So, I haven't blogged in a while(hahaha that sounds dirty, kidding) about what's been going on in my life, however, I will blog about something that has a huge impact on my life...and my sense of humor. This blog will be about what I think is one of the funniest, clever, raunchy, and best comedy out there that is definitely slept on: "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

The show revolves around four friends(after the second season five characters) who run a bar in the City of Brotherly Love and have to overcome their relentless self-involvement to make their friendship and business work. The show is completely random, I don't even remember how I even started watching it, yet I'm willing to guess that there was a marathon that the network played that I was egged on to watch. After the first episode, I became intrigued by the sense of humor and the styling of the show. When I mean this show is raunchy, I mean it is REALLY raunchy. The show is broadcast on the FX Network, the network is best known for broadcasting shows with television ratings of TV-MA.

The characters on the show consist of Charlie Kelley, the twins Dennis and Dee (Sweet Dee) Reynolds, Mac, and Frank Reyonlds (played by the Danny DeVito, he loved the show so much they asked him to be a series regular at the start of the second season). To get a sense of why this show is so funny, here is a gist of their character profiles:

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 takes criticism of his looks very poorly. He frequently removes his shirt without hesitation, believing that his physique impresses people and diffuses conflicts.

Charlie Kelly: Mac's childhood friend and a co-owner of Paddy's. Arguably the most unhappy and 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 Al Pacino-styled outbursts. He also has poor hygiene, lives in squalor, and frequently abuses inhalants. Several characters refer to his dingy apartment as a "shit hole." 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.

"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".


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 being an incarcerated meth dealer, and his mother being 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 survived high school by selling drugs to popular kids, and even then was considered a jerk.

Frank Reynolds: Frank is the legal father of Dennis and Dee. He is 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 land underneath it, and used this leverage to forcibly join the gang.

My favorite character on the show would have to be: Sweet Dee. Why? Because she is often made fun of by the other characters for being too sensible and responsible for her and the rest of the gang's actions. Also, she is so pathetic with her acting career, it's unimaginable. She won't eat any food before a performance because she dry heaves, she has video diaries about how pathetic her life is, and the guys always volunteer her to do stupid stunts to make her feel like she's apart of their group: like setting herself on fire, hitting her in the face dead on with a volleyball, and because Kaitlin Olson (the actress who plays Sweet Dee) is a comedic genius!

The show just ended its fourth season, it was by far the best! What made this season so perfect is that the shows writers decided to make fun of absolutely nothing. The past three seasons tackled issues that would surface in Philadelphia. Since nothing too exciting was happening in the City of Brotherly Love, the writers made fun of anything they felt needed to have their chops busted. They made fun of America's Next Top Model, the rise in gas prices, past episodes from previous seasons, and people who take advantage of health care. I would have to say that the best episodes from the fourth season would have to be "America's Next Top Paddy's Model Billboard Contest" and "The Nightman Cometh." The first episode was about the gang buying a billboard and calling in all models to try to advertise the bar. Half the crew wanted to do the model cons test (with secret motives for the guys to interview the female models) while Sweet Dee and Charlie attempt to make viral videos and advertise the bar through youtube! Sweet Dee attempted to advertise the bar with some of the characters that she developed for her acting career, however they were unbelievably racist and stereotypical (Crazy Paddy-pale skinned, red-haired and freckled Irish woman; Martina Martinez-a sassy Hispanic woman with a huge posterior that always had a sassy comeback; Taiwan Tammy-an Asian tourist who came to the United States to do hair, nails, and work at a local Panda Express....racist, but in good taste). Hysterical! The second episode was making fun of an episode in the third season in which the gang tries to form a band called Chemical Toilet. After kicking both Charlie and Dennis out of the group, the two make their own group called Electric Dream Machine where they made their hit song "Dayman," the original song "Nightman" (written by Charlie) was lame because he didn't have any real lyrics the words were drawn out on a piece of paper, and the song was about a guy sneaking into another guy's house to sexually assault him. You have to see the episode to see it, it's hilarious.

So....why should you watch this show, everything is listed above. However, no subject is too taboo for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Case in point--they've done shows about race relations, child molesters, dumpster babies, Nazis, crack, male escorts, and mental retardation. It could shock the monocle right out of your eye! With that in mind, if you're one to be easily offended, then this show is not for you, however, I would highly advise that you check out this show, because it's really good and extremely hilarious. It's been running strong for the past 4 years and I hope for 4 more to come. If you want to watch the episodes when you have nothing to do, check out the episodes through this website:

http://www.sidereel.com/It%27s_Always_Sunny_in_Philadelphia

So, without any further hesitation, I will present to you a couple of clips from the show that I find hilarious. *Note: Parental Guidance is advised, kidding....we're in college!