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Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Rob McElhenney and the ‘It's Always Sunny' gang didn't want Danny DeVito to join the record-setting sitcom (exclusive book excerpt)
It's safe to say it wasn't always sunny behind the scenes of a certain beloved sitcom. In her new book, It's (Almost) Always Sunny in Philadelphia: How Three Friends Spent $200 to Create the Longest-Running Live-Action Sitcom in History and Help Build a Network, Gold Derby contributor Kim Potts traces the strange but true history of the show as it prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary. More from Gold Derby As 'The Bear' gets picked up for another season, it sinks to 4th place in our Emmy predictions: Behind the free fall Everything to know about 'The Devil Wears Prada' sequel as filming begins: Who's coming back, who's out, and who's new The brainchild of Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton (collectively known as RCG), It's Always Sunny, which premiered on FX on Aug. 4, 2005, introduced "The Gang," a gaggle of self-centered miscreants running a South Philly dive bar. Potts recounts the low-budget origins of the show, how RCG joined together to craft the pilot and assemble the team, and, in the exclusive excerpt below, how its most famous cast member, Danny DeVito, wasn't quite welcomed with open arms when he joined in the second season. Potts sets up the tale. *** In this excerpt, I write about the role then-president of FX (now chairman of FX Networks) John Landgraf played in bringing Danny DeVito to It's Always Sunny. Landgraf, affectionately known as 'the Mayor of Television' in entertainment media circles, believed DeVito's comedy track record and personal sense of humor made him the perfect A-list candidate to help bolster attention for the then-struggling, low-budget It's Always Sunny. When he pitched the idea to RCG, the response he received left him more than a little surprised. An ultimatum, it seemed, was in order… When Landgraf was hired as the president of entertainment at FX in 2004, The Shield, the network's first breakout series, was already a hit. Michael Chiklis had already won a Best Actor Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for the gritty cop drama's first season. The Shield premiered in 2002 with close to 5 million viewers, and for all of Season 2, it dipped below 3 million just a couple of times. By Season 3, Landgraf 's first at the network, The Shield managed to reach 3 million viewers only once out of 15 episodes. But Landgraf didn't panic. He planned. His solution to the ratings spill: injecting some new blood into the Strike Team, the largely rogue and corrupt Los Angeles police division the series revolved around. But not just anyone would do — Landgraf envisioned A-list talent. At the top of his wish list: Emmy winner and, by then, five-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close. FX was specifically concerned with the dwindling numbers for The Shield's female viewership, and Landgraf and his team were certain Close could help bring them back. Not really expecting her to be interested in a lead role on a basic-cable television series, Landgraf 's office nevertheless reached out to her representatives, who thought it was an interesting idea. So Landgraf, Fox entertainment chairman Peter Liguori, and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan flew to New York, where they spent three hours at Close's Charles Street condo in the West Village, pitching her a lead role on the drama. 'She is as challenging and inspiring as you would expect, peppering us with questions,' Liguori said of the meeting. By the time the trio landed back in L.A., they had gotten the news that Glenn Close was ready to sign on to play new precinct captain Monica Rawling. Her one year on the series earned her lead actress Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and increased the Season 4 ratings by 21 percent over the previous year's numbers. Which got Landgraf thinking... why wouldn't that work for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? Sure, it was a comedy, not one of FX's signature dramas. And Sunny was still a new show, with seven episodes in total to its name, while The Shield had 39 episodes for viewers to get to know the characters and actors who portrayed them. Still, Landgraf had the perfect A-lister in mind to add to The Gang, and unlike the blind shot he took with The Shield, his potential new Sunny star was already a close personal friend and former professional partner. *** Landgraf's last job before joining FX was as a founding partner of Jersey Television, the production company behind, most notably, Reno 911!, the mockumentary-style spoof of Cops. The series, which initially ran on Comedy Central for six seasons, revolved around the outrageous, hapless officers of the sheriff 's department in Reno, Nevada, and the equally outrageous, hapless characters they ran into on the job. One Season 2 episode, called 'Not Without My Mustache,' included two sheriffs helping a teenager lose his virginity with a prostitute, a pair of incestuous siblings trying