Latest news with #GlennHowerton
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Netflix fans left 'sad' after watching 'incredible' real-life drama that's surging charts
Since its launch on Netflix just a few days ago, fans have taken to social media in their masses to air their rave reviews Netflix viewers are absolutely obsessed with the real-life drama BlackBerry as the film rockets up the streaming charts, with fans gushing over their glowing reviews. BlackBerry is a 2023 biographical comedy-drama that follows the meteoric rise and dramatic downfall of the globe's first text messaging smartphone, earning an impressive 97% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie draws inspiration from the gripping true account Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry, penned by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff. Anyone who relished watching The Social Network, which depicts Facebook's accidental birth, would undoubtedly adore this production too. Beginning in 1997, viewers witness BlackBerry co-creators Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson) and Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel), alongside Glenn Howerton portraying ruthless investor Jim Balsillie, reports the Mirror US. The synopsis states: "The true story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone, BlackBerry is a whirlwind ride through a ruthlessly competitive Silicon Valley at breakneck speeds." Since arriving on Netflix just days ago (19 July), fans have flooded social media with overwhelming praise, with some declaring the film left them with "goosebumps" due to its brutal honesty. On the platform X, one viewer shared their glowing review: "Watching BlackBerry on Netflix gave me goosebumps as I did have some of the greatest QWERTY models, from Bold to Passport with unique BBM to text love.." Another fan chimed in: "Rewatched BlackBerry (on Netflix, check it out if you missed it at the time) and Glenn Howerton's performance is just as incredible as I remembered. Like putting a bull shark in a living room fishtank. Unbelievable menace and energy boiling off him at every moment." Others were left feeling nostalgic about the rise and fall of such an iconic product. One comment read: "BlackBerry on Netflix makes me sad how great a phone like that was – and was part of a childhood that allowed us to still feel normal before it all got hectic with smartphones. Great film!" Not only was BlackBerry a hit with viewers, but it also received rave reviews from critics, boasting an impressive 97% Rotten Tomatoes score. Director Matt Johnson has also been praised for his work on the film. The star-studded cast includes BlackBerry co-founders Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, This Is the End, How to Train Your Dragon) and Matt Johnson (The Dirties, Operation Avalanche), with Jim Balsillie played by Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo). Other notable cast members include Rich Sommer, Michael Ironside, Martin Donovan, Michelle Giroux, Sungwon Cho, Mark Critch, Saul Rubinek and Cary Elwes. BlackBerry is available to stream on Netflix now.
Yahoo
2 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
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
After 20 Years, Danny DeVito Says ‘It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Is ‘I Love Lucy' on Acid
'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' has cemented its place in TV history as the longest-running live-action sitcom ever. In honor of 20 years and 17 seasons, Glenn Howerton, Rob Mac, Kaitlin Olson, Charlie Day and Danny DeVito took part in a PaleyLive 20th Anniversary Celebration at the DGA Theater in Hollywood on Tuesday, where they opened up about their FXX show's legacy. More from TheWrap 'The Sandman' Season 2 Review: Netflix Fantasy Braces for a Subversive, Mesmerizing Conclusion Television Academy Foundation Launches 'Access: Behind the Screens' Program With 'Overcompensating' Team How Peacock Hopes to Spin 'Love Island USA' Audience Into Brand-Partnership Gold Netflix Tops Strategic Counsel 'Must Keep TV' List for 6th Consecutive Year 'I feel like we've gotten away with murder. It sounds cheesy, but I feel seen,' Howerton told TheWrap. 'As writers, we've poured our heart and soul into the show and it really is a reflection of our sensibility as work as satirists. The fact that it's been so widely accepted for so many years and still continues to be watched by younger folks is very validating.' 'It's unheard of and extraordinary,' Day said. 'It's a gift horse, and for some reason I don't look in its mouth — that's what they say. I don't know what the gift horse will do to you, but I don't look in its mouth.' Meanwhile, DeVito compared the show to another sitcom staple on the red carpet. 'When I met the guys and Kaitlin, I knew that I was joining something special. And I was right and we've had fun ever since,' he shared. 'Every season is like base-jumping — you just let go and soar, just have an amazing time and ride the waves. The dialogue, the situations … I was a big fan of 'I Love Lucy,' and this is like 'I Love Lucy' on acid. I get to do it all.' Olson also had fond memories of meeting her co-stars. 'I never felt like an outsider, I felt welcomed from the audition. They were so generous with their laughing at everything that I did — all of them, but Glenn specifically just thought I was so funny and always made me feel so welcome,' she said in a post-screening panel. 'I felt like we were a team from the beginning and we all had the same sense of humor. I still, to this day, feel like the luckiest person in the world.' 'We love each other and we love spending time with each other and we love laughing. I never laugh more than when we're in the writers' room, on set or in the editing room,' Mac (née McElhenney) elaborated onstage. 'There have been many times throughout this season when I've found myself crying with laughter. And how often do you get to do that as a 36-year-old man?' He continued, 'We recognize that we're asking people to spend 30 minutes of their day with us. We take that very seriously, so we're going to do everything we possibly can to deliver on the promise of the show.' 'I think the fans know more about the show than we do at this point,' Day also admitted, while Howerton added: 'At this point, we've done so many episodes that it's hard for even us to keep track of what we've done and what we haven't done. Sometimes, I feel like the fans know the show better than we do.' DeVito agreed: 'It's all about the fans. Our fans out there are rabid and I love them and they can tattoo my face anywhere they want.' The Paley Center for Media's PaleyLive 20th Anniversary Celebration event also featured an early screening of the Season 17 premiere — also known as the other half of the show's 'Abbott Elementary' crossover. But which other sitcom would the gang like to work with next? Well, both Day and Howerton had the same answer: 'What We Do in the Shadows.' Meanwhile, DeVito had nothing but praise for the ABC series, saying, 'That was a great experience, working with the 'Abbott' people.' 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Season 17 premieres July 9 on FXX. The post After 20 Years, Danny DeVito Says 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Is 'I Love Lucy' on Acid appeared first on TheWrap.
