A strange thing happened last week, after I told a few coworkers I was going to chat with Charlie Day (Charlie) and Glenn Howerton (Dennis) from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — which returns tonight at 10 p.m. for Season 3 on FX. I found out I wasn’t the only one who loves this show.
Here, 10 reasons why you should to be tuning in — and buying Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, out now. (Fans, back me up in the comments section.)
1. The show is just wrong… All you need to know about "the gang" who owns Paddy’s Irish bar in Philadelphia — Dennis, Charlie, Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and Frank (Danny DeVito) — is that they’re always thinking of themselves. They attend an abortion rally or pretend to be crippled to get dates; they’re upset when they hear former classmates were molested by their old gym teacher and they weren’t. In tonight’s season premiere, they find a "Dumpster Baby," which Mac and Dee name "D.B." and try to make a child star. When an agent tells them white babies aren’t "selling," they try to get it a tan so it looks Latino. Dennis also gets inspired by the film An Inconvenient Truth to better the world, yet, as Day says, "In typical, It’s Always Sunny fashion, he ends up doing the complete opposite." (Pictured, from left to right, Howerton, McElhenney, Olson, DeVito, and Day)
2. They need you to tell them when they get it right. "It’s hard when you live with the jokes as long as we do," Day says. "We start writing episodes, and by the time we’re done editing them, almost a year has gone by. It’s tough to trust them and know they’ll be funny." The Season 2 episode "The Gang Gives Back," when Mac, Dee, and Dennis coach children’s basketball teams, is an example of something they weren’t sure would work. Now it’s one of fans’ — and their own — favorites. The spoof "Hundred Dollar Baby," where Dee and Charlie get hooked on "performance enhancing supplements," nearly didn’t make it off the page.
3. Dennis will be shirtless a lot this season. "We were counting the other day, it’s like eight episodes," Howerton says. "There’s something very funny to me about someone who has so much vanity and constantly thinks that he can solve any dilemma by just poppin’ his shirt off." Don’t miss the upcoming episode "The Gang Gets Held Hostage," in which Dennis, Charlie, Mac, and Dee are held captive in Paddy’s by the incestuous McPoyle clan. Dennis, dressed only in tighty whities, tries to seduce the deaf and dumb sister to earn his freedom.
4. According to Day, DeVito is doing "some of his funniest acting since Throw Momma From the Train." DeVito, who’d been a fan of the show before he joined the castfull-time last season, returns for all 15 new episodes. "We wrote lastseason before we’d ever met him. We just rented a lot of movies, andwatched episodes of Taxi," Day says. "This year, we knew himreally well, so we have certain episodes where he’s got the best jokes.Wait till you see Danny DeVito in a skintight purple Juicy Jumpsuit."Or, crawling around in the ventilation system at Paddy’s, like JohnMcClane, in the hostage episode.
5. Stephen Collins is back. Yes, the dad on 7th Heaven has guested on thisshow before — as Dennis and Dee’s do-gooder father (all their lives,they’d thought it was DeVito’s Frank) — and he’ll return for theupcoming episode "Dennis and Dee’s Mom is Dead." When their motherleaves all their money to Collins’ character, Dee and Frank pretendthey’re engaged so he’ll gift her some of it. You’ll definitely cringe(in a good way) when an on-to-them Collins asks to see Dee and Frank(now called "Seamus") at their most intimate. "So perhaps now would bea good time for you to pleasure yourself for him. Then eventuallySeamus will mount you," he tells Dee, while sitting in a chair at thefoot of her bed. So how did they get Collins on the show in the firstplace? Day was in the Williamstown Theatre Festival with Collins in thelate ’90s, and thought he’d be perfect for the role. "We had to sendhim over some episodes and write him a letter," Day says. "To just lethim know that we couldn’t pay him," Howerton adds.
6. Charlie’s "indetermined amount of illiteracy" — always funny. "To have a character that is clearly illiterate, but who’s in complete denial of it — you don’t usually see that," Howerton says. Luckily, you’ll be seeing it play into a few more Sunny story lines this year.
