It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

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It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Season 1 & 2 DVD Box
Format Sitcom
Created by Rob McElhenney
Developed by Rob McElhenney
Glenn Howerton
Starring Charlie Day
Glenn Howerton
Rob McElhenney
Kaitlin Olson
Danny DeVito
Opening theme "Temptation Sensation" by Heinz Kiessling
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 45 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time approx. 21 min.
Broadcast
Original channel FX
Original run August 4, 2005 – present
External links
Official website

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (also known as It's Always Sunny, Always Sunny, or just Sunny) is an American television sitcom created and developed by Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day. It premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. The show follows the exploits of a group of self-centered friends who run Paddy's Pub, an unsuccessful Irish bar in South Philadelphia.

Contents

[edit] History

The show began as a pilot called "It's Always Sunny on TV" and was shot on a digital camcorder by Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenney. After viewing the pilot, FX Network executives ordered the first season. Although it is often stated publicly that the pilot was shot for $200,[1] the makers of the show have claimed that the cost was much lower because the only costs were videotapes.[1] Danny DeVito, who joined the show in Season Two, said on The Daily Show (August 3, 2006) and on The Late Show with David Letterman (September 6, 2007) that the cost was only $85.

The first season ran for seven episodes with the season finale airing September 13, 2005. According to McElhenney,[1] word of mouth on the show was that it was good enough for FX to renew it for a second, which ran from June 29 to August 17, 2006. DeVito joined the cast, playing the father of Dennis (Howerton) and Dee (played by Kaitlin Olson). Reruns of edited first season episodes began airing on FX's parent network, Fox Broadcasting, in 2006.

In the UK and Ireland, Bravo broadcast the first season in early 2006, with the second season broadcast on Virgin 1 in late 2007 after a rerun of the first season. It is also shown in Ireland, Sweden, Israel and Canada where it airs on Showcase. The show also began airing on Subtv in Finland under the title Elämää Philadelphiassa ("Life in Philadelphia") in March 2009. The show premiered in Australia in 2007 on the Seven Network. Seven recently began airing season 2 at 11.30 pm Sundays. The first season aired in the Arab world on Showtime Arabia's Paramount Comedy Channel in November 2006. Airing of the show began on Comedy Central Poland on January 7, 2009.

On August 18, 2007, a preview episode from a third-season episode "Mac is a Serial Killer" appeared on the group's MySpace page. The third season ran from September 13, 2007 to November 15, 2007. On March 5, 2008, FX renewed It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for a fourth season.[2]

On July 15, 2008, it was reported that FX has ordered 39 additional episodes of the series (on top of the 13 being developed for Season 4) which, according to IGN, means that the show will run until a seventh season at least. All five main cast members were secured for the entire scheduled run.[3]

[edit] Cast and characters

Each character can be described as dishonest, egotistical, and antagonistic. At varying times members have lied for the sake of personal gain. In most episodes these character flaws result in unhappy endings for the main characters as well as the innocent bystanders caught in their path. Conflicts that arise from their mutually competitive natures are the basis for many plots. This has ranged from the guys competing over women, Dee trying to prove she is as strong or competent as the others, the gang competing over who can steal more things, or even who in the gang can amass the most religious followers. In almost every episode, the entire gang, or most of the gang, gets into an arguing match in which they try to shout over each other. Most of the dialogue consists of the characters arguing with each another. Notable instances include the fight in Paddy's bathroom between Charlie and Dennis and the entire gang arguing over who might have been responsible for their potential deaths in "Charlie Gets Crippled". The gang can also often be seen squabbling and generally acting rude and unprofessionally when seated in front of someone's desk in a professional environment, such as a lawyer ("Dennis and Dee's Mom is Dead"), a businessman ("The Gang Sells Out") or a banker ("The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis").

The gang tends to flee confrontations constantly throughout the show. In the episode "Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare", Mac and Charlie are unable to pay off their hired prostitutes, and are forced to "handle this situation the way we handle every situation"—by running away.

