Showcase adds It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to its lineup in april New Programs / Showcase Posted by RAD on Mar 23, 2006 - 04:56 PM Get in touch with your inner egotist. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a new comedy series from FX, centres around the lives of four self-obsessed friends whose warped views and precarious judgment often get them into trouble. Showcase presents the Canadian premiere of seven half-hour episodes, created by and starring Rob McElhenney (Wonder Boys, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing), airing on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT beginning April 26, 2006. The main characters in the series are Mac (McElhenney), Charlie (Charlie Day) and Dennis (Glenn Howerton) – three best friends who own Paddy’s Irish Pub in Philadelphia. Kaitlin Olson (Curb Your Enthusiasm) plays Dennis’ sister, Dee, who works as a bartender at Paddy’s. In each episode, the characters’ self-interest trumps whatever else is going on around them. While their shared goal is to bring the down-and-out bar they own into the black, their best intentions usually succumb to an unending desire to scam one another. In this comedy series, serious issues such as racism, underage drinking, gun control, cancer and death work their way into the skewed universe of these 20-somethings, who mistakenly believe that they are experts in every subject. “The challenging and boundary-pushing nature of this hilarious series is tailor-made for Showcase,” says Tara Ellis, Vice-President of Content. “The topics examined by It’s Always Sunny are highly unorthodox for a comedy, but each episode offers a unique look at the contemporary attitudes, stereotypes and cultural biases that we deal with on a daily basis.” McElhenney, Howerton and Day initially shot a pilot of the show for $200 on a hand-held digital camera and edited it on a home computer. The bulk of the budget is said to have been spent on pizza and gas money. Upon picking up the show for development, FX re-shot the pilot for a significantly higher sum. In Episode One, entitled “The Gang Gets Racist”, the guys hire Dee’s friend Terrell as a promoter for the bar and get more than they bargained for. When the waitress that Charlie has a crush on overhears him making an inappropriate comment, Charlie and Mac seek out new friends to prove that he is not a racist. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is part of the Showcase at 10pm lineup, featuring the best in boundary-pushing television from around the world. (left to right): Rob McElhenney stars as Mac, Kaitlin Olson stars as Dee, Charlie Day stars as Charlie and Glenn Howerton stars as Dennis in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia This article is from CHANNEL CANADA   http://www.channelcanada.com/ The URL for this story is:   http://www.channelcanada.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1289