(S05E08) Yes! Finally. The moment we've all been waiting for. Ever since the season five promos first aired, I have been eagerly anticipating some sort of context for Charlie's uncontrollable eyebrows and the ridiculous Kitten Mittens (or Kitten Mittons, as it were). Seeing the ad in full certainly didn't disappoint, though I wish we could have seen more Kitten Mittons throughout the episode. Admittedly, thirty-some minutes of cats struggling in booties probably doesn't sound like a hot idea, but, hey, animal humor has sustained many a clip show.
(S05E07) This episode brought back many things that fans of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia have already come to know and love: nearly aggressive patriotism, needless shirtnessness, songs sung in falsetto and, of course, Rickety Cricket. I would like to also submit that the Birds of War get-up (pictured above) would be perfect for this Halloween, especially if you're desperate for few high-fives or silent nods of approval. It covers a wide range, as it appeals to both Always Sunny fans and people who like America and/or chickens. I mean, eagles.
Fantasy football is a tricky thing. You either love it or you hate it and that largely depends on whether you're good or bad at it. For the most part, the same can be said about FX's newest comedy The League. When it's good, it is good, but when it's bad... well, you get the picture.
The show, which premieres tomorrow night, Thursday 10/29, at 10:30 p.m. after It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, is FX's first solid attempt to produce a lasting companion piece to Sunny and, given some of its predecessors (like Starvedor Testees), it'd be easy to write The League off. But, like a two-minute drill that gradually picks up steam, The League might actually go... all... the... way.
(S05E06) Ooh! Things I learned in high school! This episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia was presented as a frame story, just like The Canterbury Tales. Did the gang out-Chaucer Chaucer!? Well, no, but it was a lot funnier than the Wife of Bath, I can promise you that.
There were a lot of excellent moments (read on to find out who won the "Best Retch-Face" award, which is as coveted as it is imaginary) and they made for a solid episode, though not one to immediately jump into my favorites. Admittedly, that's an unreasonable weekly expectation anyway. Oh well. At least we got some Greenman.
According to the press release, the gang from Paddy's Pub will make an appearance for the first time on Comedy Central for a limited run next summer with the long-term license window starting after the first of the year in 2011.
(S05E05) This, more than any of the other episodes from the current season, felt the most true to the show. I know, that's kind of weird, since the canon is growing and developing with every installment, but this episode had all the things that we've come to know and love from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, from Frank's increasingly speedy spiral toward rock-bottom to Charlie and Dee's personal issues with the Waitress (never give her a name, for the love of everything that is terrible and in poor form). The schemes and the chemistry of the gang was extra-perfect in this episode, especially during the rapid-fire conversations surrounding Mac, Dennis and Charlie.
This is one of those episodes I've pocketed away in case I need to subject -- I mean, introduce -- an uninitiated person to the world of Always Sunny.
(S05E04) This week didn't really bring anything mind-blowing, but it returned us to old stomping grounds. With this episode, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia revisited a few familiar themes: gross people from the gang's history and the never-ending quest to bang moms. Mary Lynn Rajskub (remember, it's like "rice cub") made her Always Sunny debut as Dee and Dennis' "garbage pail cousin," Gail the Snail, and successfully joined the McPoyle brothers in that elite league of characters that make viewers feel greasy just from looking at them too long.
(S05E03) Something was a little off about this episode. I still can't tell what triggered this reaction. I think it was because I only half-laughed once or twice during the entire thing, or perhaps it was the heavy-handed product placements that were too involved to be casual and excusable. Certainly, it wasn't terrible television; it just didn't live up to the quality that I've come to expect from the show.
If I wanted to be harsh and really ballsy, I could say this was one of the weaker episodes from the series. But I won't. Because I have no balls (I haven't perfected the technology for me to engineer a pair).
(S05E02) Although it's interesting to see the individual characters play in their own storylines and schemes every once in a while, there's a lot to be said about the chemistry and rapid-fire interactions when all five members of the gang are stuck together for an entire episode. Doubly so when it's an episode that mainly takes place in a tiny car or cramped U-Haul.
