Additionally, Kiessling's work can also be heard during various scene transitions throughout the show, along with other composers such as Joe Brook ("Moonbeam Kiss") and Karl Grell ("Honey Bunch"). Many of the songs used on the show are found on the album Cafe Romantique, an album of easy listening production tracks collected by Extreme Music.[6]
International broadcast
- In the UK and Ireland, Bravo broadcast the first season in early 2006, with the second season broadcast on Virgin 1 in late 2007 after a rerun of the first season.
- It is also shown in Ireland on channel 3e Wednesdays at 9pm.
- In Sweden and Canada, it airs on Showcase.
- The show premiered in Australia in 2007 on the Seven Network. But as of August 2009 Season 1 has began broadcasting on The Comedy Channel
- C4 airs the show in New Zealand.
- The first season aired in Egypt on Showtime Arabia's ShowComedy in November 2006.
- Airing of the show began on Comedy Central Poland on January 7, 2009.
- The show also began airing on Subtv in Finland under the title Elämää Philadelphiassa ("Life in Philadelphia") in March 2009.
- STAR World airs episodes in India.
- FX airs episodes in Portugal and Brazil.
- Canal+ airs the show in France.
- Comedy Central Germany airs the show in Germany
- Comedy Central airs the show in The Netherlands, Hungary and Poland
- Yes Stars Comedy airs the show in Israel.
- In the Philippines, it airs on Jack TV.
- bTV Comedy airs the show in Bulgaria.
- e2 airs the show in Turkey.
- Viasat 4 and TV3 (Norway) airs the show in Norway
References
- ^ a b c Goldman, Eric. "IGN: ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' Premiere". Tv.ign.com. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
- ^ "'Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Gets Another Season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ "'FX Shows Love for It's Always Sunny". IGN. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- ^ "FX Networks". FX Networks. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
- ^ "'It's Always Sunny' on Comedy Central". Broadcasting & Cable.
- ^ 'Cafe Romantique' at Extreme Music [1]
External links
