'Sunny's' solid bow looks bright for FX

Sophomore skein gains in numbers

By JOHN DEMPSEY

The second-season preem of FX's 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' drew impressive numbers in the adults 18-49 demo.

The second season of FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" opened Thursday to an average of 1.58 million total viewers for back-to-back half-hour episodes.

Number's modest compared with those for hit FX series like "Nip/Tuck" and "Rescue Me," but it reps a double-digit gain over the satirical sitcom's first-season premiere in August.

Also significant is that 962,000 of the 1.58 million were adults 18-49. If that robust percentage holds for future episodes, it will allow FX to charge a premium for 30-second spots.

Danny DeVito has joined the cast this year. The three stars of the FX Networks production, Rob McElhenny, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton, also are co-exec producers with Michael Rotenberg, Nick Frenkel and Dan Attias.