to dry hump in the back of a sheriff 's car, and another sheriff losing a testicle, as had been predicted by a psychic the day before. Reno 911! was created by Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, and Kerri Kenney (now Kenney-Silver). Its cast was a who's who of some of the best comedy actors working on TV, including the creators, Niecy Nash (now Niecy Nash-Betts), Cedric Yarbrough, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Carlos Alazraqui, with a deep bench of guest stars rivaling several iterations of Saturday Night Live casts. Landgraf was an executive producer on Reno 911!, and therein lies a possible hint as to why he found It's Always Sunny so appealing from the first time he saw the DIY pilot. Just as McElhenney has often said a major motivation for creating Sunny was 'desperation,' as it was a way for him, Day, and Howerton to create work for themselves, Thomas Lennon and company were similarly driven. When a pilot Lennon, Kenney-Silver, and Garant wrote for Fox was canceled as it was about to be filmed, they asked network execs if they could apply the unused portion of the budget to make a pilot for a new series, which became Reno 911! Fox passed on it, too, and it would be two more years be- fore Comedy Central premiered it, in 2003. There is a commonality between the Sunny and Reno creators, of comedy sensibilities and of being proactive and making their own creative opportunities. Other commonalities between Sunny and Reno 911!: the incestuous brother and sister in 'Not Without My Mustache' were played by Day and Ellis, before Sunny, and before they were married in real life. And Landgraf was a cofounder of Jersey Television with his good friend Danny DeVito, the A-lister he thought would make a great addition to the second season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. *** Landgraf knew the outrageous, taboo-poking comedy was right in line with DeVito's own comedy tastes and personal sense of humor, and he was just as confident that McElhenney, Day, and Howerton could write a character that DeVito would find worthy of his time and talents. Landgraf sent DeVito the Season 1 episodes and wasn't totally surprised to find his friend had already seen them. His kids with his wife, Rhea Perlman — Lucy, Grace, and Jake — were big fans and had turned their father on to the series. DeVito was interested in knowing more. Landgraf's next step, a pro forma one he was sure, was to share his idea with RCG. Their reception to adding DeVito to the mix was... unexpected. They said no. Not because they had any doubt about DeVito's talent, obviously. McElhenney in particular was a devoted TV junkie throughout his childhood. He was especially a fan of classic comedies like Family Ties, Cheers, and Taxi. One of the greatest sitcom moments ever, he believed, was from the Taxi pilot, 'Like Father, Like Daughter.' DeVito's character, Louie De Palma, a dispatcher and supervisor for the Sunshine Cab Company, was arguing with his employees when he stepped from the caged office he worked in, revealing to the audience that this belligerent, aggressive man was a foot shorter than the five people standing in front of him. DeVito had built up such a body of work on television (his Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning performance on Taxi), in movies (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Golden Globe–nominated Ruthless People, and Matilda), as a producer (Oscar winners Pulp Fiction and Erin Brockovich), and as a director (The War of the Roses and Throw Momma from the Train) that he had earned a status as nothing less than a Hollywood legend. In spite of all that, and somewhat because of it, McElhenney, Day, and Howerton told their boss that they were not interested in adding DeVito to their show. They knew his work but not his personality or his work habits. What if he came in and threw his experience, his accolades, and his connection to Landgraf around the set? What if he joined the cast and tried to interfere with the creative authority they'd established and sacrificed for? What if he came in and disrupted the chemistry that RCG and Olson had built so quickly during their brief first season? That was just too big of a risk to take. FX executives had shown themselves to be pleased enough with Season 1, and optimistic about the prospects for Season 2, so as the executive producers saw the situation, it was best to leave the cast the way it was. In that case, Landgraf told them, he was no longer interested in airing their series on his network. Umm, wait…, they replied. So when can we meet with Danny DeVito? Season 17 of It's Always Sunny premieres July 9 on FXX and streams July 10 on Hulu. It's (Almost) Always Sunny in Philadelphia by Kim Potts is now available at major booksellers. Best of Gold Derby Cristin Milioti, Amanda Seyfried, Michelle Williams, and the best of our Emmy Limited Series/Movie Actress interviews Paul Giamatti, Stephen Graham, Cooper Koch, and the best of our Emmy Limited Series/Movie Actor interviews Lee Jung-jae, Adam Scott, Noah Wyle, and the best of our Emmy Drama Actor interviews Click here to read the full article.
