This Was Television On August 4
2005: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres
The gang at Paddy’s Pub kicked off a string of sordid capering that has lasted for seven seasons and counting. The loosely improvised black comedy was one of the first forays into original sitcoms for FX and became a cornerstone of the cable channel’s brand identity.
Sunny is known for its frequently reprehensible antics and its characters gleeful infliction of physical and emotional pain against one another—though on a channel willing to give Charlie Sheen 100 more episodes in the spotlight, the bar for cynical depravity is almost impossibly high. -A.D.
Today’s Birthdays: Richard Belzer, multiverse Munch (68); Andy Hallett, Caritas keeper (d. 2009); Daniel Dae Kim, DHARMA security (44); Cole & Dylan Sprouse, suite lifers (20); Lauren Tom, Planet Express intern (51).
This Was Television 
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