When it comes to displaying the lives small groups of friends hanging out with basically no goals or aspirations– in an entertaining way– TV has found great success over the years. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is one of these shows, one that somehow manages to find stories out of nothing. The five incredibly sociopathic characters that make up the main cast of the show just wrapped up their seventh season, and it was yet another satisfactory one to add to the list.
Creator and star Rob McElhenney put a lot of effort into this seventh season, as can clearly be seen by his new physical appearance. His character Ronald “Mac” McDonald (his full name a new discovery made in the closing episodes) put on nearly 50 pounds of fat in order to “cultivate mass”. In reality, he just likes to eat. One of the funnier aspects of each character is their incredible arrogance and narcissism. Mac likes to consider himself an athlete and martial arts master of sorts, neither of which he is.
Dee Reynolds, played by McElhenney’s off-screen wife Kaitlin Olsen, is the member of the gang that is generally disliked the most by its other members. She constantly takes insults and ridicule from her friends and family, although she is not so innocent herself. She considers herself an aspiring actor, although she has never gone past community theater. And of course, she is just as self absorbed as those around her. Dee’s brother Dennis, played by Glenn Howerton, likes to consider himself the looks of the group, and has the biggest ego on the show. Most of the time he tries to find ways to attract random women through his self-designed “D.E.N.N.I.S. System”, a method for seducing the opposite sex.
And then, there is the inseparable duo Charlie and Frank, played by Charlie Day and Danny DeVito respectively. These two live together, sleep together, and are constantly doing ridiculous and inexplicable things together. Charlie is known for his low level of intelligence and logic, while Frank gets most of his laughs from just being a disgusting human being in general. Some of the funnier scenes on the show stem from the antics that these two create together.
Although it was not life changingly hilarious, the attitudes of the characters alone were enough to keep the seventh season entertaining. No matter what they do, their personalities will add some level of comedy. Episode two, in which the gang took a trip to the Jersey Shore, was probably the funniest of the season. The story revolved around a desperate attempt to relive beloved childhood memories, as well as a rum-soaked ham. It’s a little hard to explain how these things could possibly be related or woven into a story, but then again that’s really how it should be. When it comes to “Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, most of the plotlines are somewhat difficult to explain.
On the season finale that aired mid-December, the episode’s final scene was only fitting. The six gave their high school’s graduating class a little song and dance routine that they saw as magnificently executed and had the crowd roaring. But in reality, they were drunkenly staggering across the floor in their sweat soaked clothes, babbling incoherently. This just about sums up how they see themselves, and how others see them.
The original pilot for the show was made for $85 by McElhenney, Howerton, and Day, and was eventually bought by FX and flourished into season one. Seven years later, all three still write, direct, produce, and have complete control over the direction of the show. This is perhaps what makes it so enjoyable; it is made by average people and is about very below average people. It’s been compared to “Seinfeld” on numerous occasions, which is saying something. As long as the gang keeps up their borderline inhuman indecency, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” will remain one of the funniest shows on television.
