It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The show began as a short film idea written by Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton about a man telling his friend he has cancer, while the friend's only intent is on trying to borrow a cup of sugar. This was then developed into a pilot called It's Always Sunny on TV and was shot on a digital camcorder by Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob McElhenney. This pilot was shopped by the actors around various studios, their pitch being simply showing the DVD of the pilot to executives. After viewing the pilot, FX Network ordered the first season. Although it is often stated publicly that the pilot was shot for $200,[1] the makers of the show have claimed that the cost was much lower because the only costs were videotapes.[1] Danny DeVito, who joined the show in season two, said on The Daily Show (August 3, 2006) and on The Late Show with David Letterman (September 6, 2007) that the cost was only $85. This pilot episode's storyline would become that of the fourth episode of the first season, titled "Charlie Has Cancer".
