It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

After four upward seasons of generating great buzz among TV enthusiasts, the prospects for this FX network series about miserable people are extremely bright. Viewers have gravitated to Sunny’s nasty, morally challenged characters who are trying to revive the fortunes of their dive bar, Paddy’s Pub. Creator and star Rob McElhenney (Mac) has an inspired ensemble that gives his comedy a loose, improvisatory feel. He shot the pilot very cheaply on camcorder with cohorts Glenn Howerton (Dennis) and Charlie Day (Charlie). Injected with jolts of anger from Kaitlin Olson (Sweet Dee) and the inimitable Danny DeVito (Frank), the series has unrepentantly tackled such issues as dumpster babies, death faking, and cracking the Liberty Bell.

Photo—Jay Silverman/FX