When measured on a laugh-per-minute capita, I’d bet big on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney being among the funniest couples in all of entertainment. (Co-star Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman may take offense to that.) Ahead of Always Sunny Season 17, Olson continues to flex her series-lead muscles on the 2025 TV schedule as the A+ star of ABC’s trope-bucking dramedy High Potential, and takes comfort in knowing her Mythic Quest-starring significant other is fan.
How does she know he’s a fan when he’s a truly gifted actor who could probably play any role that Daniel Day Lewis could — better even — and could easily just lie about his true feelings? [This message was not paid for by Rob McElhenney.] Because she can tell what’s going on inside his head based on how he reacts as much as what he actually says.
Appearing on Conan Needs a Friend, Olson talked to host Conan O’Brien about her nervousness over tackling a show that appeals to audiences outside her norms, saying:
I was scared to show it to Rob. Rob’s the harshest critic I’ve ever met in my life. And when he liked it, I was like — [fakes crying] — ‘We did it guys. We did it!’
When the former Late Night host inquired about their dynamic as both partners in romance and in comedic employment, Olson pushed away any notions that McElhenney would lie about his opinions just because of their relationship status. If he says he likes something, he does, but in cases where he doesn't have such a positive opinion, he apparently turns into a studio exec. As Olson put it:
Brutally honest. Doesn’t matter if we’re married. He wouldn’t be cruel about it. But he’d say something like…no, you know what he would do? He would give me a million notes, even though it was already finished and edited. He would give me so many notes. . . . 'N-n-n-n-no, just trust me. Just call the editor.'
In comparison, Conan O'Brien says that his wife Liza Powel O'Brien has big and expressive eyes, and he can tell whenever she doesn't fully buy into what he's showing her by way of her eyes suddenly looking a little sadder. But considering the former Simpsons writer is one of the funniest people on the planet, I'm guessing he's only seen her make that expression twice, tops.
I can totally relate to Kaitlin Olson's complicated thoughts about whether her fanbase from Always Sunny and The Mick would stick with her on a series that sticks pretty firmly to network TV traditions as a case-of-the-week procedural. As excited as I was when the show was announced, I absolutely wondered if her talents would get watered down with bad dialogue and crummy plots.
But that thankfully hasn't been the case at all. And even when the lines would likely sound trite or cartoonish coming out of others' mouths, Olson makes it all work incredibly well. So there was really never a reason for her to worry about what Rob McElhenney or anyone else thought. And while I can't confirm how many of the 10+ million viewers watching each week are definitely also It's Always Sunny fans, I'm willing to bet that number is growing bigger each week, and that it'll just keep growing when Season 2 arrives. (Check out the couple's fun exchange when the show was renewed.)
Now for those who are all caught up on episodes, check out what co-star Amirah J. Ava told us about that shocking moment for Taran Killam's Ludo! For those who aren't all caught up, do so with a Hulu subscription, and what's taking you so long?
High Potential airs Tuesday nights on ABC at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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