Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton & Charlie Day Ink Big New 3-Year Deal With FX Prods. That Includes 2-Year Renewal Of ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’, Series Pickup Of Tracy Morgan Comedy, Pilot & Script Orders
By NELLIE ANDREEVA
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia masterminds Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton have cemented their status as FX’s MVPs with a massive new three-year deal at FX Prods. for their RCG Prods. It is said to surpass the trio’s previous $50-million three-year deal with FX signed in 2011. Like that deal, the new agreement, which will keep the trio at FX until 2017, includes a two-year renewal of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, which has received 10-episode orders for Season 11 and 12, to not only solidify its status the longest-running live-action comedy series in cable history but also tie My Three Sons for the second- longest running live-action comedy in television history.
Last year, FX flagship comedy series It’s Always Sunny successfully migrated to FXX, helping to launch the new comedy-focused channel and become its cornerstone program. The upcoming 10th season of Sunny will not launch in the fall as previous ones but unspool in January 2015, paired with RCG’s newest series, a comedy created by McElhenney, Day, Howerton, and Sunny writer Rakhe and starring Tracy Morgan. The untitled project, which has received a 10-episode, straight-to-series order, is not related to Morgan’s FX pilot Do Or Die (aka Death Pact), which is not going forward. RCG will serve as executive producers and showrunners on the series along with with Rakhe. Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, who also exec produced Do Or Die, and Nick Frenkel are executive producers.
Also part of the new deal are a blind comedy pilot order and script deals for Harder, written by Scott Marder and Glenn Howerton; We’re Good, Thanks, written by Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Artemis Pebdani and Charlie Day, with Ellis and Pebdani attached to star; and Blow Up Dolls, written by and starring Sarah Solemani. “Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton are three of the most talented comedy writers and producers in our business, not to mention very gifted actors,” said FX’s Nick Grad. “This deal is a testament to their skill, intelligence and work ethic, which combined to earn them one of the best overall deals in TV. Not bad for three guys who shot a pilot ten years ago for $200 and a few pizzas.” Following an inauspicious start, Sunny has grown into a monster property for FX and FX Prods. In addition to being one of ad-supported cable’s highest-rated comedy series among Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and Men 18-34, it became the first basic cable comedy series to land a cable syndication deal on another network (Comedy Central). It is a top DVD seller and among the highest selling in the Fox library. McElhenney, Day and Howerton are repped by WME and 3 Arts.
Dat '90s Simpsons.
