TVSquad

One of the few half-hour comedies to hear any good news these days is FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which was just picked up for a third season by the network. Danny Devito has also committed to appear as a series regular for all subsequent seasons. Sunny's third season will consist of 15 new episodes. That's five more than the second, and eight more than the first.

Sunny's pick-up is big news in the television industry for reasons that have nothing to do with Devito, FX's fan base or the reputation of barkeeps in Philly. Sunny is one of basic, ad-supported cable's biggest sitcom successes ever, and its pilot episode is the stuff of industry legend. The episode was shot on a digital camcorder and distributed for amounts that have been said to range from $85-$400. That pilot, which picked up steam via the internet, resulted in the show's creators Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton receiving $400,000 from FX to shoot a first season.

Every time we do a post about The 4400 (or even when we don't do a post about, say, a particular episode), we're always surprised at the number of fans who come out of the woodwork to passionately defend and discuss the program. But it looks like USA is fully aware of this fan base, as they've been very satisfied with the show's ratings for the last three years. Because of this, the cable net is renewing the show for a fourth season, with 13 episodes to be broadcast next summer.

When the show premiered in 2004, it received the highest ratings and biggest audience of any basic cable new-series premiere to that point, so the strong ratings it still receives shouldn't be a surprise. But, compared to other shows on the same network, like Monk, Psych, and even The Dead Zone, the show seems to get little media attention -- at least from the non sci-fi crowd. Maybe it'll finally get the attention it deserves in 2007.