[edit] "The Gang"

  • Glenn Howerton as Dennis R. Reynolds: Dennis is Paddy's co-owner and Dee's twin brother. He is a vain, self-absorbed prep and a self-described "ladies' man". He will often manipulate women into sleeping with him and go out of his way to make other men jealous. Dennis' self-esteem is derived chiefly from his appearance, and he takes criticism of his looks very poorly. He frequently pops his shirt off without hesitation, believing that his physique impresses people and diffuses conflicts. Dennis was popular in high school, but his prom date dumped him for another man. Despite making less than $400 a week at the bar, his family's wealth enables Dennis to wear stylish clothing and drive a Range Rover. He's the most educated of the gang, having earned good grades at the University of Pennsylvania and minored in psychology, though his original ambition was to become a veterinarian. He listens to glam rock, and displays some ability to sing in a falsetto voice wearing silver spandex. He also has some artistic talent, drawing cartoonish, large-breasted women which Charlie finds enticing. Dennis can occasionally be seen smoking cigarettes, which offends Charlie and Dee. Unlike Charlie and Mac, Dennis is clean shaven and does not display any five o'clock shadow. Also, the pubic hair on his testicles have been lasered off ("It's like a turtle shell down there"). He has a drawer full of sex tapes he made with his presumably unwitting partners, one of which was The Waitress.
  • Kaitlin Olson as Deandra[4] "Sweet Dee" Reynolds: Dee is Dennis's twin sister and a bartender at Paddy's. She dropped out of Penn (where she had majored in psychology but failed her classes) to become an actress, but has put little effort into realizing her ambition. Although she identifies herself as a compassionate liberal, she is self-centered and often holds the same prejudices as the rest of the gang. She is highly sensitive about her appearance and her professional failings. She was unpopular in high school due to her severe scoliosis, which forced her to wear a back brace and earned her the nickname "The Aluminum Monster". Since high school, she has had a long string of failed relationships. Like the other members of the gang, she drinks heavily, especially to calm herself after meeting an attractive man. She also harbors a phobia regarding the elderly. Despite her many insecurities, Dee is aggressively outspoken and prone to violence when angered. Dee was the only major character in the show to be conceived without an actor in mind. Although Deandra was originally written as a female voice of sanity to contrast with her ill-intentioned co-stars, the character quickly became an equal participant in the gang's illicit and morally questionable activities when Olson was cast. She is consistently criticized and belittled by the gang for her looks (often comparing her to a giant bird), lack of talent, and the mere fact that she is a woman. Her ideas will often be ridiculed by the rest of the gang, but they enthusiastically agree if the exact same idea is presented immediately after by someone else. In her mother's will, Deandra was told that she was a disappointment and a mistake even though she was a twin. There is a subtle, running gag throughout the show in which Sweet Dee will exaggeratedly kick into the air, usually when she is angered or frustrated. [5]
  • Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly: Mac's childhood friend and a co-owner of Paddy's. Arguably the unhappiest and most pathetic member of the gang, Charlie is a volatile loser who displays little ability to cope with day-to-day problems and is prone to Bobcat Goldthwait-styled outbursts. He also has poor hygiene, lives in squalor, and frequently abuses inhalants. Several characters refer to his dingy apartment as a "shithole." Even though he's a co-owner of Paddy's there is a running joke that he literally never has any money and often asks the others to lend him money. His poverty is in part caused by a tendency to make "bad investments," at one point selling several shares of Paddy's to Mac for half a sandwich. Throughout the show, Charlie shows signs of learning disabilities, including dyslexia, and is often accused of being illiterate and "retarded" by other characters (his character is usually unable to read or write). He is sometimes unable to comprehend what people are talking about, and has a poor