10 TV Shows Made With INSANE Restrictions
4. Adding A Name Actor To The Cast - It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
In the interest of balance, here's a rare example of a TV show being forced to do something which seemed entirely antithetical to its entire ethos, and yet it not only saved the show from cancellation - it made it even better.
In a 2013 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star and co-creator Rob McElhenney revealed that network FX offered them an ultimatum - agree to add a name actor to the main cast, or be cancelled due to low ratings.
McElhenney and co. eventually settled on Danny DeVito, who was introduced in the show's second season as hilariously debased patriarch Frank Reynolds, and while tossing in a screen legend like DeVito could've come off as overpoweringly desperate, he ended up being the essential piece which solidified the show's popularity.
On paper it sounds like a nightmare scenario for a show whose entire identity was incredibly low-budget and punk rock, and yet, DeVito not only boosted It's Always Sunny's ratings - he made the already-great central dynamic pure dynamite.
For once, the network hand-wringing was absolutely on the money.