For the unfamiliar, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia follows a pair of siblings, Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and Dee (Kaitlin Olson), who together with their odd father Frank (Danny DeVito), run a bar in Philadelphia, along with friends Mac (creator Rob McElhenny) and Charlie (Charlie Day). While on most networks this could be the basis of any kooky sit-com, it’s the foundation for the misadventures of a true “basket of deplorables.” These characters are unparalleled in their narcissism and self-serving behavior, always coming up with crackpot schemes to get rich, often destroying the lives of innocent bystanders or recurring characters/human pinatas.
These are people who, in seasons past, wanted to put a dumpster baby they found into a tanning bed to “give it a base” because the casting director for an advert is after someone more ethnic. In another episode, the gang tries to determine whether Dee is dating a man who is mentally disabled or just a hip hop artist. Through these dishonest, petty, ignorant, greedy, characters, the show satirizes sit-com tropes and offers up a social commentary that is perhaps only matched by South Park in current media. It’s smart, hilarious, and often downright offensive.
It’s often the case that the longer a show remains on the air, the harder it is the surprise its viewers or stay fresh. With its eleventh season now coming to home video, and the twelfth on the horizon, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is one of the remarkable few that manages to retain its basic formula while still pushing the envelope.
This season saw Sunny revisiting its past, cleverly achieved through giving Frank a spell of amnesia, playing directly to the idea of repetition and allowing the characters a “do-over” of sorts in regard to old plots. This drives home how much their chemistry and solo work have developed and also, as they repeat the same mistakes, how little their characters have truly changed over the years. It’s brilliantly executed and truly in keeping with their (unchanging) natures. Chardee MacDennis 2: Electric Boogaloo is rather obviously a direct followup to the season 7 episode. Rather that retreading idea, it serves to drive home how the show has had to build layers of filth and insanity on top of one another to top itself, further reinforcing its satire rather than dulling it’s edge. A less indebted effort is Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs, an episode that serves to convey how it’s these individuals, not the grubby area of Philadelphia in which they reside, that are the corrupting influence. Moving the pair to a all-American home and unleashing their behavior in face of it’s mundanity is one of the high points of the season.
The enduring awfulness of these five wretched people is the rotten core of the show. They never learn from their mistakes, burrowing deeper into the holes they dig, and somehow emerging on the other side, delusions intact and ready to go again. They begin (and end) each episode in their shitty pub, only having each other for company. It’s all they deserve, and looking at some of the turgid fare on TV, or social norms today, it’s exactly what we need.
THE PACKAGE:
The DVD release contains all 10 episodes of the eleventh season spread over two discs:
- Chardee MacDennis 2: Electric Boogaloo
- Frank Falls Out the Window
- The Gang Hits the Slopes
- Dee Made a Smut Film
- Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs
- Being Frank
- McPoyle vs. Ponderosa: The Trial of the Century
- Charlie Catches a Leprechaun
- The Gang Goes to Hell: Part 1
- The Gang Goes to Hell: Part 2
THE BOTTOM LINE
While the lack of a hi-definition release and accompanying extras is a shame, there is no denying the quality of the show. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is gloriously savage, and even in its eleventh year showcases impressive creativity and brazen, nihilistic humor. The longer they do this, the bigger their balls seem to get. Long may they continue.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 11 is available on DVD from Jan 3rd.
Get it at Amazon:
[DVD] | [Amazon Video]
