Matthias Clamer channels Ingmar Bergman for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” photo shoot

Swedish director Ingmar Bergman was known for his “haunting black-and-white elegies on the nature of God and death” and films exploring the “existential terrors” that plague us (nicely put, Criterion Collection), so who better to inspire the key art and publicity images for a comedy series, right? Or, well… We’ll let Matthias Clamer, who channeled the famed auteur for an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia shoot, explain…

“I photographed the cast of Sunny for advertising and publicity for the new season on FX. The theme of the shoot was Ingmar Bergman: complicated relationships, terminal illness, lifelong regret, mental illness, bleakness,” says Matthias. “Stylistically too: stark black and white, spartan interiors, rocky landscapes by the sea.

“All sets were specifically built for the advertising shoot,” he continues. “And the bananas were…just because. After all, why Ingmar Bergman?”

Key art for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” featuring the cast (from left): Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Charlie Day, and Danny DeVito. Photo by Matthias Clamer for FX.