7. This photo. It’s from an upcoming episode where Sweet Dee dates a local Eminem-style rapper.
Day: We suspect him to be possibly, mildly mentally retarded. But she says he’s just from the streets, so he talks funny. He’s a very successful rapper, so we figure if he can do it —
Howerton: [Lowers voice] If a retarded guy can have a successful music career—
Day: And as usual, the joke’s on us that we can’t do it at all. We are the ones who are retarded. You know, I don’t mean to make light of that, but um—
Howerton: [Laughs] But I do.
Day: But I do. [Sighs] It also makes me sad. But we start a band. It starts out me and Mac and Frank, and we won’t let Dennis be in the band even though he’s the best singer, because he’s too into the ’70s glam rock thing. So we start a more punk rock style band called Chemical Toilet, and I write a song called "Night Man," which I say is about the spirit of the Night Man, who comes into my room at night and fills me up, and that when he comes inside me, I become the Night Man. Mac seems to think that those lyrics mean something else, so he kicks me out of the band, and Dennis talks me into the glam rock. We get ourselves a cheap Casio and we perform "Day Man." Fighter of the Night man.
Howerton: Champion of the Sun.
Day: Master of karate and friendship.
8. They’re willing to bribe you… If you’re a Nielsen household, that is. "You can write this down," Day says. "If you own a Nielsen box, and mail FX proof that you programmed it to our show every time it aired, I will mail you…" Howerton suggests $1,000. Then, $10. Day momentarily considers $.05, before deciding on "an autographed photo of the cast. Or at least, me. I can’t speak for DeVito, but you’ll definitely get me.”
9. But they shouldn’t have to. See the clip below from Season 2’s "Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare." They’re buying crack so that they can get a blood test that will prove that they are addicts and eligible for government assistance.
10. We wish these guys success. Especially Day, who met McElhenney when they were flown from New York to L.A. to test for a pilot— that got axed while they were in the air. "It was the second time in a row that happened to me," he says.
Who’s with us?
Comments (1-30) of 57 Add your comment
This show is one of the funniest on television and it’s a pity more people don’t watch it. I love that they don’t apologize for everything…It’s you either love ‘em or you don’t and I love ‘em! Hope more people watch this coming season. I know I’ve been telling everyone I know about it for the longest time now, maybe now they’ll listen cuz popwatch is backing me up!
The best show on TV hands down. There is nothing more true to life, than this show. Makes me wanna by a bar, drink all day and be the most selfish person I can be!!!!!
STRIIIIIPPPP CLUBBB! When I first met my wife in the airport bar in San Juan Airport (yes, inspired by LOST), one of the reasons we hit it off was a mutual love of this show.
So one more reason to watch Always Sunny In Philly is that fandom of this show can help you find true love. DUDE. TRUE LOVE. That’s worth at least a half hour on some Thursday night that you were going to spend smoking herb and playing world of warcraft…
This show is great! It is like a live action Simpsons, where everything is a stereotype played to extremes!
I have said it is like Seinfeld on crack. $100 Baby was one of the funniest things I have ever watched. Sweet Dee is the bomb!
Definitely one of the best comedies on TV. The gang is just so terrible. They’re all horrible, horrible people. Kinda like me and my friends.
I could think of a 100 reasons to watch this show its that good. My favorite episode is when Charlie semi adopts this kid to impress the waitress. He gets so mad at the kid he yells “I will smash your face into a…jelly” So good!
I bought the dvds and it was the best decision of my life. It’s a show you can watch over and over. So excited for the new season.
Love this show. Got introduced to it by a friend who gave me DVDs he got from McElhenny on the San Diego Con floor, and I owe him big for introducing me to it. Sick, wrong and hilarious.
Cheers filled with mean people. This and “Weeds” are the best comedies currently airing on cable. You just want this small group to have the best of success because they are so damn good at what they do.
How Kaitlen Olsen escaped an Emmy nomination for her work last year on this show or from her work on “The Riches” is one of the many reasons I won’t be tuning in Sunday. This girl is excellent.
I went to both elementary school & highschool with Rob McElhenney, and have supported the show since its debut. I’m happy to report that they still film here in Philly in a comedic light. The only other show currently on the air that features Philly is CBS’s crime drama, Cold Case. I began to watch the show out of loyalty to Mac, but quickly became impressed with that they brought the funny, and then when they added DeVito last season, I wowed that they now had a bonafide star on the still blossoming show! Run, don’t walk to pick up season 1 & 2 on dvd…Can anyone even remember the name of the food binging sitcom FX debuted with the original season, that quickly got axed??
