[Televisionary]

I don't know about you, but I haven't laughed as hard as I did last night a long time. I'm talking of course about the fourth season premiere of FX's deliriously zany comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia , which aired two gleefully inappropriate back-to-back episodes last night ("Mac & Dennis: Manhunters" and "The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis"), the latter of which was written by new writing staff additions Sonny Lee and Patrick Walsh , who also write the series' equally hilarious Paddy's Pub blog . (If you haven't yet checked out Paddy's Pub, please do ASAP. It currently features excerpts from Dennis' erotic memoirs, behind-the-scenes videos, and Ask Dirty Frank.) Last night's painfully funny installments didn't feature the gang learning any valuable life lessons, maturing in any fashion, or throwing off their outmoded ideas about energy consumption, cannibalism, or, well, hunting a man on the streets of

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. I'm in fashion overload after back-to-back episodes last night of Top Model and Project Runway (more on the latter in a bit) but can't say that I am as enthused with either series as I was in the past. Lest you worry about the fate of Joss Whedon's action drama Dollhouse --beset by multiple problems months before the series' launch--you can dismantle the shrine. FOX is said to be still deeply committed to the project. “With months before our broadcast premiere, we have the rare luxury of extra time,” a 20th Century Fox Television spokesman said. “We believe in this show and want to give it every opportunity to succeed.” Let's hope that's true, given the recent reports that the network was decidedly less than pleased with the series' creative direction. ( Entertainment Weekly 's Hollywood Insider ) Meanwhile, FOX must be pleased as punch that its other cult drama Fringe performed so well in its seco

Is it always sunny in Philadelphia? I'm not entirely sure. But what I do know is that I can't get enough of FX's addictively zany comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I had the chance to catch up with Charlie Day, one of the three triple-threats (creator, star, and producer) on the surreal comedy, and asked him how much of Sunny is scripted, how he met co-stars/co-creators Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton, how much the original pilot of It's Always Sunny really cost, and just how one goes about making the disgusting (yet strangely appetizing) Grilled Charlie. So sit back, grab your favorite microbrew at Paddy's, and find out the answers to these and other burning questions. Q: I am wondering if you could speak about what the genesis was for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and also about how much of it is scripted versus improv, because it has a very loose feel to it. It feels like a lot of it is ad-libbed. Charlie Day: Yes. I will speak to the second

I'll admit it: I'm new to the charms of FX's seductively hilarious comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia . I'm not sure how I managed to unknowingly avoid this smart, hip, subversive series, but I'm making up for lost time now in a major way. Sure, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has a certain, er, indescribable quality but that's why I've fallen head over heels in love with the damn thing. It's sort of the warped love child of the absurdity of Arrested Development , the random observations and quirkiness of Seinfeld , and the wackiness of 30 Rock , blended together with a cast of characters that might just very well be the most selfish and stunted on television. I can't get enough. Here's the quick skinny on Sunny : Charlie (Charlie Day), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and Frank (Danny DeVito) own Paddy's Pub, an Irish bar in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. A bar that seemingly no