The second-season premiere of FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” featuring Danny DeVito, garnered 1.6 million total viewers Thursday night, 46 percent more than the average audience during the show’s first season.

The second episode, also aired Thursday night, retained almost all of the premiere’s audience, holding on to 1.5 million viewers.

“Sunny” represents an attempt by FX to break a jinx that has kept scripted comedy from growing as a genre on basic cable channels. For the second season, “Sunny” added Mr. DeVito to the cast to help draw a wider viewership, just as the addition of Glenn Close to the cast of FX’s “The Shield” reinvigorated the police drama’s ratings for its fourth season.