19th
The $200.00 Cable Pilot
Hulu - It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: History
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (n.b.:noisy) is probably my favorite TV comedy since Arrested Development. It’s wild, reckless, crazy, profane, and increasingly more fun as you get into the tics and traumas of its horribly broken characters.
Also, like the late, lamented AD, it’s a show whose creativity and freshness has roots in both agile writing and a modest budget; depending on who you ask, shooting the IASiP pilot (seen briefly in the excerpted video above), cost somewhere between $85 and $200. Basically the cost of the tape it was shot on.
It’s always hard to know how much of a hagiographic American success story is either retroactive mythology or post-game PR, but if that insane number’s anywhere near the truth, it’s a goddamned inspiring story.
Although I’m personally delighted by how deeply the writers (who are also the show’s actors/producers and creator/director) are willing to push their characters into absurd cartoon territory, Philly’s very much not for everyone. Which makes it even more gratifying that such a longshot niche project could see daylight plus four good seasons on what started as a three-figure budget. Crazy.
Feels like a great time to find a creative niche.
