While McElhenney made a strong argument from the creative standpoint, it was Landgraf's response that proved to be the 'killing blow' in this back-n-forth: he'll have to cancel the show. He's a legend and he's incredibly funny and we love him.' But we felt we had something really special and we really thought maybe bringing a movie star on would ruin the chemistry.'
I said, 'It's nothing personal against Danny DeVito. Landgraf avised McElhenney to bring on someone of 'name' who could help boost the show's presence from a marketing standpoint – suggesting DeVito as he had previously run the actor's prodcution company, Jersey Films.įor McElhenney, the idea of bringing a 'movie star' of any name (nothing personal against DeVito) would prove counter to the chemistry the cast developed during its first season that made the series so unique: When the series premiered in 2005, it do so with the support of FX President John Landgraf and the network – but its freshman year run didn't result in a ton of eyeballs tuning in.
