It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiahas no shortage of episodes that have pushed boundaries, but some episodes are best left for a single viewing. The FX sitcom was created by Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, and Rob McElhenny.It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiabegan airing in 2005, withAlways Sunnyseason 17 currently airing.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiafollows the Gang, comprised of Charlie Kelly (Day), Mac (McElhenney), Dennis Reynolds (Howerton), Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson), and Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito).The owners of Philadelphia’s Paddy’s Pub, the series shows their attempts to profit from their schemes, stooping to new lows to get ahead in life.
10The Gang Texts
Season 14, Episode 5
“The Gang Texts” sends the gang on a day trip to the Philadelphia Zoo, where they, predictably, have their own plans. To keep in contact, the Gang sets up a group chat, and we see how they struggle with one another in these technological limitations.
While a novel premise, the gag slowly becomes repetitive and uninteresting the longer the episode lingers on it. Furthermore,other daytrip episodes, such as “The Gang Goes To A Water Park” had far more interesting motivations for each character, such as Dennis' surprise mentoring of a young scam artist, making “The Gang Texts” feel like it lacks a fascinating perspective.
9A Cricket’s Tale
Season 12, Episode 9
In “A Cricket’s Tale”, we are treated to a day inthe life of David Hornsby’s Rickety Cricket. After being reduced to an abused and scarred homeless outcast, Cricket is given a chance at redemption when he reunites with his family. As such, Cricket tries to break his bad habits.However, as seen in “A Cricket’s Tale”, the character does not work without his tormentors. The Gang plays a minimal role across the episode, as they are concerned with other scams. Instead,Cricket’s inevitable self-destruction comes from his own actions,making it a less humorous watch and more of a harrowing exploration of how far he has fallen.
8Who Pooped The Bed
Season 4, Episode 7
As the title suggests, the main narrative of “Who Pooped The Bed” revolves around which of the group pooped inCharlie and Frank’s shared bed. As the episode continues, the gang becomes more invested in the case. Even Dee’s hopes of aSex and the City-esque evening are hijacked by the mystery.
However, the Whodunnit at the heart of “Who Pooped The Bed” is too reliant on gross-out humor, asthe episode simply tries to one-up every poop joke with another grosser scenario. As such, the jokes quickly become stale, leaving it a forgettable episode.
7The Gang Does a Clip Show
Season 13, Episode 7
Throughout its run,It’s Always Sunnyhas often poked fun at sitcom tropes, and “The Gang Does A Clip Show” continues this tradition by taking on the concept of a clip show. While they wait for their phones to update, the Gang reminisces about some of their more memorable scenes. However, these memories soon become warped and misremembered.
In typicalIt’s Always Sunnyfashion,the show built on the concept of a clip show and chose to turn it into anInception-inspired adventure. However, even with its creative execution, it is still an episode that homes in on the past rather than saying anything new, making “The Gang Does A Clip Show” an easy pass.
6Psycho Pete Returns
Season 13, Episode 8
After several prior mentions to build up his infamy, Dominic Burgess’s “Psycho Pete” made his on-screen debut in “Psycho Pete Returns”. While his legend had been built up by Mac and Charlie, it is ultimately revealed that he isn’t the terrifying figure that the pair had built up. Instead, Psycho Pete is just a man struggling with his mental health.
Though Mac and Charlie misread their experiences as a unique twist on the gag,the episode never tackles the themes that Pete’s struggles bring in an interesting way. This decision makes the ending’s solution to send him away incredibly on the nose, as if the writers were just as unsure as the Gang in how to handle the real Pete.
5Charlie’s Home Alone
The first part of season 13’s Super Bowl duology, “Charlie’s Home Alone” is a parody of Chris Columbus’s beloved 1990 family movie. When he is mistakenly left behind when the others leave to see the Super Bowl, Charlie sets up traps to ward off potential intruders while fulfilling his own Super Bowl rituals.
However, Charlie’s mission quickly turns dark, as he falls victim to his own traps, while his alternatives to the ritual are just as harmful. While the series has had much success with character-focused episodes, the result is an unforgiving gauntlet of torture on Charlie that is difficult to watch the character struggle through.
4The Gang Hits The Slopes
Season 11, Episode 3
In “The Gang Hits The Slopes”, the gang takes a trip to a ski resort, getting swept up in competition and scams. While Charlie adjusts to the new environment and Mac and Dee hope to party, Dennis and Frank set out to secure ownership of the resort.
“The Gang Hits The Slope” falls into the category of a movie parody, specifically raunchy ’90s comedySki School.However, unlike “The Janitor Always Mops Twice” and “The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre”, which serve as genre parodies, this episode’s inspiration was a panned flop. As such, it is difficult to appreciate the nods towards Ski School and connect to the story.
3Frank’s Brother
Season 7, Episode 5
Frank Reynolds is a duplicitous businessman who was willing to do anything to thrive, no matter the implications of his dealings, but “Frank’s Brother” took audiences back to his origins. When brother Gino (Jon Polito) turns up at Paddy’s Pub, viewers and the gang learn about how he and Frank fell out over a girl named Shadynasty (Naturi Naughton).
“Frank’s Brother” doesn’t entirely lack enjoyment, asa fun running gag featuring Lance Reddick’s Reggie pushes Frank’s backstory into absurdity, but Gino isn’t an interesting guest star to maintain investment. Furthermore, Frank’s character-shaping heartbreak with Shadynasty just isn’t a dynamic that ultimately makes you see Frank in any new light.
2Charlie Has Cancer
Season 1, Episode 4
Brittany Daniel’s Carmen is one ofIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s most controversial characters. A transgender woman whom Mac falls for, she has often found herself the butt of the gang’s transphobic vitriol in her appearances.Howerton has since admitted that he has certain regrets about how they handled her character.
Carmen stands out as one of the few characters to walk away from the gang happier after Dee acted as her and partner Nick’s surrogate, but it doesn’t make her treatment of her any easier to sit through. As such, her first appearance, “Charlie Has Cancer”, is a difficult watch, asmuch of Mac’s plot plays into outdated anti-trans tropes that are extremely uncomfortable to see.
1Charlie’s Mom Has Cancer
Season 8, Episode 6
In “Charlie’s Mom Has Cancer”, the gang rallies behind Mrs. Kelly (Lynne Marie Stewart) when they learn that she has Cancer, but in their typical fashion, try to extort everything they can out of the situation.The series had already tackled a similar scam in the prior entry from season 1. However, that episode at least focused on a main character to maintain investment.
Furthermore, the episode also features the appearance of Dr. Jinx, portrayed by P. Diddy, making it painful to sit through after his recent legal situations. While the shocking final gag of the end of Frank’s treasure hunt is a sight to behold, it isn’t enough to keep the rest of thisIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiaepisode afloat.