Phil, I remember that show had hank Azaria and that EW panned it. Once the reviews were in, I never tuned in. The name totally escapes me though.
And Rob’s awesome. His cameo on Lost was one of my happier moments in a frustrating season 3.
Phil show was called starved with the eating disorders.
STARVED! Thanks crumbs! I knew it was one word, and I could not think of it!
OK, you’ve convinced me, but…I’ll be watching my new addiction, Madmen. Does FX show repeats of it before the next episode?
FX usually does several repeats during the week of their new shows. Usually on Saturday nights or some oddball time, but I’m sure you can catch it.
Agreed that Madmen is AMAZING BTW.
Now, if you’ve got On Demand or Tivo, you can watch Always Sunny when it’s on and then catch Madmen on Tivo or on Demand the next day.
Funniest ensemble on television. Charlie Day CRACKS me up with just a LOOK! And Kaitlen Olsen is brilliant. Although, apparantly made of glass. *tee hee*
LOVE this show and Mad Men too by the way! Sunny is SO clever and the kind of humor my husband and I love!
This show is freakin hysterical, and the cast is great. Charlie is hilarious, especially when he just starts yelling and screaming in frustration. Dee is great, with that look on her face that conveys frustration, annoyance, and glee (all at the same time) because she’s friends with these a**hole guys. And Dennis is, in a word, hot. Not that I needed another reason to tune in, but if he’s shirtless a lot this season, all the better! So, in conclusion, watch It’s Always Sunny, people! You will pee yourself because you’re laughing so hard and shocked (in a good way) at the shenanigans in which this crew get involved.
It’s about time EW put out some love for this show. It is the funniest thing on TV (now that Arrested Development is off the air) and I’ve barely seen any mention of it in your magazine or on your website. This is the show that should be on your cover, not Private Practice which has a built-in Grey’s Anatomy audience and doesn’t need the promotion. Everyone should give this show a chance. All you need is one episode (30 mins of your time) and you will be hooked. I laugh out loud consistently throughout each episode. GO WATCH NOW!!!!
It’s the funniest show on television. I can watch every episode over and over again.
Thanks EW for finally commenting on this show- I’ve been mentioning it everywhere I could with you guys for the last year! (Come on Glutton!:) It’s a great show- but you have to be ready with your sense of humor- if you start watching it and take ANY of it seriously, you’ll never come back. Enjoy- it’s so worth it!!
I watched a couple minutes of seasons 1 and 2 but never got into this show. The ads over the last month for this new season made me laugh so much that I watched last night and it is a funny show. Im going to Netflix seasons 1 and 2.
Why watch SUNNY?
It’s only one of the funniest shows on tv, that’s why.
They say that the sitcom is dead and that couldn’t be farther from the truth when you see a unique, original show like this one.
The characters are unapologetic, selfish, and hilarious… just like “Seinfeld”.
They operate in and around a bar… just like “Cheers”.
They have the great Danny DeVito… just like “Taxi” (and when was the last time he did a regular series? You know it’s good if he joined up.)
Is that enough? Probably not, but one view will make a fan.
EW finally gave it some press by listing the Season 3 premiere in this past week’s TV listings, BUT…
How about a story in the magazine about the cast??? [Plus a profile on Amanda Bynes, in support of her new film SYDNEY WHITE (I'm always pushing to get her recognition within EW.)]
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.
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“Pepperjack, are you serious?”
Well, goddammit. I used to be a Nielsen family but we hit our 5-year limit two years ago and got pulled from the program. I coulda got a cast photo.
As I said before in a previous comment, Always Sunny is the funniest show on tv (besides the Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm), I hope it finally gets the recognition it deserves.
Kudos to Jeff. That was a great post and I agree 100%. I LOVE THIS SHOW!
I saw a couple of episodes during season one, and I thought it was pretty funny, but I CANNOT stand Danny Devito, and the thought of even accidentally catching him yelling and overacting on TV makes me want to avoid this show like the plague. Don’t know why they added him – they didn’t need him!
I LOVE THIS SHOW!
AWESOME!
haha I’m really at a loss for words.
Love this show! I laugh so hard every time! I had seasons 1&2 preordered and waited for the DHL guy who was a day late delivering
but worth the wait. SO &%$* FUNNY!