After 15 seasons and 150+ episodes,It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiahas developed a signature single-cam style that fans know and love. The visual language plays a big part in the pacing, as the audience follows these five antiheroes from scene to scene. This all lends its creators' plenty of comedic opportunities with its signature hard cuts and meta-bits.
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Being one of thelongest-running live-action comedies of all time,It’s Always Sunnyhas grown to deviate from its tried and true formula by spoofing, paying homage, or crafting a particular style geared towards a specific plot or concept. These episodes are a showcase of the cast’s range and versatility while keeping the show fresh, producing some of its most memorable moments.
“The Gang Goes On Family Fight” – Game Show
Centered around a funhouse version ofFamily Feud,this episode drops the gang and all their wild eccentricities onto the popular game show. Watching this lovable group of degenerates through the lens of a simple, family-friendly game emphasizes exactly how morbid and ridiculous these characters have become.
Featuring a standout performance as the host of the game show, Keegan Michael Keyplays the straight-man against the gangs' antics, trying to hold it together and keep the game moving. Like many other episodes, this one features plenty of schemes, outbursts, and meltdowns, but this format may have fans wishing to see the gang on more game shows.
“Charlie Work” – One Shot
The one-shot has been a feature of film and television for decades, even being stretched into full-length movies, likeBirdmanor1917.It’s Always Sunnycontributes to this filming technique with an episode following Charlie in real-time as he frantically distracts a health inspector from closing down Paddy’s Pub. While the rest of the gang floats in the background with some preposterous chicken and airline scheme, the camera stays on Charlie for the entire episode as he darts around putting out fires.
Every room and corner of the bar’s layout is utilized in this episode, giving fans a live-action tour of Paddy’s Pub with impressive scene/location transitions. Fast-paced, chaotic, and hilarious, “Charlie Work” is a glimpse into Charlie’s unique and questionable methods of keeping the bar running.
“The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre” – Horror
OccasionallyIt’s Always Sunnylikes to get festive, but “Maureen Ponderosa’s Wedding Massacre” is a Halloween episode that changes up the entire feel of the show by leaning heavily into the horror genre with gross-outs and jumps scares.
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Blending two of the weirdest side characters and their families, the gang is questioned by detectives to solve what happened at the McPoyle/Ponderosa wedding. Chaos erupts during the festivities as Zombie-like wedding attendees crawl around the background, while the gang selfishly tries to make it out alive.
“Being Frank” – POV
Season 11’s “Being Frank” is filmed entirely from the point of view ofDanny DeVito’sdegenerate patriarch. Letting the audience in Frank’s inner monologue, this “day-in-the-life” episode follows Frank bumping into the gang anda few weirdos from the show’s roster.
What’s hilariously revealed in this episode is that Frank barely knows what’s going on, while he works to help the gang in their latest scheme. This drug-infused whirlwind of an episode lets the audience in on a character’s inner-workings, using a technique featured in films likeBeing John MalkovichandHardcore Henry.
“Mac Finds His Pride” – Cinematic Dance Sequence
Mac has always been a complicated character, arguably experiencing the most change through the series. Starting as a questionably straight, conservative Catholic man, Mac has wrestled with his identity throughout the series. Season 13’s “Mac Finds His Pride” is a landmark episode as Mac attempts to finally come out as gay to his convict father.
Featuring a cinematic dance sequence, Mac’s performance for his father represents the struggle he feels inside.Rob McElhenneyandDanny DeVitobring a lot of heart and respect to Mac’s identity crisis,leaning into dramatic territoryas he tries to find acceptance.
“Making Dennis Reynolds A Murderer” – Crime Documentary
Parodying the hugely popular crime documentary series likeMaking a MurdererandThe Jinx, this episode finds the gang implicated in the murder of Dennis’ ex-wife, the half-feline Maureen Ponderosa (aka “Bastet”).
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This format cleverly moves the Dennis/Maureen Ponderosa thread forward by incorporating crime documentary pacing and tropes like phone recordings, in-person interviews, and security footage. The “Dennis is a psychopath” angle reaches an all-time high, but watching the gang through this crime-doc lens is a fun change of pace, with all their shortcomings put front and center.
“The Janitor Always Mops Twice” – Noir
Paying homage to the noir detective films of a different era, this episode drops the gang into a stylish mystery with dames, gangsters, and “diarrhea poisoning”. Charlie’s protagonist gives a voiceover to the events, spoofing the transatlantic accents of old and fashion choices true to the genre early days of the genre.
Filmed in black-and-white with deep red colors breaking through, the production value of this episode goes far beyond the typical day in Paddy’s Pub. Following Charlie into the seedy underbelly of a noir-soaked Philadelphia, we see him bounce off the likes of Cricket and the Waitress while the gang has a blast chewing up the scenery.
“The Gang Texts” – Digital/Text Messaging
A highlight of Season 14, “The Gang Texts” finds the gang at the Philadelphia Zoo. All five characters arrive at the zoo hoping to see specific exhibits or animals: Mac and Charlie mimicking Meerkats, Frank teasing Gorillas, and Dennis sadistically watching the Lion’s feed. Because of this, the gang splits up as they usually do in most episodes, but with one new hitch – the audience is brought into the gang’s group text.
Watching the text messages scroll on-screen as the scenes play out, fans can experience what texting with the gang might look like. With Dee’s frustrating comedic timing, Mac’s insecurities, and confusing emoji flying left and right, this innovative style allows the audience to experience the gang’s signature brand of humor and depravity on two levels.
“The Gang Saves the Day” – Animation
“The Gang Saves the Day” sets up the gang in a high-stakes convenience store robbery, leading each character to fantasize and envision how they would individually deal with the situation. What transpires is five separate vignettes that reveal A LOT about what each character thinks of themselves, with Mac’s action-movie ninja beat down, Dennis’s god-like recovery from a bullet to the head, and Frank just eating hot dogs.
Sweet Dee the aspiring actress, envisions a ridiculous “True Hollywood Story” scenario, after a stint in Witness Protection. Other than Mac’s cinematic fight sequence, and Dee’s dreamed-up sitcom/movie stardom, Charlie’s sequence findsSunnyventuring into animation for the first time. Paying homage to Pixar’sUp, Charlie’s child-like brain conjures up an extremely adorable cartoon of him and the waitress getting married and growing old together in a dialogue-less fantasy.
“The Gang Does a Clip Show” – Meta/Inception
Before the days of streaming services and YouTube, “Clip Shows” were universal to many popular, long-running sitcoms. Featuring characters of the show reminiscing about all the fun and whacky times they had over the years, this format would typically jump back to old fan-favorite scenes. Knowing this,It’s Always Sunnyturns the concept on its head.
In an extremely strange episode, the gang sits in the bar and hilariously misremembers the times that they’ve had, while waiting for their phones to update. Featuring false realities (à laInception), two Charlies, and a hystericalSeinfeldsequence, this clip show subverts expectations and pokes fun at the gang’s inability to remember the past for what it was.
