The Comedy Gods Shine on 'Sunny'

Brooke Burger
Arts & Entertainment Editor

   Viewers describe it as "'Seinfeld' on crack" and a "live-action 'South Park.'"  Some think it could top "30 Rock" and "The Office" as the No. 1 sitcom comedy.  The International Movie Database lists plot keywords such as arrogance, family relationships, vanity, topical issues, political incorrectness, working class, slacker and drunkenness.

Courtesy of "Sunny's" Official Site

   "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" embodies all these characteristics and more.  It's a misfit comedy overflowing with a brilliant combination of dirty humor and satirical wit.  The sitcom follows the lives of four narcissistic friends - Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson), Dennis Reynolds (Glenn Howerton), Mac (Rob McElhenney) and Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) - who run an Irish pub in Philadelphia called Paddy's.  Danny DeVito joined the cast in 2006 as Frank Reynolds, the father of Dee and Dennis.

   "Sunny," created by Rob McElhenney, first aired in 2005 on FX.  The show retains the low-budget feel that it began with in the pilot, which lends to the rather gritty humor and imagery perpetuated through the characters, the scenery and the situations.  While every episodes involves great comedic action between the characters, it also tends to play on current political and social issues, such as gun control, abortion, steroids, underage drinking, dumpster diving, homelessness, drug abuse and health care, just to name a few.

   In "Charlie Wants an Abortion" (Season 1: Episode 2), Mac and Dennis go to an abortion rally to pick up girls.  Mac's scheme to pretend to be pro-life gets him laid, but quickly backfires when the woman informs him she's pregnant.  Displaying the type of irony often laced throughout each episode, Mac tells the woman she needs to get an abortion.  Other episode titles hint at the kind of sick and depraved humor that makes "Sunny" so great - "The Gang Gets Racist" (1:1), "The Gang Goes Jihad" (2:2), "Dennis and Dee Go On Welfare" (2:3), "Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody's Ass" (2:9), "Sweet Dee's Dating a Retarded Person" (3:9), "Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender" (3:11), and last but not least, "Who Pooped the Bed?" (4:7).

   The outlandish shenanigans the gang falls into are entertaining, but the show's amoral characters really bring it to life.  While this dark comedy is not necessarily "Seinfeld" material, one can at least agree that the dynamics between "Sunny's" characters resemble the comedic timing between the "Seinfeld" characters.  Whether it's  a scene with Dennis and Mac or Charlie and Dee, the result is unabashed twisted humor.

   In addition to acting, McElhenney, Day and Howerton also write and direct the show.  Fred Savage also joined "Sunny's" gang as a regular director and producer.  Between the four, "Sunny" is certainly darker and edgier than "Seinfeld," "30 Rock" or "The Office," though it may pull a close second with "South Park."  The fourth season has one episode left, and so far the gang has hunted the homeless, turned to cannibalism and tortured Dee.

   The 13th and final episode for this season Charlie will recruit the rest of the gang to help him stage a rock opera based on his song, "The Nightman Cometh," which is also the name of the episode.  The episode will air Thursday, Nov. 20 at 9 p.m. central time.  "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. central time on FX.

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