Danny DeVito has done some absurd things while playing Frank Reynolds inIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Rob McElheny has explained the origin of one of his weirdest stunts. Danny DeVito is an integral part of thecast ofAlways Sunny. He’s responsible for some ofAlways Sunny’s best seasonsand some of its strangest jokes, and we now know how one of them happened.
During a 20th anniversary celebration forIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, whichScreen Rantattended, McElheny and the other creators of the show reminisced about the history of the series. McElheny explained thatthe scene where Frank is sewn into and eventually bursts out of a couch while nude in “A Very Sunny Christmas” came from a combination of nature videos and a news story about drug smuggling.
Rob McElhenney: “I remember coming into the writers room and saying, you know, ‘I watched this nature video recently of a baby antelope being birthed. I don’t know, like, could we do that with Danny?’ And then it turns out we can. And we figured, well, let’s just sew him into a couch.”
Charlie Day: “Well, we’d read an article about people smuggling drugs, sewing themselves into couches.”
Rob McElhenney: “We’re like, oh, that’s something Well, right? So that’s, that’s an example of where we put the cards up, which is like, yeah, birthing, yeah. Oh, these two seem to go together, oh. And also, Christmas, right? Let’s put that in the Christmas episode, and then, and then we’re like, Okay, well, we gotta talk to Danny about it. No problem. ‘Hey, Danny, we want to birth you like a gazelle.’ ‘Done. Where’s the grease?'”
Somehow,McElheny and the other writers ofAlways Sunnymanaged to connect antelope births, using a couch to smuggle drugs, and the season 6 Christmas episode into one of the show’s best and most outrageous moments. It’s also worth noting that the moment made an impression on DeVito, whoexplainedAlways Sunny’s couch scenein 2022.
What The Origin Of Frank’s Couch Scene Means For It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Always Sunny’s Writers Can Find Inspiration From Literally Anything
Getting a glimpse into the creative process Rob McElheny and the other creators ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiais almost as funny as the show itself. It’s clear thatthe writers ofAlways Sunnycan derive comedic inspiration from literally anywhere, even nature videos and absurd news articles. It’s also clear that Danny DeVito will do just about anything for the sake of a good joke.
While this anecdote may be about a 15-year-old scene, it can still say something aboutAlways Sunnyseason 17and beyond.Always Sunnywill basically never run out of jokes because McElheny and the other writers can use anything as inspiration. As long as things keep happening in the world,Always Sunnywill find a way to craft absurd situations out of them.
Our Take On Always Sunny’s Couch Scene Origin
The Inspiration Behind The Couch Scene Adds Another Layer To An Infamous Always Sunny Scene
Frank’s couch scene inIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiaseason 6’s Christmas episode was already one of the show’s most divisive and memorable moments, but knowing how it came about adds something more to it.Whether it was the idea of watching a gazelle being born or Danny DeVito’s willingness to do it, the couch scene seems even funnier now than it did 15 years ago.
It’s also a reminder of just how specialAlways Sunnyis as a show. No other live-action show - and very few animated ones - would think to “birth” DeVito out of a couch. Even fewer would have the guts to actually do it. There’s truly nothing else likeIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, or the minds behind it, out there.
