1 Wordiest Show on TV
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the wordiest show on TV, with 176.2 words per minute, making the Rob McElhenney-created FX sitcom the hardest series to follow if you’re watching with subtitles.
2 McElhenney’s Extreme Weight Gain
Rob McElhenney, who plays Mac in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” gained 60 pounds for season 7 because he “thought it would be funny.” He consumed 4,500-6,000 calories per day to maintain this weight, and he described the experience as exhausting and painful to keep up that high of a caloric diet.
3 No Major Emmy Nominations
As of July 2024, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has never won an Emmy. It has never been nominated in a major category, with its three nominations for Outstanding Stunt Coordination being the only ones it has received.
4 Pilot Created on Shoestring Budget
The main cast of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” created the pilot themselves for under $85 before FX picked it up. After struggling as an actor for 10 years, Rob McElhenney wrote the first episode.
5 Sweet Dee Casting Shake-up
During the production of the first season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” Rob McElhenney’s girlfriend, Jordan Reid, was supposed to play Sweet Dee. She invested in creating the pilot, acted in it, and filmed it in her apartment. However, a breakup with McElhenney during production forced her out of the series. Kaitlin Olson took her place in both the show and McElhenney’s life.
6 Original Show Name and Setting
The original plan for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” included the name “It’s Always Sunny on TV.” The characters were supposed to be actors, so this title made sense. FX acquired the show with the stipulation that it should not take place in California or New York. Consequently, they changed the setting to a bar in Philadelphia, but they couldn’t think of a better name, so they went with “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
7 Kristen Wiig Almost Cast
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia nearly cast actress Kristen Wiig as Sweet Dee. Kaitlin Olson and Wiig were both strong contenders for the part, with the role ultimately going to Olson. Later that same year, Kristen Wiig joined SNL.
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8 DIY Opening Credits Sequence
The production budget for the first season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” was so low that the cast shot the opening credits sequence using a digital camera while driving around Philadelphia one night. Charlie Day called it the “cheapest credits ever.”
9 Budget-Friendly Music Choices
Much of the music on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” comes from a stock library due to its tight budget in its first season, including the theme music “Temptation Sensation” by Heinz Kiessling.
10 Married Co-stars Own Bar
In real life, Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson, who portray Mac and Dee on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” are married and co-owners of the bar “Mac’s Tavern” in Philadelphia.
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RE: Fact #18 (Live “Nightman Cometh” Performance) – I can’t help but sing along to all the songs when I rewatch this episode. Even though I usually hate musicals, I really wish I’d seen this one live.
It’s not even just when I’m rewatching, sometimes it just pops into my head and I catch myself singing it. Another great example, in my opinion, is “Psych” the musical, that cast did an awesome job on that one. That being said, yeah, I wish I could have seen this too.
That episode was wild! The song was awesome. Charlie Day is seriously talented, anything he writes is great. I loved the joke about
****SPOILER****
The troll toll. It was super clever. Totally one of those moments you’ll never forget.
RE: Fact #2 (McElhenney’s Extreme Weight Gain) – I’m curious what workout routine he followed to lose so much weight by next season. I’m trying to lose 70 pounds myself.
RE: Fact #12 (Game of Thrones Guest Writers) – The League called their episode that night “Flowers for Taco.”
Taco quit smoking weed.
RE: Fact #25 (Dennis: Sociopath or Killer?) – He’s saying he hasn’t felt anything in like 15 years, even when he got married. He’s all, “The smell, you bitch! You haven’t thought of the smell!” He even knows how serial killers act. “They’re my tools! I need my tools!”
I get that he’s never actually killed anyone, it’s just that he thinks about it a lot. But it all adds up, you know? He’s definitely a sociopath, just one who doesn’t act on his urges.
The whole thing’s a bunch of lies these guys are telling themselves, so I don’t buy Dennis as a reliable narrator. He thinks he’s cold-hearted and a killer, but I don’t think he could actually pull it off.
RE: Fact #24 (Charlie’s “Bad New” Tattoo) – Seriously, I can’t believe how consistent this show is. You think they actually got that tattooed on the actor?
I don’t see him getting a tattoo with a weird spelling and a bad font. Maybe, but it’s not likely.
It’s crazy how much effort they put into this show, you know? Like, they have this whole thing with Rickety Cricket getting hurt more and more, and then there’s Mac being gay and Dennis being a serial killer, plus Charlie’s getting dumber and dumber.
RE: Fact #2 (McElhenney’s Extreme Weight Gain) – Want some of this insulin, man?
You’ve got some Mexican food.
Having trouble breathing? Take a breather, then eat!