New York Post
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Danny DeVito nearly died on 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' set: book
The gang turns twenty. TV's most outrageous sitcom 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' is celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer – as the show first premiered on FX in the summer of 2005. Author Kimberly Potts' new book out July 1, 'It's (Almost) Always Sunny in Philadelphia: How Three Friends Spent $200 to Create the Longest-Running Live-Action Sitcom in History and Help Build a Network,' details the show's unlikely rise to prominence and behind the scenes stories. Advertisement Potts, who has also written a book about 'The Brady Bunch,' told The Post that during her research she learned how Danny DeVito nearly died while filming the series. 10 Kimberly Potts' new book about 'It's Always Sunny.' Simon and Schuster 10 Kaitlin Olson as Dee, Rob McElhenney as Mac, Glenn Howerton as Dennis, Danny DeVito as Frank in 'The Gang Goes to Hell: Part 2.' Advertisement During the Season 11 episode 'The Gang Goes to Hell: Part Two,' the group is on a cruise, and are trapped in a room that has a leak. The episode aired on March 9, 2016. 'They're swimming, they keep rising to the top. And to shoot that scene, they were underwater,' Potts explained, noting that the water level is rising. 'At one point, Danny got accidentally kicked, I think, in the shoulder –- close to his head. As I've been told, he nearly drowned,' she added. 'It certainly had everyone afraid he was in trouble.' 10 Danny DeVito as Frank underwater in 'The Gang Goes to Hell: Part 2.' Advertisement 10 Charlie Day as Charlie, Rob McElhenney as Mac, Glenn Howerton as Dennis, Kaitlin Olson as Dee, Danny DeVito as Frank in the episode where DeVito nearly drowned. Created by Rob McElhenney and co-developed by Glenn Howerton, the show follows a group of narcissist and sociopathic friends who own a pub in the titular city: Dennis (Howerton), Charlie (Charlie Day), Mac (McElhenney), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and Dennis and Dee's father, Frank (Danny DeVito). After they rescued DeVito, 'he was very frustrated by that situation,' Potts recalled to The Post. 'He just quietly left, and the day was over for him. So even he has a threshold for how far he's willing to go. But for the overwhelming majority, their experience with him is great,' she acknowledged. 'Kaitlin Olson has called him the happiest person she's ever known.' Advertisement Potts' book details the show's unlikely success story, as the comedy's original pilot cost Day, Howerton, and McElhenney a measly $200 to make. 10 Charlie Day as Charlie, Rob McElhenney as Mac in 'It's Always Sunny.' A few years later by 2009, Comedy Central would pay over $30 million to acquire syndication rights. Potts attributed their success to 'building slowly.' 'In the beginning, FX didn't have a lot of money for marketing, so they'd do those wild creative marketing campaigns with graphics and go to college campuses. They had a huge college and high school fan base. Those people graduated, and now they have [teenage kids] they watch it with.' She also cited how YouTube launched the same year the show did, which helped certain scenes go viral. 10 Author Kimberly Potts. Rashidah DeVore Photography 'With any story like this, certainly there is some luck involved,' she said. 'To do something like this now — in the current climate of TV — I think it would be almost impossible. People don't get the chance to have that time and grow an audience. And gel as a cast and gel with writing staff and show people across several seasons what they can do.' Advertisement So, she said, many factors went into the mix of their unlikely success, including the fact that 'they are legitimately friends in real life.' (McElhenney and Olson also met on the show and have been married since 2008.) 10 Danny DeVito as Frank, Charlie Day as Charlie, Rob McElhenney as Mac, Glenn Howerton as Dennis, Kaitlin Olson as Dee in 'It's Always Sunny.' In 2009, 'It's Always Sunny' even brought a play on tour: 'The Nightman Cometh,' which originated as a play within the show. The cast went to cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Seattle. 'Danny DeVito rented a bus for them, because he thought they should feel like rock stars while doing a tour. He paid out of his own pocket for the tour bus,' Potts explained. Advertisement She explained that this was before 'intense social media.' 10 Glenn Howerton as Dennis, Rob McElhenney as Mac, Kaitlin Olson as Dee. 'He had a bar installed, so they had a great time. They were all surprised when they would [visit these venues] and start to find out how much the show had grown.' That 2009 tour was a game changer for the show's success, since they realized how many fans they had. Advertisement As for when it could end? Howerton recently told The Post that they've discussed a conclusion — but revisit if they should continue 'year by year.' 10 Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito and Charlie Day act during a dance scene on the set of 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' on May 23, 2007. Getty Images 10 Kaitlin Olson as Dee, Glenn Howerton as Dennis, Charlie Day as Charlie, Danny DeVito as Frank, Rob McElhenney as Mac. '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. We have no intention of stopping anytime soon,' he revealed. Advertisement Potts cited cartoons that viewers have jokingly made of the cast doing the show into their old age, with canes and walkers. 'I don't think we're gonna see 'Sunny' Season 50, probably not, anyway,' she reasoned. 'But, can I see there being a Season 25? Maybe. I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility.' Season 17 premieres on Wednesday, July 9 on FXX and Hulu.
