BY CAMILA SOSA
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is soon to become one of the longest-running live-action comedy series in cable history after being renewed for yet another two seasons. The show is already, agreeably, the best comedy series in cable history. Okay, the second half of that is more of an opinion, but an indisputable one.
Premiering in 2005, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was created and produced by its very own cast members (Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day). The sitcom features a group of friends who spend the solid part of their day “working” at an Irish pub called Paddy’s. It’s Always Sunny is dark humor at its best; there is no filter. All controversial issues are susceptible to exploitation. Yes, “the gang” does get involved in some questionable circumstances but somehow, they don’t seem disrespectful or inappropriate, just utterly funny.
“The gang” includes Charlie Kelly (Day) a scummy, illiterate man who doesn’t care much about anything except for the cafe waitress girl and bottled glue, Dennis Reynolds (Howerton), the brash, pretentious guy who is convinced that his good looks can get him out of anything, Dennis’ twin Deandra (Kaitlin Olson), aka Sweet Dee, blends right in and sometimes even beats the boys at their very own games, Mac (McElhenney), who doesn’t seem to be a very significant character, and Frank (Danny DeVito), who is supposed to be the fatherly figure but still gets involved in his own set of predicaments.
The most interesting aspect of the sitcom is the clashing of characters. In every single episode, the characters turn against one another and it’s friend against friend, sister against brother, or children against father. The rivalries get pretty intense and, at times, over the top ridiculous. Still, one can’t help but chuckle at the non-stop arguing, sabotaging and all-around maleficent behavior. Their interaction with those outside the group are just as, if not more, interesting. It is through outsiders that the audience is reminded of how morally depraved each of the characters is. These ever changing relationships and interactions leave a lot of space for development, allowing the writing to get progressively better every season. Therefore, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s renewal is exciting for all fans.
