It’s hard to believe, but “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has been on FX for 17 years now, bringing a steady stream of anarchy and bodily fluids to TV from the first episode to the latest. Shepherding the motley crew of Paddy’s Pub is the trio of creators Rob Mac (formerly known as Rob McElhenney), Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day, who have led the writing team across all 178 episodes of the series. There is one episode, however, in which the creative reins were handed to a pair of writers who typically write a very different style of TV: “Game of Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Titled “Flowers for Charlie,” the Season 9 episode follows Charlie as he becomes the subject of a medical experiment testing whether a so-called idiot can be turned into a genius through a miracle pill, parodying the Bradley Cooper film “Limitless.” Led by Day’s “Pacific Rim” co-star Burn Gorman and “Interior China” star Jimmy O. Yang, the scientists attempt to turn Charlie into a science prodigy, which initially appears to work. Charlie begins spouting mathematical theories and rehabilitating his life, leaving the rest of the Gang to pick up the slack on all the “Charlie Work” he usually takes care of.
Desperate to get Charlie back to his old self, the gang tries to undermine the test, only for Gorman to reveal the whole “Limitless” pill was a placebo, revealing that Charlie was never actually any smarter. “Stupid science b**** couldn’t even make I more smarter,” Charlie proclaims defiantly as they walk out of the science lab with unearned confidence and joy that everything can return to normal.
The writers formed a creative bromance across both shows
While “Game of Thrones” was never afraid to throw in some humor to lighten the mood across the show’s painfully tense storylines, it is surprising to think that Benioff and Weiss would have an interest in writing a show as anarchic as “It’s Always Sunny.” In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter leading up to the episode’s premiere, Rob Mac explained how it’s a “common misconception about comedy — especially a show like ours — is that it’s just all jokes and that it’s easy to sit down and just write funny things.” He continues, “Ours is a story-driven and character-driven show. It takes a specific structure to execute that, and they have that in spades.”
Charlie Day explained that the storyline was actually Benioff and Weiss’ idea, adding, “It was very flattering how well they knew the show and how well they knew the characters and our structure… It’s as if they knew our secrets.” Mac joked that “It turns out it’s not that hard to do our show,” prompting Day to suggest they should try writing a “Game of Thrones” story in return.
While fans never got an episode of Jon Snow heading to Paddy’s Pub, Benioff and Weiss did appear as bored lifeguards in Season 12’s “The Gang Goes to a Waterpark.” The HBO writers returned the favor and invited Mac to take a quick arrow to the head in the Season 8 premiere of “Game of Thrones.” If only the “Limitless” pill were real, some fans might argue that some of the dumbest moments in “Game of Thrones” could have been avoided.