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
New York Post
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Glenn Howerton nearly quit ‘It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' in shock move: ‘I was worried'
It was the implication. Glenn Howerton, who stars as the sociopathic Dennis Reynolds in the long running sitcom 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia,' revealed that he once almost left the show, which is currently in Season 17. During a recent PaleyLive panel to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary, Howerton, 49, spoke with his co-stars Charlie Day, Danny DeVito, Rob McElhenney, and Kaitlin Olson. Advertisement Howerton, who co-created, writes, and produces on the show in addition to starring on it, said, 'It was actually before we started working on Season 12. I was like, 'Look, I just don't want to wear out our welcome.'' 9 Glenn Howerton attends 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' 20th Anniversary Celebration hosted by The Paley Center For Media at DGA Theater Complex on July 1, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images 9 Kaitlin Olson as Dee, Charlie Day as Charlie, Glenn Howerton as Dennis, Rob McElhenney as Mac in a 2025 episode of, 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.' Patrick McElhenney/FX Advertisement 9 Kaitlin Olson as Dee, Rob McElhenney as Mac, Glenn Howerton as Dennis, Danny DeVito as Frank in a 2015 episode of 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.' The 'Sirens' actor added, '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 continued, '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.' 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia,' which first premiered on FX in 2005 (it currently airs on FXX and Hulu), is about a group of narcissistic and sociopathic friends who run a dive bar in the titular city. Advertisement There's Dennis (Howerton), his sister Dee (Kaitlin Olson), their father Frank (Danny DeVito) and their friends Charlie (Charlie Day) and Mac (Rob McElhenney). 'They were like, 'We don't want to end it,'' Howerton recalled his co-stars saying. 'And I was like, '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.' 9 Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito in a 2016 episode of 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.' ©FX Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection 9 Charlie Day, Danny DeVito, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson and Glenn Howerton at the PaleyLive Program: 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' 20th Anniversary Celebration, July 1, 2025. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock Advertisement 9 Glenn Howerton as Dennis, Rob McElhenney as Mac, Kaitlin Olson as Dee in a 2021 episode of 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.' McElhenney joked that 'there were so many moments' where Howerton tried to quit, but the crew wouldn't 'let him because of the implication,' referring to an iconic Dennis scene from the show where the character states, 'it's the implication.' During an interview with the Post in May, Howerton said the cast has discussed ending the show. 'It's hard to say. It changes often, season to season. There are some seasons where we're like, 'Oh, I can't do this anymore.' But there are other seasons where everyone is just really stoked and excited to be there, and excited to get the opportunity to continue exploring these insane characters in this insane world,' Howerton explained. He added, 'We were quite invigorated this year. So, I think we're just taking it year by year.' 9 Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson and Charlie Day in a 2011 episode of 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.' 9 Glenn Howerton attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation screening and Q&A for 'Sirens' at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Robin Williams Center on May 18, 2025 in New York City. Getty Images 9 Glenn Howerton and Danny Devito in a 2008 episode of, 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.' AP Advertisement The former 'A.P. Bio' star told The Post that after each season, we 'check in with ourselves.' 'We never like to have those conversations about what the future of the show is when we finish a season,' he explained. 'Because that's when we are like, 'Yeah, I'm done. I can't do this anymore.' It's always good to take a couple months off, and then have that conversation, like, 'Do we want to keep going?'' Howerton told The Post that as of 2025, 'We're still having such a blast working with each other. And, there seems to be endless ways to explore the world through these characters. So, we have no intention of stopping anytime soon.'
