It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star and creator Rob McElhenney has revealed how they came up with the show’s unusual name.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney, who plays Mac and created, co-developed, and executive produces the show, has revealed the origin of the show's name. The sitcom recently beat the record for longest running live-action comedy, previously held by The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, after its season 15 ended in December 2021. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia has been renewed to go through season 18, gaining a cult following since its start in 2005.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia follows The Gang, a group of ethically questionable narcissists who run an Irish bar called Paddy’s in Philadelphia. The Gang is made up of janitor Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day), bartender Dennis Reynolds, his struggling actress twin Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and Dennis and Dee’s eccentric, rich father Frank (Danny DeVito) alongside McElhenney as Mac. The show has become known for its casts’ performances and dark humor, with The Gang having no shame in doing whatever it takes to get what they want, whether it includes getting addicted to crack cocaine to qualify for welfare or hiding naked inside a couch to eavesdrop on people.
On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, McElhenney revealed that the name It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia happened last minute because they had no other ideas, but knew they wanted it to be difficult to remember. Kumail Nanjiani, who was being interviewed by McElhenney on Kimmel, jokes that the name is what’s been holding the show back from garnering nominations and winning awards. Read McElhenney's explanation for the show's unusual name, below:
"Do you think It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was something we had been mulling on for months? No. It just sort of happened at the last minute… We had no other idea what to call anything. We tried to find the most difficult name to pronounce and remember that we possibly could."
It's Always Sunny has already poked fun at its lack of awards, namely Emmy's, by regularly making meta-jokes about The Gang's inability to win awards. In the season 9 episode, “The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award,” The Gang attempts to get their bar nominated for Best Bar in Philadelphia. The episode makes fun of other shows and sitcoms that have won awards, with the winning bar in the episode devoid of emotion and playing overused pop music.
With the crazy antics of the characters and cast, it is unsurprising that It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia got its name from an uncertain situation and desire to mess with audiences. Although some fans may find it disappointing that there isn’t more to the origin of the show’s name, it adds to the absurd humor the show is known for. Perhaps, McElhenney can shed more light on the making of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia to help pass the time until the series returns to FXX with season 16.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Maegan Kirby is a movie/TV news writer for Screen Rant and based out of Houston, TX. Maegan graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism, writing about life and arts for The Daily Texan while in school. While she is well-versed in wide-variety of movies and TV shows, her long-time favorites include Avatar: The Last Airbender, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings. More recently, Maegan has particularly enjoyed Everything Everywhere All at Once, Attack on Titan, Jordan Peele’s Nope, and American Horror Story.
