Posted in: FX, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: always sunny, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, opinion

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Let's Bring The Gang Back to FX

The call was made back in 2013 to move It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to FXX. Here's why The Gang should be honored with a return to FX.

There's something about FXX's Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito-starring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia that's bothered me over the past few years. For some reason, The Gang crossing over with ABC's Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and William Stanford Davis-starring Abbott Elementary dragged it to the surface. Spoiler? It has nothing to do with the show itself – more about a decision FX Networks made back in 2013 that we would like to see them reverse. That was the year that we learned the show would be coming back for a tenth season – and that it was moving to FXX, a new network set to focus on comedy and a younger demographic than FX. But that was then – and the television industry has been through a lot in nearly 12 years.

As viewership gets polarized between broadcast networks and streaming, cable networks continue to suffer – especially for spinoff networks like MTV2, FXX, and others. With cable staring down an uncertain future, now would be a good time to bring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia back to where it started – FX. Aside from the uncertainty surrounding FXX, the longest-running live-action American sitcom deserves the respect that comes with being an FX show. Because in terms of programming, the FX Networks network (along with the FX on Hulu deal) has put together an impressive lineup over the years – look no further than Shōgun and The Bear. It's only fitting that one of the greatest sitcoms to ever hit our screens has a home there.

As for FXX, here's a thought… BRING BACK THE FRIDAY NIGHT MARATHONS!! Seriously, we do not need to have Family Guy playing on 13 channels at the same time.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Rob McElhenney on Danny DeVito

When the series premiered in 2005, it did so with the support of FX President John Landgraf and the network – but its freshman-year run didn't result in a ton of eyeballs tuning in. Landgraf avised McElhenney to bring on someone of "name" who could help boost the show's presence from a marketing standpoint – suggesting DeVito as he had previously run the actor's production company, Jersey Films. For McElhenney, the idea of bringing a "movie star" of any name (nothing personal against DeVito) would prove counter to the chemistry the cast developed during its first season that made the series so unique.

"We said, 'No'. I said, 'No, thank you. We don't want Danny DeVito'. I said, 'It's nothing personal against Danny DeVito. I grew up watching Danny. He's a legend, and he's incredibly funny, and we love him.' But we felt we had something really special, and we really thought maybe bringing a movie star on would ruin the chemistry," McElhenney explained. While he made a strong argument from the creative standpoint, it was Landgraf's response that proved to be the "killing blow" in this back-n-forth: take the meeting or the show gets canceled. Check out the story below (starting at 4:10), and see the exact moment McElhenney realized you can't worry about chemistry on a show when you might not have a show…

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