“The Gang Kicks Off the Sitcom Series”
5:00 PM on a Saturday
In 2023, I went on a sitcom-bingeing spree. I found a sense of comfort in having a show to put on that didn’t require a ton of focus and allowed me to tune in at my own pace. Generally, I define a sitcom in the following terms: entertaining, usually comedy-centric, but with an underlying sense of community or some other such “feel good” tone; a recognizable main cast with strong recurring characters; and, interestingly, a contribution to or a read on the present “real-world” status of (usually) American society and culture. In this series, for each sitcom, I’ll be highlighting a “key episode” I feel encapsulates the spirit of the show, a personal favorite episode, and, lastly, the show’s “key character”—the show’s moral anchor, the character who sheds light on the larger societal implications of the story, and/or the person who joins the rest of the characters together. Bingeing sitcoms hasn’t been empty entertainment; it’s also taught me a lot about character and story.
To start this series off, I’ll be discussing a long-running fan favorite, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Fondly known as Always Sunny among its fandom, the series thus far has spanned 16 seasons and 170 episodes, making it the longest-running live-action American sitcom. It features a group of ne’er-do-wells (canonically, “The Gang”) who run a bar (“Paddy’s Pub”) in the title city. Each episode focuses on one of The Gang’s zany schemes or wild developments in/revelations about their messy social circle.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Runtime: 2005-ongoing
Key Episode: “Chardee MacDennis: The Game of Games”
Plenty of fans of Always Sunny will tell you that Season 7 hosts some of the series’ most iconic episodes, and “Chardee MacDennis: The Game of Games” is no exception. A bottle episode taking place entirely inside Paddy’s Pub, it introduces viewers to the titular board game invented by The Gang, which consists of a combination of drinking, physical rituals, and trivia. There are three levels (Mind, Body, and Spirit, respectively) through which two teams have to progress. The first team to claim the required number of cards for each round, more or less, is claimed the winner. The winning team then gets to destroy the game pieces of the opposing team. Traditionally, Dennis and Dee make up Team Golden Geese, which has an 18-game winning streak, and the opposing team (which we later learn is called the Thunder Men) is commandeered by Mac and Charlie. In this episode, however, Frank, who is a first-time player, is adopted onto Mac and Charlie’s team. Though an extra player would ordinarily be a boon to either team, Frank proves to complicate matters.
I chose this as the key episode for several reasons—it takes place entirely in the bar, contains the entire main cast of characters, and concisely demonstrates the complexity of the relationships between them (Charlie’s dependency on Mac, Dee and Dennis’ sense of intellectual superiority over the others, Frank’s skepticism). It’s also a good canvas for The Gang’s crude, dark sense of humor and the nonsensical rules by which they govern their lives. Frank begins the series outside of The Gang, but is quickly adapted into it—and his inauguration into the game of Chardee MacDennis feels symbolic in that way. The sequel to this episode, “Chardee MacDennis 2: Electric Boogaloo,” is also one of the episodes in which we are reminded that the series is rooted in satire—mainly due to their announcement that some of the cards are “outdated” when Frank identifies Bill Cosby as “a Philadelphia celebrity you would like to have a drink with”.
My Personal Favorite Episode : “Charlie Work”
“Charlie Work” is such an artistic episode. It appears to be one long shot, though the crew has admitted that some camera tricks are necessary to pull off this illusion. This episode centers on Charlie, who is trying to carry Paddy’s Pub through its routine health inspection while juggling the rest of The Gang and their antics and facing down the unexpected complication of a new, no-nonsense health inspector. I was instantly captivated by the artistry paired with the show’s usual sense of off-kilter humor. Charlie Day’s participation in the writing of this episode was pleasantly evident. The title phrase, “Charlie Work,” refers to work that the rest of The Gang considers beneath them; it’s often dirty, strenuous, or otherwise very physical in nature. This leads me to my final point: Charlie Kelly is, in my opinion, the key character in Always Sunny.
Key Character: Charlie Kelly
Even if you’re not familiar with the series, chances are, you’ve seen Charlie Kelly before. He’s the star of the Pepe Silvia meme, which remains in constant circulation. This screengrab was taken from one of Charlie’s most hilarious moments on the show, which also happens to exemplify the loud, eccentric outbursts that have characterized Charlie Day’s performance of the character.
Charlie Kelly isn’t just another funny guy, though. While he’s not the “main” character in Always Sunny, he is arguably the closest thing to a moral high ground The Gang has (I realize that’s not saying much, but bear with me). It’s made clear throughout the series that The Gang barely scrapes by in order to keep the bar open, and if it closed, the show couldn’t continue. Charlie is the one person keeping the bar from going under, and we see in the episode “Charlie Work” that this is no simple task. However, this isn’t done for any monetary gain on Charlie’s part—in fact, it’s revealed in Season 3 that Charlie no longer has any stake in the bar. It seems, then, that he sticks around simply to hang out with the rest of The Gang. Charlie also merges the “family” and “friends” aspects of the show, serving as the honorary son of Frank (who is father figure to Dennis & Dee), close friend to Mac, and even the thin thread holding the Waitress in the picture. In fact, Season 8, we find that Charlie’s interference is basically the only think keeping the Waitress alive and operating (somewhat) smoothly—even though it’s made evident that his stalking is still not a positive quality by any means.
Lastly, the concept of “Charlie Work” underscores a lot of what I believe the show has to say about the values of “the fellow man,” work, money, and social hierarchy: in short, the ordinary working man is fucked, poor people have to rely on one another’s companionship to keep from going insane when even the gig economy can’t save them, the rich are self-interested at the cost of alienating those around them, and, at the end of the day, there’s always a deal of sacrifice that goes into maintaining a “simple” life, whether that means shouldering the lion’s share of responsibilities yourself or finding someone else to do it for you. Oh, and even horrible people need friends.
Final Thoughts
What’s unique about Always Sunny is that it showcases characters who are (somewhat objectively) unlikable. It’s a departure from the classic days of the sitcom, turning the focus from a quirky but lovable cast of characters to a group that, while equally entertaining, has very few redeeming qualities. There’s rarely a genuine moment of connection between characters, and even then, it’s usually underscored by further hilarity. Always Sunny has a unique sense of black comedy that’s quotable, meme-able, and opens the door for criticism of the real-world situations it replicates. It’s also one of the few shows whose humor seems to distinctly evolve over time, shucking off humor that’s purely in poor taste in favor of humor that strikes a balance between dark and provocatively edgy, and I think that’s why its 16-season run seems so effortless—and why I continue to look forward to the next two.