In addition to this, their poor decision-making seems to escalate faster when they're feeding off each other's bad intentions, which means more laughter and delighted points-at-the-screen for us bozos.
(S05E01) It's Always Sunny is back and it's kicking your ass. Or at least it's threatening you and your wife until you start crying a little bit and agree to partake in the antics, and we wouldn't have it any other way. There were a lot of good moments in the premiere episode, though it didn't really feel like a typical season opener, in as much as it didn't present anything too big and different from the usual Always Sunny episode. Again, it was funny, of course, but it didn't scream "premiere", and perhaps that's the best thing for Always Sunny.
First, FX got trigger-happy and greenlit a whole bunch of other shows (from the likes of Louis CK and Don Cheadle). Second, and more importantly, according to FX it turns out that from start through post, it takes almost a whole month to complete one episode of Archer. With Always Sunny premiering this Thursday night at 10PM ET on FX, slotting in Archer's six eps suddenly became impossible. So the plan has changed. Instead of pairing Archer with Sunny mid-season, FX plans to launch its fantasy-football themed sitcom The League instead. However, if you were looking forward to seeing Archer, I've got some good news.
When Joel interviewed Danny DeVito last month at the TCA press tour, DeVito didn't specifically mention this outtake from an upcoming episode from the new season of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, though he did mention a Christmas DVD. It's...bizarre.
Please note that it features a naked DeVito, though helpfully the most disturbing parts are covered by festive decoration.
Starting tonight, everyone's favorite group of misanthropes from the City of Brotherly Love are back to invoke mayhem and generally make the lives of everyone around them miserable. And I can't wait.
Yes, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is back for its fourth season on FX, and they're going to be around awhile, as the network picked them up for 39 additional episodes after this season's run of 13 are over. In addition, series creators Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenney will be working on a comedy for FOX called Boldly Going Nowhere, which is described as "Star Trek meets The Office." Imagine that: these guys are building an empire, all on episodes like this season's opener, where Mac and Dennis hunt down Cricket and Charlie and Dee become cannibals. You'll just have to watch it to get what I'm talking about.
I talked with Day, Howerton, and McElhenney about the upcoming season, the popularity of "Day Man / Night Man," their new show, and how co-star (and Rob's fiancee) Kaitlin Olson broke her back. Interview is after the jump.
You'd have thought that after 32 episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (premieres on FX, next Thursday, 9/18 at 10PM) that Mac, Dennis, Dee, Charlie, and Frank would have tackled just about anything you can think of that's offensive. They've hit on underage drinking, Nazis, sex offenders, dumpster babies, religion, retardation, homosexuality, and homeless people. Well I'm here to tell you that it's far from over. There's still plenty of off-color material for these five fools to rape (considering the context... I think that is the right word) and it isn't stopping with this season, which will run for 13 episodes. FX president John Landgraf has confirmed that 39 more episodes will follow. But I'm getting ahead of myself. My thoughts on the season four premiere are after jump.
Can't get enough It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? The irreverent FX comedy is back September 18th (10/9 Central) for a fourth season of shenanigans unlike anything live action non-sketch television comedy has ever given us. Except for those other shows you are about to fill the comments with. If you're anxious for the show to start, and want more of Charlie, Mac, Frank, Dennis and Sweet Dee then have I got a treat for you.
Okay, well that's not fair. I really didn't have anything to do with it. But show writers Patrick Walsh and Sonny Lee aren't here to take credit for it, so we'll just say it's all me. That's right, come check out Paddy's Pub, the new production blog for the upcoming season of It's Always Sunny. It features cast interviews as well as excerpts from Dennis' erotic memoir and even an advice column written by Frank. Now there isn't much there right now, but it only launched August 26th. I mean seriously, what the hell do you people want from me ... I mean from staff writers Patrick Walsh and Sonny Lee.