Obviously, I’m not first on the wagon to be watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, considering it’s next season will be its fifteenth, but I’ve always had an interest in watching this show, and I suppose I have to start somewhere. Why not start at the beginning?
The beginning for this long-running FX/FXX series started way back in 2005, so the political landscape was different, along with television formatting. Seeing the boxed scene pop up in the first episode was quite the throwback, but it was something incredibly easy (and nostalgic) to get used to. At that point in time, I was in middle school, but you can see that the fashion in the show is teetering on the awfulness of early 2000s garb. Yikes. Either way, it’s incredible to think of the longevity this show has had, especially considering where it started.
With seven half hour (including commercials) episodes that ranged so wildly and inappropriately, that I’m almost surprised it got picked up for a second season (let alone thirteen more). Also surprising, was the lack of Danny Devito, who I thought had been a staple throughout the entire run of the series. Apparently, he shows up at the start of the second season. Either way, I really enjoyed this deplorable bunch of Philly misfits, and it was laugh out loud hilarious to see what antics they could get into each episode.
I feel like I don’t have to go into much detail other than giving the title of the episodes, which basically explain the trajectory of each half hour. The season started with “The Gang Gets Racist” and ended with “Charlie Got Molested.” If you think those bookends are bad, other words that pop up in the names are abortion, cancer, underage drinking, guns, and dead guys. Clearly, they aren’t afraid to tackle taboo topics.
“The Gang” is made up of twins Dennis and “Sweet” Dee along with their friends Mac and Charlie. The three guys own the bar, while Dee bartends. It’s sort of incredible that they make enough money to stay open, but somehow, between their insane daily lives they manage. None of these four are very nice or compassionate, and are typically only looking out for themselves. Dennis and Mac are always competing for women, Charlie is a bit dumb, while Dee is the “straight one” of the bunch, but they all have their moments for sure.
My favorite episode of the season would have to be “The Gang Finds a Dead Guy.” In it, they open the bar to find an old dead guy in one of the booths from the night before. While Charlie gets forced to clean up after he’s removed, Mac and Dennis compete with trying to win over the deceased man’s granddaughter. Seeing that they never really had a connection, Dee decides she wants to visit her Pop Pop in the nursing home. Except she dislikes old people (their see-through hands, specifically), so she makes Charlie tag along. He gets mistaken for Dennis and is recruited to go get a box containing his old uniform that he would eventually like to be buried in. Turns out that it’s a Nazi uniform. Trust me, hilarity ensues.
It’s things like the events that took place in that episode that make the show so appealing. They don’t try and cram too much into the time, but their despicable nature makes them all totally hilarious. And the fact that they are all still so vain and awful even though they generally have terrible luck with anything makes it that much more fun. I really look forward to working through the rest of the seasons to see what cringe-worthy scenarios the gang gets themselves into. If you aren’t too offended by anything, I’d say pop onto Hulu and give these re-runs a chance!