RE: Fact #13 (Charlie Day’s Career Choice) – Charlie Day is seriously funny, maybe because of his influence.
He seemed like the perfect addition, but then Frank showed up and… well, let’s just say he stole the show.
Speaking of awesome casts, remember when Dennis was the star of That 80’s Show?
He’s a big part of the main cast, like, duh, he’s gonna have an influence on the show.
Wildcard, bitches
RE: Fact #23 (Dee’s Character Evolution) – The episode “The Gang Misses The Boat” really drives home how crazy the characters have become. Dennis starts it off saying “We’ve all become so goddamn weird” and the whole thing is just them being over-the-top versions of themselves. Dennis went from being the cool guy with a car to a psycho zip tie rapist, Mac went from the party boy to a closeted gay guy, Charlie went from being quirky to a mentally disabled, illiterate maniac, Frank went from being the older quirky guy to a disturbed guy funding their crazy stuff, and Dee went from normal to a depressed wannabe actress who’s always getting abused by the rest of them. It’s a great episode that shows how the characters have changed over the series and how they’re slowly turning into messed up people, and it’s hilarious.
RE: Fact #22 (Guillermo Del Toro’s Cameo) – Wow, I didn’t realize that was Guillermo del Toro.
He was in *Pacific Rim* with Charlie Day.
RE: Fact #21 (Ad-Libbed “So Do” Speech) – Sunny Side Up says Dennis basically made that scene up on the spot. The cuts to Charlie are super quick because he couldn’t stop laughing.
They basically said Charlie was just talking gibberish, the only thing he got right was “thank you.”
RE: Fact #30 (Dennis’ Return to Show) – I wouldn’t know how they’d keep the show going without him. They just click so well, any big changes and it wouldn’t be the same show anymore.
That would be a huge loss for writing.
RE: Fact #1 (Wordiest Show on TV) – They talked about it on their podcast. It was all planned out because that’s how real people actually talk, right? People interrupt, get loud, and it’s never all neat and tidy like most shows. It makes the scenes feel super real and chaotic.
I really love how chaotic IASIP is, but it’s still totally clear what’s going on. It’s awesome how they can have everyone shouting at once and you still understand what they’re saying, it’s so entertaining. ATHF has way less dialogue and it’s harder to follow the story.
Why shorten it like that? Just say Aqua Teen Hunger Force, it’s way easier.
One thing that bugs me about movies and TV shows is when someone cuts another person off, but it’s obvious the person who was talking was about to finish anyway. It’s like they’re always interrupting each other in Always Sunny.
Teaching theatre, I really hate it when students interrupt. It’s tough, though, when they don’t actually want to interrupt the other person so they just kind of trail off or start talking about nothing.
Yeah, I see it too, it’s super obvious – except in IASIP, the character is always actually interrupting the other person.
RE: Fact #28 (Unaired Episode and Plot) – I always thought those scenes where he wasn’t fat were from a cut episode. Maybe they filmed some stuff with Fat Mac and just mixed it all together to make the episode work. I can’t remember where I heard that though, maybe on the commentary or maybe I made it up.
I just found something on factrepublic that says those flashback scenes are actually from an episode they didn’t air from Season 6, called “The Gang Gets Successful”. Apparently, the part where Frank and Dee find Dennis and Charlie high is a mix of old and new footage, you can see part of Mac’s shoulder in the shot. It looks like they were supposed to be in that scene originally.
RE: Fact #18 (Live “Nightman Cometh” Performance) – Dayman, oh Dayman, fighter of the Nightman, champion of the sun! He’s a master of karate and friendship!
RE: Fact #23 (Dee’s Character Evolution) – It’s like, every show does it, right? They start with a bunch of characters and then after a while, the things that make them unique just get turned up to eleven. I think that’s what happened with IASIP. It’s like, once Frank came along and started bankrolling their shenanigans, the other four just went completely off the rails. They’re all stuck in this weird codependent mess and they’ve got money to burn, so of course they’re all super weird.
Dee was supposed to be the voice of reason, but they decided they didn’t want that for the show.
I’m gonna change gears here for a sec, but that’s part of what makes the show so fun. She’s just as awful as everyone else, and they’re constantly making fun of her. Except for “I Love Lucy,” I can’t think of many shows where the main girl doesn’t get a pie in the face at some point.
RE: Fact #7 (Kristen Wiig Almost Cast) – So Rob almost married Kristen Wiig instead of Kaitlin?
“Wait, I thought we were connected!”
“Come on, casting is about getting things right, and you didn’t get me right.”
“You’re a jerk.”
“I know.”