grasp of history and current events. All of the most tedious and disgusting tasks at the bar are referred to as "Charlie Work", even when he is temporarily spared from performing them. Mac and Dennis frequently manipulate him into tests of his fortitude, and consider him to be almost impossible to injure. Charlie has no success in dating, and harbors an unrequited crush on "The Waitress." It is revealed in Season 4 that he employs a spy in order to track The Waitress' whereabouts. He cooks on the hotplate in his apartment, plays the piano, and is adept at carpentry (as revealed in "The Gang Exploits a Miracle") and sewing (as revealed in "The Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty McGoo"), which allows him to maintain the few pieces of clothing that he owns. He also exhibits a flair for dressing in costumes and assuming other personae, including the enigmatic "Green Man," the film character Serpico, and "Texas Charlie." In the season three premiere Charlie's mother reveals that he was the survivor of a failed abortion attempt. Along with Dee, he has consumed raccoon meat, nearly ate a dead person, and seriously considered killing and eating a person ("Mac and Dennis: Manhunters").
  • Rob McElhenney as Mac: Mac is Charlie's friend from childhood and Dennis' high school friend, later roommate. He is co-owner of Paddy's and generally the pub's most active manager. He comes from a broken home; his father is an incarcerated meth dealer, and his mother is extremely apathetic. Mac constantly seeks the acceptance of others, especially his parents, but his over-earnest efforts make him come off as an "asshole." Dennis notes that he only hung out with the popular kids because he sold them pot, and even then was considered a jerk. Mac also makes frequent attempts to be "hard", sometimes to impress his criminal father, but he generally flees from confrontation and fares poorly in fights. He believes he is an adept martial artist and bouncer, often attempting idiotic stunts and wearing sleeveless shirts in order to prove his physical prowess. Mac is Catholic and the only member of the group to profess a religious faith. While he feels a certain sense of social responsibility on issues such as abortion, community activism and raising babies, he has equally large moral voids. His full name is currently unknown, although the Season Four episode "The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell" suggests that it may be McDonald/MacDonald. It can be seen however, on the parole papers in the episode Mac & Charlie Die part 1, that Mac's father's name is Luther Mac. Mac's signature line — "What's up, bitches?" — is heard in numerous episodes.
  • Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds: Frank is the legal father but not the biological father of Dennis and Dee. He was a successful businessman and has a long history of illegal operations and diabolical schemes. He was introduced in the first episode of the second season as a man undergoing a midlife crisis. He divorced Dennis and Dee's mother and decided to join in his children's lazy, scheming lifestyle. Frank became co-owner of Paddy's by purchasing the land underneath it, and used this leverage to forcibly join the gang. Frank styles himself a master manipulator and frequently takes the lead in the group's schemes. Frank has known many sordid characters throughout his life and around town, including a ring of Asian gamblers and various criminals and gangsters. He shares an apartment and a bed with Charlie. He claims to have his children's best interests at heart but frequently exploits and insults them. Over the course of the show, he ceases to be a father figure to Dennis and Dee and is instead merely part of the gang. In the second season, it is revealed that Frank is possibly Charlie's deadbeat father, due to Frank's one-night stand with Charlie's mom 30 years before. Frank claims he was never told of Charlie's birth. He says he went to Vietnam, leading people to believe he was a soldier, but Dee reminds him that he went to Vietnam in 1993 to open a sweatshop ("And a lot of good men died in that sweatshop!"). Dennis has remarked that Frank tells stories of his life that are directly out of Rambo, evidence of which is seen in the episode "Mac and Dennis: Manhunters". During the same episode, he also claims to have "a guy for everything", in convincing Dee and Charlie that they consumed human meat.

