It's Always Sunny Once Removed A Distracting Prop And Fans Went Ballistic
In all its years on air, the set of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" has remained basically identical. Paddy's Pub has never undergone renovations, and Charlie has been living in the same rundown apartment since the very first episode. The interior of his home hasn't shifted much, although it did get a briefly lived revamp in season 16. One small piece of set decoration that did disappear, however, has a special story behind it.
In the second season of the show, a painting of a German shepherd decorates the wall of Charlie's apartment. The creators didn't think anything of it while they were shooting the show, but once they got into the editing room, they realized that the painting was a bigger part of the series than they'd anticipated. "That painting was actually in Charlie's apartment during the second season of the show," co-creator, showrunner, and star Rob McElhenney recalled in an interview with Daily Actor. The art was just a random bit of set direction, with no real rhyme or reason behind its inclusion.
But the painting had to go. "We actually were the ones that when we got into editing and we were watching the show — all the episodes of season 2 — that painting stood out to us so much, too much, it was too distracting," McElhenney explained. "We actually said we never want to see that painting again." They made the decision to take it down and "get rid of it," because as McElhenney described, 'It's just a shining, white, weird painting in the background of every Charlie's apartment scene."
Their instinct might have been to discard the painting quietly so it didn't keep drawing the viewer's eye in future scenes, but they would quickly regret their decision.
A painting of a dog drove fans barking mad
As the "It's Always Sunny" creators anticipated, the painting did distract the audience. However, getting rid of the painting without explanation ceased being an option the minute it was hung on the wall of Charlie's apartment in season 2. "We had so many fans and so many comments, asking about it," added co-creator, writer, and star Glenn Howerton. "When we took it down, people were irate."
The fan reaction wasn't what they expected, but it makes sense, doesn't it? The dog painting was so distinct, and the series creators identified that immediately. The very reason why they wanted to get rid of it was the same reason why the audience grew so attached to it. "They were like, what happened to that dog painting?" McElhenney continued. "We loved that dog painting. We kept thinking, the scenes aren't supposed to be about a painting of a dog in the background. We just felt like it was too distracting, but we always wanted to bring it back in some way."
The painting later reappears as an Easter egg in the season 4 finale — a crude rendition of the painting is drawn onto the set of "The Nightman Cometh." Of course, the set is drawn to look like Charlie and Frank's apartment, but the dog painting had been missing for quite some time at that point. While it was a nice wink and a nod to the fans, a wink and a nod wasn't good enough. The painting had to be brought back for one last hurrah before being given a proper burial — in the classic "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" fashion, of course.
In season 8, the painting got the attention it deserved
In the season 8 premiere of "It's Always Sunny," fans finally got some closure on the looming force that was the German shepherd painting in Charlie's apartment. The painting disappeared after season 2, only to finally be brought back in season 8 for an origin story — and to be killed off for good.
Charlie finally reveals that the painting actually comes from a box of Nazi memorabilia that was gifted to him by Dennis and Dee's grandfather in the penultimate episode of season 1. He also claims to have taken it down due to Frank's dislike of its "smug aura." When some internet research suggests that Hitler painted it, they try to track it down and discover that Rickety Cricket sold it to a dentist who, strangely, collects paintings of German shepherds. Charlie steals the original painting back with the intent to destroy it, believing it to be a cursed object that drove the dentist insane. When he finally confesses that he painted it himself, the rest of the gang agrees to let him burn it. Charlie's painting peels off as it burns, revealing a hidden painting underneath it — signed by Adolf Hitler.
Rather than reject the mystery and polarizing attitudes surrounding the painting, the "It's Always Sunny" creators instead decided to lean into it. They could have just ignored the backlash when the painting got taken down or tried to quietly slip it back into Charlie's apartment. Instead, they invented a reason for him to get rid of it — Frank's backlash — a reason to give it a backstory, and a satisfying way to destroy it once and for all. The distracting background prop didn't have to live on, but fans would be satisfied with the way that it finally disappeared. With a series of jokes about Hitler, the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" creators proved that you can, in fact, please everybody.