It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Has A Russian Counterpart You've Never Heard Of
When a TV show proves successful in one country, you can count on it being remade for various markets around the world. One example that springs to mind is "The Office," which was endlessly re-envisioned for global audiences after it first became a hit in the UK before successfully transitioning to the U.S. So, it should come as no surprise that "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," which with its 15th season became the longest-running live-action comedy series in American TV history, has received the international remake treatment.
I say it should come as no surprise, but somehow the Russian remake of "It's Always Sunny" is nothing but surprising. "V Moskve Vsegda Solnechno," or "It's Always Sunny in Moscow," was an adaptation of the U.S. series in which Charlie, Mac, Dennis, and Dee were reimagined as Max Borisenko, Roman Makarov, Sergei Kovalev, and Alain Kovalev, respectively. And instead of "The Gang" hanging out at Paddy's Pub, their Russian counterparts frequented a bar called "Philadelphia," an obvious nod to the show's origins.
"It's Always Sunny in Moscow" started airing back in 2014 on Russia's TNT channel. You might notice that I've used the past tense in describing this ill-conceived adaptation, and that's because, as you might have guessed, the show wrapped up after one season.
Glorious fun in beer bar
I'm not sure what the hell is going on in this video but it gives you an idea of the show's tone. The irreverence we've all come to expect from the U.S. version's beloved gang of sociopaths is there. But it's hard to imagine that "It's Always Sunny in Moscow" managed to recreate the surrealist hilarity of the original, especially considering some of its risqué subject matter, which Russian state TV probably wasn't all too enthusiastic about. For some reason, I imagine most of "It's Always Sunny in Moscow" (no, I have not sat through the whole season) being like the "Itchy and Scratchy" replacement, "Worker and Parasite."
On an archived version of the show's official site (via MTV), the translated synopsis reads:
"Strong friendship, true love, devotion to ideals, nobility and dignity, modesty and kindness — all this has nothing to do with the heroes of the series 'It's Always Sunny in Moscow.' Four young heroes: Sergey and Alena Kovalev, Maxim Borisenko and Roman Makarov. They went to school together. They have their own business — a beer bar "Philadelphia". But it brings almost no income. All their plans and hopes — love and money — collapse, colliding with reality."
We're sure these "beer bar" exploits are hilarious, but the show did end after its first season, so either the Russian public just failed to appreciate the genius of "V Moskve Vsegda Solnechno," or the show was about as bad as that Belarusan "Big Bang Theory" rip-off.
Sign me up for Vacations in Mexico
Look, it can't have been easy adapting the wordiest show on TV, so Russia deserves some credit for even trying this one. It's also worth noting that "It's Always Sunny" tells cruel stories without ever becoming cruel itself, which is a tough balancing act that any remake would struggle to recreate. Which, it seems, is exactly what happened in this case, though, again I haven't watched this show and would rather watch an entire season of "Worker and Parasite," if I'm honest.
Thankfully, one daring YouTuber has ventured into the fray so that we don't have to, and reported back that "It's Always Sunny in Moscow" is far from a shot-for-shot remake. Instead, the show's writers make "so many bizarre decisions and changes along the way, completely derailing character arcs and making up brand new plotlines."
Meanwhile, the Russian version of "Everybody Loves Raymond" managed to thrive, becoming the longest-running Russian version of a U.S. show back in 2016 (via The Hollywood Reporter). Interestingly enough, the country has also tried its luck remaking such hit shows as "Married With Children," "How I Met Your Mother," and, incredibly, "Jersey Shore," which in Russia was titled "Vacations in Mexico." Now that I'd watch.