TV RCMNDTN: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Revisited
The fifth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia starts tonight on FX at 10pm. This show is so good, we're shoving it down your throats again. Trust in HAWT, readers. You'll love it.
Sometimes there are TV shows that are really, really good that few people watch, and I feel compelled to draw attention to them. Now I have a blog to power that drawing. I drew attention to Arrested Development sans-blog and it, single-handed, pushed the show's canceling back by about 4 minutes, which is like a year in TV time.
The new season of TV is coming back, and because there was a writers' strike in '07, I herald this the first real return in a couple of years. After a healthy stint in Europe (not that there was a day missed on HAWTaction), I'm coming back to two crowded DVR's. I'm giddy, and speed/cup cakes will get me through. (Expect to see a string of TV RCMNDTNs.)
First up in the fall RCMNDTN series is a show that has, understandably, remained hidden on everyone's cable guide. (Who would look for an original comedy on FX?) The show is one of the few original shows in FX's stable, and though FX has received attention for said stable, it goes to dramas like The Shield, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck and Damages. Today, I'm recommending the lone-standing comedy, now in its 4th season. It's a little show called It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Sunny
is... special in every way. It's special in how it was first made.
It's special in how it's written. It's special in how it's acted.
It's special how it puts irreverence on display like it was a green
prophylactic on the Lincoln Memorial. SPECIAL. Let me walk you
through it all.
ORIGINAL POST
October 1, 2008
October 1, 2008
Sometimes there are TV shows that are really, really good that few people watch, and I feel compelled to draw attention to them. Now I have a blog to power that drawing. I drew attention to Arrested Development sans-blog and it, single-handed, pushed the show's canceling back by about 4 minutes, which is like a year in TV time.
The new season of TV is coming back, and because there was a writers' strike in '07, I herald this the first real return in a couple of years. After a healthy stint in Europe (not that there was a day missed on HAWTaction), I'm coming back to two crowded DVR's. I'm giddy, and speed/cup cakes will get me through. (Expect to see a string of TV RCMNDTNs.)
First up in the fall RCMNDTN series is a show that has, understandably, remained hidden on everyone's cable guide. (Who would look for an original comedy on FX?) The show is one of the few original shows in FX's stable, and though FX has received attention for said stable, it goes to dramas like The Shield, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck and Damages. Today, I'm recommending the lone-standing comedy, now in its 4th season. It's a little show called It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Sunny
is... special in every way. It's special in how it was first made.
It's special in how it's written. It's special in how it's acted.
It's special how it puts irreverence on display like it was a green
prophylactic on the Lincoln Memorial. SPECIAL. Let me walk you
through it all.
In 2005, FX was looking to bulk up their original content beyond The
Shield, and they saw a pilot done by a bunch of kids for no more than
$85. $85!!!! For an entire TV show! That's dinner for 4!
Considering J.J. Abrams' pilot for Fringe totaled more than $10MM...
this $85 is a bit of a miracle. Apparently, the only thing they paid
for was the tapes it was filmed on. FX saw the show and snagged it.
The pilot had 4 main characters who run a bar in Philly, each person deeply irreverent. They are unapologetic in their selfishness. They back stab each other at the drop of a hat. If you were handed one of these scripts, you wouldn't believe it could be pulled off, but these actors fall into there roles and make the insanity believable.
FX liked the first season so much, they signed for a second before the first was even done. In the second season, the four characters were joined by Danny DeVito, and the show hasn't looked back since. The fourth season just premiered a couple of weeks ago, and FX has locked them in for three seasons beyond this one. Sunny/Philadelphia still has that low-budget feel where the creators and writers replaced bulky budgets with brilliant awkwardness, irreverence and hilarity. Larry David would feel uncomfortable in this Philadelphia.
Don't believe me? Here are the titles of some of the shows:
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is total, TOTAL HAWTaction [hot ak-shuh
n].
The pilot had 4 main characters who run a bar in Philly, each person deeply irreverent. They are unapologetic in their selfishness. They back stab each other at the drop of a hat. If you were handed one of these scripts, you wouldn't believe it could be pulled off, but these actors fall into there roles and make the insanity believable.
FX liked the first season so much, they signed for a second before the first was even done. In the second season, the four characters were joined by Danny DeVito, and the show hasn't looked back since. The fourth season just premiered a couple of weeks ago, and FX has locked them in for three seasons beyond this one. Sunny/Philadelphia still has that low-budget feel where the creators and writers replaced bulky budgets with brilliant awkwardness, irreverence and hilarity. Larry David would feel uncomfortable in this Philadelphia.
Don't believe me? Here are the titles of some of the shows:
- Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom
- Dennis and Dee Go On Welfare
- The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby
- Frank Sets Sweet Dee on Fire
- Sweet Dee Is Dating a Retarded Person
- Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is total, TOTAL HAWTaction [hot ak-shuh
n].
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