DVD Review – IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the best show on TV. If you have a remotely decent sense of humor you should buy this set. Hell, you should buy several copies. Give one to each of your friends. Then when you're done with that, buy more and start giving them to strangers. What happened to FX? They used to have a Good Morning America style show with a group of borderline retards for hosts. One of the retards was a Muppet wannabe puppet. I swear on this. If you do the homework I'm sure you'll be amused, then wonder why you wasted your time fact checking my DVD review. The only good show they had on was the original Green Hornet. I think they also had Batman. Don't quote me on that.

Something happened after that, something magical. They started making their own shows, and the shows were pretty great. During one of their great shows, I saw a few promos for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It looked like shit. It was shot on a video four notches above a home video camera and all the actors looked like amateur assholes. I decided I wouldn't check it out and that was that. Then last year I got an e-mail from a friend. It was one of those "there's no way you won't like this thing if you start watching it" e-mails. As you probably guessed, it was about this show. I downloaded an episode on iTunes. Then I downloaded the rest of the first season. I proceeded to watch each episode several times, laughing my ass off more than I ever had watching any TV show. Well, outside of Curb or The Office (UK).

The first season was, as many have referred to it, "Seinfeld on crack." It's a show about three assholes (Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day) and a female voice of wisdom (Kaitlin Olson). Then again, I wouldn't say she's full of wisdom. She somehow functions as both the obligatory "you guys are being assholes" character and an equally self-absorbed shit. Rob McElhenney created the show, but the three guys write all the episodes. It gives the show a consistent voice and tone. The show is really just an excuse to throw four bastard characters, Mac, Charlie, Dennis, and Sweet Dee into the most non-PC situations imaginable. During the first season, the show was finding its way, and it was still incredibly funny during that process.

The best episodes:

CHARLIE WANTS AN ABORTION - Charlie, by far the funniest character on the show, realizes that one of his one night stands from long ago produced a prick son he knew nothing about. Mac pretends to be an anti-abortion activist in order to bang an ultra-right wing chick. Everything goes horribly wrong.

CHARLIE HAS CANCER - The gang finds out Charlie has cancer, and they try to get him some ass before he dies. Instead, they realize they can get laid by telling girls that their best friend is dying. Everything goes horribly wrong.

GUN FEVER - When their bar is robbed, they decide to purchase a gun, and they all get "the gun fever." Charlie realizes he doesn't have to pay his rent if his landlord thinks he will shoot him. Everything goes horribly wrong.

It's a wonderful season. There's not a bad episode in the bunch. But I guess no one was watching it. I didn't, so I can't get mad at anyone. FX, being fucking awesome, stuck with the show and tried to figure out a way to get more people to check out the show during their second season. They came up with an ingenious idea that could have totally backfired, but it didn't. They brought Danny DeVito in to join up with the gang, as Dennis and Sweet Dee's father. Danny DeVito somehow fits the show like a glove. He seems game for anything. The guys really started knocking the scripts out of the park this season, with a few that I would put in a small list of the funniest shows I've ever seen.

The best episodes of season 2:

THE GANG GOES JIHAD - An Israeli businessman buys the land underneath their bar. He gives them a week to vacate. They do what anyone would do in this situation, they make a tape as militant Muslims, threatening to kill him if he doesn't move and leave the guys alone. Did I mention some people may find the show offensive? Everything goes horribly wrong.

MAC BANGS DENNIS' MOM - Hands down the funniest episode of the show. Dennis threatens to fuck Charlie's dreamweaver in a blackmail attempt. Charlie comes up with an evil plan that involves Mac banging Dennis' mom and Dennis banging Mac's mom. It's much funnier in execution and everything goes horribly... Okay, that joke has run it's course.

CHARLIE GOES AMERICA ALL OVER EVERYBODY'S ASS - The gang has a disagreement over what's inherently American, banning smoking in restaurants, or total and complete freedom. Charlie becomes The Patriot, complete with an American flag stone washed jean jacket and a headband. AWESOMENESS ENSUES.

You get both of these season in the box set. It's the best and funniest show on TV. What else do you need to know? I absolutely promise you'll love it…unless you're a shitty, shitty person. And once you watch it, you'll start doing the same thing I, or any other Sunny fan, is doing. The show is like a virus. I've gotten so many people to start watching the show and you probably will too. Enjoy.

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