[edit] Friends and enemies

  • Mary Elizabeth Ellis as The Waitress: The most frequently recurring character outside of the gang, The Waitress works at a coffee shop not far from Paddy's. She is a recovering alcoholic with whom Charlie is madly in love. The Waitress has no interest in Charlie, but harbors an unrequited crush on Dennis. Charlie goes to great lengths to woo her, while she goes to great lengths to attract Dennis's attention. Because of this, she is often the victim of Dennis and Dee's manipulative schemes. As a recurring joke, none of the characters seems to know her real name, and she is simply referred to as "The Waitress". One of the only clues to her real name is that it doesn't start with "W". Actress Mary Elizabeth Ellis is Charlie Day's actual wife.
  • Nate Mooney and Jimmi Simpson as Ryan and Liam McPoyle, respectively: Creepy former elementary school classmates of Mac and Charlie. It is strongly implied that the two brothers have an incestuous relationship with each other and their mute sister Margaret (Thesy Surface). They have numerous other siblings (all noticeable from their unibrow, acne and eczema) numbering around 14 as seen in "The Gang Gets Invincible" including "Doyle McPoyle". They are enemies with Charlie since he foiled their plan to become rich through a false molestation lawsuit against the school district and with the rest of the gang for ruining Doyle's chance to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. They take revenge in the episode "The Gang Gets Held Hostage" by faking a raid on their bar. The McPoyle's also have a strange obsession with milk, which was a characteristic created by actor Jimmi Simpson.
  • Artemis Pebdani as Artemis: A friend of Dee's from her acting classes, Artemis is overly serious about her craft and displays bizarre habits and outbursts. She is one of the only characters that is Dee's friend, the other being Gary, Dee's neighbour who turned out to be a serial killer. Artemis has a notable appearance in Season Four's "Who Pooped the Bed," in which she announces in a crowded nightclub that she has a "bleached asshole" and that she is going to attract men by taking off her bra, to "blast my nips."
  • Brittany Daniel as Carmen: The pre-op male-to-female transsexual Mac dates (to his nervous embarrassment) in the season one episode "Charlie Has Cancer" and two seasons later in the episode "Mac Is a Serial Killer". She is gorgeous but displays an obvious bulge in her pants.
  • David Hornsby as Matthew Mara/Rickety Cricket/Street Rat: An old classmate of the gang who was forced to wear humiliating giant leg braces in high school. He first appears in "The Gang Exploits a Miracle" as a priest and reveals that he continues to harbor his high school crush on Dee. He admits he was convinced to eat horse feces for a chance to kiss Dee, which he was denied since "his breath smelled like shit." Thanks to the Gang, he becomes homeless and develops a cocaine addiction through Dee and Charlie, as well as a vendetta against the gang after having his legs broken. Mac and Dennis have a penchant for teabagging Cricket, and have been doing this to him, off and on, since high school. Dennis claims to have a shoebox full of pictures of him and Mac doing this.

[edit] Parents

  • Anne Archer as Barbara Reynolds: Frank's gold-digging ex-wife and the mother of Dennis and Dee. She is a cold, cruel, and selfish woman with little affection for her family. The finale of season two revealed that Barbara tricked Frank into raising the twins because she thought he was wealthier than Dennis and Dee's biological father, Bruce Mathis (Stephen Collins). She has a vindictive streak, sleeping with Mac solely to make Frank jealous, and cutting her daughter out of her will and claiming she was a mistake (even though Dennis and Dee are twins). She passes away due to a botched neck-lift in the third season.
  • Stephen Collins as Bruce Mathis. The antithesis of Frank Reynolds, Bruce is Dennis and Dee's biological father. Bruce devotes his time and money to charities and philanthropic efforts, including adopting several suffering children in Africa. Because of his good nature, Dennis and Dee are unable to have a successful relationship with him. He first appears in Episode 210, "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad". He later appears in Episode 303, "Dennis and Dee's Mom is Dead", in which he inherits Barbara's fortune.
  • Lynne Marie Stewart as Bonnie Kelly: Charlie's mom, a sweet and timid woman who is attracted to cruel men. She had a one-night stand with Frank Reynolds 30 years ago, possibly making him the biological father of Charlie. She later reconnects with Frank, enjoying his harsh treatment and becoming his "bang-maid", but quickly transfers her affections to the intimidating Luther after meeting him at a dinner party.
  • Gregory Scott Cummins as Luther: Mac's father and a convicted felon. In his first appearance in the episode "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad", Mac and Charlie visit him in prison to bond with him, and he attempts to get them to smuggle heroin into the prison. He plays a larger role in "Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender", this time out on parole and convincing Mac to help him "take care of some people." He is tall, has numerous tattoos, and he never blinks. This gives him a generally intimidating appearance. The warm and gentle Bonnie Kelly is attracted to Luther's aloof behavior and criminal past. Charlie and Mac later try (and fail) to sabotage Luther's parole. Luther forgives Mac for this and now spends his days sunning on a Mexican beach.
  • Sandy Martin as Mac's Mom: Mac's mom first appears in "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom". She is always seen smoking and watching television at her home. She remains equally apathetic when Mac's dad returns from prison, and falls asleep during her son's funeral after he and Charlie fake their deaths to escape from Luther.

