FX has found a new show that will brace nicely with the twisted comedy of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the series about a group of friends who run an unsuccessful Irish bar called Paddy's Pub in South Philadelphia.  The network announced Tuesday at the Television Critics Association press tour that it has ordered 13 episodes of Testees, which is the working title of the new sitcom from Kenny Hotz, writer for South Park, as well as the creator and star of Kenny vs. Spenny.

Testees revolves around two roommates, Peter (Steve Markle) and Ron (Jeff Kassel), who earn a living by working as test subjects for a company called TESTICO.  Throughout the series, the duo will be exposed to a new product and then waiting for the side effects, which are mostly negative, to kick in while trying to lead a normal life.  The show is scheduled to debut on October 9 at 10:30pm, following It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to form a one-hour comedy block on Thursday nights.

"Finding a companion piece for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been challenging, but Testees manages to find its own unique way to be subversive, outrageous, and just plain hilarious," FX executive vice president Nick Grad said in a statement.  "We are proud of what Kenny Hotz achieved the in the pilot, and look forward to seeing where his twisted mind will take us in the series."

In line with this announcement, FX has also picked up 39 more episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which begins its fourth season on September 18.  The show, which stars Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Danny DeVito, has seen ratings growth in each season since its launch in 2005.  The series is now expected to air on FX until at least 2011, with the cast and production team intact.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: FX
(Image courtesy of FX)