This Is the ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Writing Rule That’s Saved Years of Rob McElhenney’s Life
The stars and creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia must maintain a strict set of democratic principles to keep the show afloat. Reason will prevail.
As anyone who watched or listened to the unceremoniously concluded Always Sunny Podcast can attest, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day are only slightly less quarrelsome collaborators than their characters in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. However, the three friends who first shot the Always Sunny pilot on a $200 budget over two decades ago maintain their positive personal and working relationships by following rules and procedures that settle disputes, maintain an efficient production schedule and, presumably, assign credit once they reach the arbitration process.
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During McElhenney’s appearance on the popular YouTube talk show/press circuit torture chamber Hot Ones, the Always Sunny star and creator explained the simple rule that has saved him and his two closest collaborators from countless headaches and years of conflict: “Two Against One.”
When Sean Evans asked McElhenney if there are any “foundational” tips that he and his Always Sunny co-stars and co-writers follow to maintain cohesion and prevent creative friction from derailing the series, McElhenney gave us the entirely unsurprising revelation that Paddy's Pub follows the tried-and-true power structure of “ganging up” when differences arise.
“Just like any long-term relationship in your life, whether it’s platonic, romantic, professional, you gotta communicate. And you have to be able to resolve conflict,” McElhenney posited. “Because there’s three of us with (Always Sunny), early on, we realized, ‘Let’s just institute a rule of two against one.’ It sounds silly and simple, but it has been profound.”
McElhenney explained the intention behind “Two Against One,” saying, “The assumption is, ‘Do you trust me? Yes. Do I trust you? Yes.’ And the three of us (McElhenney, Howerton and Day) trust each other, and we trust our taste. So, therefore, if two of us feel strongly about something, the other one has to capitulate no matter what, no questions asked.”
Given that this is Always Sunny that we’re talking about, McElhenney clarified that there is still plenty room for argument in “Two Against One,” saying of the lone dissenter in the scenario, “They get a chance to plead their case, and we all have to remain open-minded. But, if the two of us or the two of them say, ‘No, this is the way we’re going,' *snaps fingers* you move on quickly.”
“It actually defuses so many problems so quickly because you don’t have time …. to negotiate every single thing and you gotta move fast,” McElhenney explained of the making of Always Sunny, saying that the results of “Two Against One” speak for themselves in the fact that McElhenney, Day and Howerton are still working together and haven’t all had heart attacks before they turned 45. “I would actually say that saved years of our lives, emotionally,” McElhenney said.
If The Gang ever implemented such a hard-and-fast conflict resolution system, it certainly would save them plenty of time and emotional energy, but then again, such order would probably neuter every episode plot line in the show’s history. Always Sunny is simply better when everyone lets Mac talk them into denying evolution.