[edit] Selected guest stars

  • Autumn Reeser (The O.C.) appears in Episode 102, "Charlie Wants An Abortion", as Megan, a pro-life activist that Mac meets at a pro-life center.
  • Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) appears in Episode 105, "Gun Fever", as Colin, a gun-loving thief who steals from the neighboring bars in Philadelphia by manipulating their female bartenders.
  • Dennis Haskins (Saved by the Bell) appears in Episode 107, "Charlie Got Molested", as Coach Murray, a coach being prosecuted by the McPoyle brothers, who falsely claimed that they were molested by him.
  • Eddie Mekka (Laverne and Shirley) appears in Episode 205, "Hundred Dollar Baby", as Bobby Thunderson, Frank's old boxing rival from the 1960s (and the father of Dee's new boxing rival).
  • Faizon Love, the TV and movie actor, appears in Episode 302, "The Gang Gets Invincible", as the head trainer and coach of the Philadelphia Eagles development team.
  • Richard Ruccolo (Two Guys and a Girl) appears as a corporate rep in episode 307, "The Gang Sells Out".
  • Geoffrey Owens (The Cosby Show) appears in Episode 302, "The Gang Gets Invincible", as himself hired to play Donovan McNabb.
  • Judy Greer (Arrested Development) appears in Episode 305, "The Aluminum Monster vs. Fatty McGoo", as fashion designer/clothing store owner Ingrid Nelson (aka Fatty McGoo), as the former schoolmate Dee used to torment (which she used as inspiration to ultimately become far more successful than Dee).
  • The Sklar Brothers, famous for their show "Cheap Seats" on ESPN Classic appeared in the final episode of season 3, 315, "The Gang Dances Their Asses Off" as the obnoxious, radio-duo DJs hosting the Dance Marathon for the bar.
  • Fisher Stevens, (Early Edition, Lost) appears in episode 408 as Lyle Korman a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer who is kidnapped by the gang after he gives Paddy's Bar a negative review.
  • Comedian Sinbad and lead-singer of Matchbox Twenty, Rob Thomas appear in episode 409, "Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life". Sinbad and Thomas play themselves as fellow patients Dennis encounters after being dumped outside a rehab hospital by Frank and Mac.
  • Professional football player Jon Runyan (Philadelphia Eagles) appears as a construction worker interviewed by Sweet Dee in episode 403, "America's Next Top Paddy's Billboard Contest". Local radio hosts Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison also make appearances as construction workers. Preston and Steve perform on 93.3 WMMR in Philadelphia.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes

[edit] Music

The music used on the show is usually classical or easy listening, such as Flute Thing, in order to strike a contrast with the show's chaotic nature. Other music has included songs by the "Orange Marsupials".

The series does not have a soundtrack of its own. The show's theme song is a piece of production music called "Temptation Sensation" by Heinz Kiessling. All other music on the show is also public domain.[citation needed] This was originally because of the show's extremely low budget but has since become a trademark of the aforementioned thematic contrast.

[edit] Locales

[edit] Opening titles locales

In order of appearance:

  1. Benjamin Franklin Bridge
  2. Penn's Landing (Market Street)
  3. Lincoln Financial Field
  4. Swann Memorial Fountain (Logan Circle)
  5. Boathouse Row
  6. 30th Street Station
  7. South Street

[edit] Other locales

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c IGN: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Premiere
  2. ^ "'Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Gets Another Season". Entertainment Weekly. http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/03/ew-exclusive-it.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-05. 
  3. ^ "'FX Shows Love for It's Always Sunny". IGN. http://tv.ign.com/articles/889/889687p1.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-15. 
  4. ^ Kaitlin Olson
  5. ^ 'It's Always Sunny' screen test college tour - Smallscreen

[edit] External links

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