Television's least appreciated great comedy (criminally ignored by the Emmys and the Golden Globes) takes absurdity and cruelty to new heights each season as the gang runs through one ill-fated idea after another.
FXThis is no April Fools’ Day joke: FXX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is making TV history.
The cable network has renewed the series for two additional seasons, taking it through season 14 and tying the Rob McElhenney entry with The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet as the longest-running live-action comedy series in TV history.
With the FXX announcement Friday, Always Sunny has scored its latest multiple-season pickup. The comedy was previously announced for seasons 11 and 12 in 2014. Season 12 will premiere in early 2017, with the two-season renewal taking the comedy through 2019.
The recently concluded 11th season ranked as the top scripted comedy on basic and premium cable among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demo as well as adults 18-34 year-to-date. Season 11 also delivered the series’ best ratings yet on younger-skewing FXX, including a double-digit gain in total viewers. Factoring in seven days of delayed viewing, Sunny improved 8 percent among adults under 50 (1.1 million) and 13 percent among total viewers (1.4 million). Since its debut on FXX in 2013, Sunny has increased its average viewership among adults 18-49 by 17 percent and among total viewers by 24 percent.
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The comedy centers on the misguided dreams and blundered schemes of the gang at Paddy’s Pub: Mac (series creator McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Charlie (Charlie Day), Dee (Kaitlin Olson, who booked a pilot but is expected to continue with the series) and Frank (Danny DeVito). The series is exec produced by McElhenney, Howerton, Day, Michael Rotenberg, Nick Frenkel, Tom Lofaro, Scott Marder and David Hornsby. The show is produced by FX Productions.
For FXX, Sunny is part of a comedy lineup that also includes Man Seeking Woman, You’re the Worst and repeats of the longest-running overall comedy series, The Simpsons.
