The gang continues to run Paddy’s Pub over in Philadelphia after 18 years of insane shenanigans and despicable situations. Dennis, Dee, Mac, Charlie, and Frank once again return to the playground of dark humor as season 16 fires away new episodes. So much has changed, but the show never seems to lose its edge, even in the most controversial of times in our world. In other words, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has essentially been itself from the very beginning and has stayed that way.
With 2023 halfway through, the various troubles of the world don’t seem to faze the gang. In fact, we can expect to see our favorite Philadelphia alcoholics for two more seasons at least – a total of 18. Season 16 will come to a close on July 19, 2023, and many interesting situations have occurred for our degenerate Always Sunny crew. So, we wonder, after 15 seasons, what makes It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia so unique, and how does it continue to remain hilarious?
The Gang Continues Their Drunken Carnage on FXX
Ever since its inception, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has raised eyebrows. Before its cleverly named “The Gang Gets Racist” pilot, the show was merely an extremely low-budget short film conceived by Rob McElhenney from one single idea. A friend comes over for sugar, and the other friend says sure. The first friend says he has cancer, and the other friend wants him out since he has his sugar. From there, the dark humor was established, and so was the show’s formula in its beginning stages: super dry humor.
As the series progressed, we were greeted with more bizarre characters. Artemis, Mrs. Mac, Uncle Jack, and so many have made such an impact. Such a powerful one that it doesn’t feel forced. It all feels natural when the characters come together, for better or worse. And the fact that the Always Sunny team keeps bringing back familiar faces, we can’t help but fall even more in love with the dark sitcom.
Now with season 16 underway, the sitcom has made its stapled presence in the world of entertainment. The whole gang is back together again to tackle saucy topics with raunchy humor. It touches on modern topics as any normal sitcom would; it’s the style and presentation that makes it stand out from the crowd.
After 15 seasons, we are still discovering new things about our Always Sunny friends. During the new season, we find out that Charlie’s apartment is a lot more than just one room, Mac has an uncle named Donald McDonald, Charlie has a couple of Instagram influencer sisters, and Dennis is the only male member of the gang (aside from Frank) who didn’t get his first anatomy lesson from a large-breasted animatronic puppet at a family restaurant.
I have laughed and cried my way through the whole series, experiencing the opposite of positive evolution. The disrupting alcoholics of Philadelphia go from one rotten hole to another, all the while cracking jokes in front of and behind the camera.
The basic formula that we see is this in short:
- Dark cold open
- Opening credits
- The gang invests their time into an issue.
- The gang creates more issues on top of the original problem.
- The gang causes the worst imaginable outcome to the situation.
- Credits roll
As the new season’s episodes progress, they provide us with more fresh laughs than we could’ve expected. From what we’ve seen thus far: Dennis is still as psychotic as ever, Frank is a trigger-happy slum lord, Mac is a terrible decision-maker even to the detriment of his own health, Dee is the butt of every crank, prank, and joke in between, and Charlie is…just Charlie, the show’s wild card character that is easily my favorite.
Every great sitcom is known for its continued runs that go on for more than a few seasons. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is one of the most well-known comedies out there. Rob McElhenny, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day, along with Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito, bring their A-game for every single episode. Even when the cast members are embarking on other projects, they dedicate their time to being the weirdos of Always Sunny without fail. The show is still offensive, still raunchy, yet so informational due to its tasty satire and in-your-face humor.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadephia has not lost its touch because the creators truly care about the world of the show. While Rob McElhenny tends to Mythic Quest and Charlie Day provides the voice for Luigi in the Mario movie, the gang still assembles when needed. They continue to share their hilariously wretched personalities and irreverence to this day.