Man, I feel so dumb! I didn’t realize they were married. I’m a big fan of the show.
Charlie’s married to the waitress. Didn’t you read this article?
RE: Fact #16 (Danny DeVito Boosts Ratings) – He said his daughter was a big fan of the show, that’s why he joined. She’s even in one of the episodes!
RE: Fact #7 (Kristen Wiig Almost Cast) – Mac’s girlfriend was supposed to get the part, she’s even in the original YouTube video they made. They broke up before the show was picked up by FX though. She missed out on a lot of money and Mac found his wife.
A cool YouTube video
RE: Fact #12 (Game of Thrones Guest Writers) – It was hilarious when they revealed he wasn’t actually speaking Cantonese at all.
I’m pretty good at Mandarin, and the whole time I was watching, I kept telling my wife, “Wow, I totally understand what his friend is saying, but I’m just missing what he’s saying! Maybe it’s his accent?” By the end, I was starting to feel a little down about my Chinese. But let me tell you, the way they revealed the truth at the end was so hilarious and validating – I’ve rarely felt that good!
So the scientist wasn’t saying anything new, right?
I was wondering if he was basically telling Charlie he was talking nonsense.
RE: Fact #26 (Charlie’s Consistent Wardrobe) – They’re really struggling financially.
It’s a constant cycle of money.
RE: Fact #26 (Charlie’s Consistent Wardrobe) – It’s so cool how they do that, there are tons of other examples. Makes sense, right? I mean, they’re poor, they grew up poor, and most people wear the same clothes all the time. But most shows just skip over that, and everyone’s in a totally different outfit every episode. Sunny’s consistency is awesome.
I was watching season 14 and thought it was weird that Charlie was wearing ripped jeans. Then I realized they’re the same ones he had on when he got caught in the bear trap back in season 13! They really pay attention to detail with stuff like that. It’s the same with the “Bad New” tattoo too.
Charlie Day actually wore his own clothes when they started filming the show, and the character Charlie Kelly still wears them! I mean, how old are those clothes if they were his before the first season?
Same shoes the whole time!
RE: Fact #8 (DIY Opening Credits Sequence) – The crew throws together some opening credits.
That’s a bit of a red flag.
We don’t have to make every joke about that one thing.
RE: Fact #25 (Dennis: Sociopath or Killer?) – He totally wants to be this powerful, intimidating dude like that Patrick Bateman character. He keeps saying he doesn’t have feelings and dropping these weird, vague hints that get people in trouble. Like, remember that documentary episode and the harassment workshop? But then he acts all childish and sensitive when he sees the grave, it’s totally weird.
RE: Fact #11 (Russian Version of Show) – Episode 1: “The Gang Quits Vodka”
RE: Fact #14 (Nightman Cometh Audience Confusion) – This show has so many creative musical numbers, it’s crazy! I was just chatting with a friend about it, and they said there’s enough for a whole album.
RE: Fact #2 (McElhenney’s Extreme Weight Gain) – He was building up a following.
RE: Fact #13 (Charlie Day’s Career Choice) – I used to work for the company that made Naked & Afraid, and they were filming It’s Always Sunny in the same building. I saw Charlie Day there once, and it was weird seeing him in normal clothes, not all messed up.
Don’t ever meet your heroes.
RE: Fact #30 (Dennis’ Return to Show) – I’m so glad! I’d totally watch, but our Golden God hasn’t hit his peak yet and I’m dying to see it happen.
Our Golden God hasn’t hit his peak yet, but I can’t wait to see it when he does.
You’ll know when he does. We’ll all know.
We’ll all get out of here
RE: Fact #8 (DIY Opening Credits Sequence) – That song is probably public domain too.
RE: Fact #29 (Kaitlin Olson’s Real Injury) – From the article
Seriously, she’s amazing for going all out like that. It’s brilliant acting, reminds me of her in that Frankenstein’s monster show. She was so wonderfully weird.
RE: Fact #15 (Impressive One-Take Scene) – I really like that episode, not just because it’s well done, but because it shows how Charlie’s not dumb, he’s just really good at the things he puts his mind to.
RE: Fact #1 (Wordiest Show on TV) – It’s a bit much when all five of them are talking at the same time for ages, though. But the show is mostly just talking, not much else happening, so I guess it makes sense.
They jump in, talking over each other, finishing each other’s sentences. It feels like a real conversation, you know, the kind you’d have with five people who are…well, let’s just say they’re not exactly known for their empathy.
Yeah, it’s pretty chaotic.
RE: Fact #25 (Dennis: Sociopath or Killer?) – You need to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to truly understand them.