It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia: Season Four

The television sit-con has always reflected in some respect the lives of the audience. Since the start of the television era series relating to the relationships between a small, close group of friends have been a staple of the format. It doesn’t’ matter if the group hangs out in a coffee shop, bar or between class .The fundamental set-up remains the same. Now with the expansion of television networks to basic and premium cable the lines that once defined this classic format have been pushed out further than many would have imagined. One of the leading new cable networks is F/X. They have redefined the police drama with ‘The Shield’, taken a look at fire fighters with ‘Rescue Me’ and for the last four years have been focusing their cutting edge eye to the sit-com with ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’. Basically this series is the illegitimate slacker child of ‘Friends’ and Cheers’. This series has a place between the safety of the broadcast networks and the outrageous; no holds barred shows on premium cable. Since this is the same fertile soil that has created so many of my favorite shows I was looking forward to the fourth season’s release on DVD. ‘Sunny’ does not contain the usual warm and fuzzy, likable characters. These are self centered, spoiled brats trying completely in vain to manage on their own. I have a daughter around their age and after every episode I thank God she is nothing like any character in this series.

This group of four slackers is referred to as ‘the Gang’. The Gang consists of Dennis Reynolds (Glenn Howerton), fraternal his twin sister Dee (Kaitlin Olson), Dennis’ childhood friends Mac (Rob McElhenney) and Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day). As kids they all attended St. Vincent's Elementary School together. Now as adults, at least adult under the eyes of the laws, they decide to open an Irish bar together. It seems like a perfect plan since they all abuse alcohol and see it as a place to get dates. Dee is professes to be a liberal, at least in theory. She claims to be compassionate but her main problem is she really doesn’t like people although Dee is extremely insecure and craves the acceptance of others. She hides behind drinking to muster the courage to talk to people and has a habit of picking men who are unavailable, unsuitable and often wanted only by various law enforcement agencies. She is also what we used to describe as loose in the morals department. Mac is the one who has always been the rival for Dennis. While he presents himself as a Catholic his actions and attitudes show little if any regard for any religious faith. At the bottom of the Gang is Charlie who tends to get the dirtiest jobs in the bar. Although not of the same age group Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) is also in near constant attendance. He is supposed to be the father of Dennis and Dee but evidence provided in prior seasons indicates he may actually be Charlie’s dad. He now lives with the boys since his recent divorce.

On paper there is absolutely no reason this show should work. Nobody is likable among the characters; not one of them has anything remotely resembling an admirable character trait. When bad things happen to them it is because of their greed, laziness and distain for their fellow man. They deserve it and we love to watch what happens to them. You may start watching just because you can’t believe this is a TV series but what will keep you coming back is the fact that the series is hysterically funny. Each episode is quick paced and moves right along. Since there is absolutely no character to worry about, slackers seem to never change, the writers can get right to the comedy. The jokes are usually politically incorrect and extremely funny.

The cast is great. Glenn Howerton gives Dennis a modicum of humanity as long as it doesn’t get in the way of his life. Even though Kaitlin Olson is sexy very few men would want to put up with her antics and self centered attitude. Olson plays her with flair as a damaged person who pushes everyone away. Rob McElhenney plays his role as a slacker among slackers. He takes his non-commitment to an art form. In many ways Charlie Day portrays Charlie as a man-child. He is as bad as the rest but for a different reason. He is the boy who wants to be accepted and does everyone the cooler kids do. The best addition to the cast is Danny De Vito. He is a legend in television comedy and is pure evil here. Instead of being the adult and voice of reason he is usually the instigator who takes mischief and escalates it to the range of felonies.

One episode in particular exemplifies the series; ‘The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition’. Here Dennis and ‘Sweet’ Dee somehow learn about the self help book ‘The Secret’. Part of that program was visualization but naturally the twins completely misinterpret it. They think that all you have to do is glue pictures on a piece of cardboard and what you want will come to you. None have dreams that extend beyond their own self serving fantasies. Dennis wants to have the ideal life as lead by ‘Home Makeover’ star Ty Pennington. They come to the conclusion that they have to do good for someone else to get what they want. To this end they decide to do their own extreme home make over and target a Mexican family in the neighborhood. Unfortunately no one told the family. The gang decides to heighten the surprise the family by breaking into their home in the middle of the night while dressed all in black with masks. The family is terrorized and Dee’s broken Spanish only makes things worse. The gang is completely clueless because they are unable to see beyond their own selfish desires.

This is not your typical sit-com but if you like dark comedy with an offbeat perspective on humor then give it a try and be prepared to fall over laughing.

Posted 09/27/09