17 Essential Episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

At that place are a lot of foreign shows on TV, just truly nothing compares to It's E'er Sunny in Philadelphia. A largely plotless, filthy-mouthed sitcom about five goblinlike bartenders played by a bandage of initially unknown actors (and Danny DeVito) that has been on the air nearly every bit long as Grayness's Anatomy? Just put, it shouldn't exist. Yet it does, and for that, we are grateful considering Sunny likewise happens to be an absolute gem — funnier, smarter, and more consistently surprising than nearly all its comedic peers.

About that final office: Xv seasons in (the newest episodes arrive on FXX December 1 after a two-year, pandemic-acquired break), Sunny is still just as capable of shocking its audience as it was way back in flavour 1 when, as early fans volition retrieve, the gang did everything from protest abortion clinics to date high-schoolers (they were eighteen!). The bear witness'due south writers know how to deliver one jaw-dropping "Did they actually practise that?" moment after some other while maintaining an like shooting fish in a barrel, meandering pace that lets viewers experience every bit contentedly lazy every bit Dennis backside the bar.

That's non to say that every one of Sunny'due south 154-plus episodes has worked; longtime viewers know that more than a few installments have backfired badly thank you to cringeworthy gags or sick-conceived attempts at social commentary. To beloved Sunny, however, is to accept its occasional flaws, knowing there will be a trip to the Bailiwick of jersey Shore or a rendition of "The Nightman Cometh" waiting effectually the corner.

For those who desire to revisit Sunny's nigh memorable moments (or witness them for the outset time, which, if that'southward the case, congrats and buckle up), we've rounded upwards the virtually essential episodes of the "Little Prove That Could" ahead of its record-breaking 15th season.

Look, the first season of Sunny isn't the best. Although the vii episodes certainly have their moments, they're generally too cringy and unnecessarily harsh to exist funny. The real beginning of Sunny as fans know it doesn't come until the starting time of Flavor 2, when Frank (DeVito) arrives on the scene in a burst of blackmailing, foul-mouthed chaos, turning the gang into its at present-iconic quintet. Even without Frank's introduction, though, the episode'south pretty good with Charlie (Charlie Day) using his "inability" (Dennis ran him over with his car) to go perks at the mall, and Tiffany Haddish (!) making an early blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo as a dancer.

One of Sunny'south greatest strengths is its yearslong running jokes; they pop up simply frequently enough to score some big laughs simply never so frequently they start to experience stale. See: Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and Dee's (Kaitlin Olson) temporary crack addiction, which begins and ends during this season two episode yet comes back to haunt the siblings for seasons to come. Sure, it ruined their lives, but just for a few days, then what's the big bargain?

Yes, the title is dated, to say the least, but if yous can forgive that, the episode is a loftier point of early Sunny. Dee refusing to admit that her boyfriend is mentally disabled is amusing due to her increasingly inane attempts to bear witness otherwise, but what makes this installment memorable is Charlie'south cosmos of "The Nightman," a song about a nocturnal brute who does not molest him, thanks very much, and who'd render in the following season for ane of Sunny's all-time great episodes.

The plot of "The Gas Crisis" — Mac, Dennis, and Charlie attempt to sell gasoline while a bitter Dee and Frank try to convince the world her biological father is a terrorist only considering he donated her inheritance money — is solid, but a Rolling Stone ranking of the prove's strongest episodes summed upward all-time why the episode is essential Sunny: "It defines the gang's archetypes whenever they embark on another A-Squad/Ghostbusters/Body of water's 11-way mission. Mac (Rob McElhenney) is the brains (which is terrifying in and of itself); Frank is the muscle; Dennis is the good-looking one; Dee is 'the useless chick.' And Charlie? He's the wild bill of fare, bitches!"

Dee and Dennis attempting to exist healthier after she suffers a center assail is highly entertaining, equally is the brief homage to DeVito's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but it's Charlie's conspiracy-addled meltdown that makes this episode a must-see. It's pure bizarre, unhinged Sunny, and information technology just then happened to inspire a fantastic meme used by fans and nonfans for years to come.

"The Nightman Cometh" isn't Sunny'south merely musical episode, but it's the i the show will be remembered for, and for good reason. The songs, the sets, Dennis's Dayman codpiece — information technology'due south all hilariously wrong yet then undeniably perfect that the cast even took information technology on a brief cross-state tour.

Sunny'southward characters crusade and then much damage in the testify'due south titular city that the rare episode fix anywhere outside of the greater Philadelphia area stands out — even if, like in this installment, they barely leave the automobile. But "The Gang Hits the Route" is the starting time time Charlie leaves Philadelphia, marking a large development for the character and providing countless jokes both in this episode and later on on in the series.

Of all of Sunny'southward leads, Dennis is the hardest to love. At best, he'due south a narcissistic cad; at worst, he's a sexual predator who truly believes he's God's souvenir to women. No episode showcases this discomfiting complexity better than "The D.Due east.N.N.I.Due south. Arrangement," in which viewers learn the extensive process backside his manipulative "seductions." It'due south painful to watch merely a cardinal window into his character.

Part of Sunny's enduring appeal is its use of its supporting cast, a collection of wonderfully original, incredibly weird characters with inner lives oftentimes complicated enough to warrant their own spinoffs. In "Mac'due south Big Break," several of the show'southward most honey secondary figures (Rickety Cricket, Ben the Soldier, the Waitress) become moments to shine with their appearances serving as a welcome reminder of Sunny's truly impressive world-building.

One of Sunny's finest episodes takes place at the Jersey Shore, which the gang visits in an sick-thought-out programme past Dee and Dennis to relive their childhood memories. Does that happen? Absolutely non. What does happen, though, involves PCP, puke, and "rum ham" — a disgusting Sunny creation that's get i of the show's longest-lasting jokes.

Frank in a dog cage. Dennis throwing beer. Mac and Charlie'south game pieces being smashed to ruins by the game'due south crazed, vindictive winners. "Chardee MacDennis" is 1 of Sunny'due south funniest episodes ever and perhaps the strongest example of but how much fun the gang — and viewers — can accept when they don't experience like leaving the bar.

What makes this excellent episode even more remarkable is that information technology took this long for Sunny to put its conspicuously deluded characters in therapy. It's not that learning only how screwed up Dennis, Dee, Mac, Charlie, and Frank really are is any surprise, but seeing each of them allow it all out (and nosotros mean it all) in front of the poor, poor therapist gives usa more insight than ever into these ridiculous human beings.

As entertaining as the gang's abiding cruelty toward each member can be, the rare times in which they actually seem to savor one another's company are oftentimes even better. And no episode captures that dynamic likewise as "The Gang Dines Out," in which Mac and Dennis, Charlie and Frank, and a solo-dining Dee all separately go to Guigino's and engage in increasingly disorderly competition just to eventually join forces at the expense of someone else. As Larry Fitzmaurice said when he ranked this episode Sunny's best best, "these five dysfunctional, depraved, and utterly co-dependent miscreants not only deserve each other — they're meant to be, whether it's eating at the aforementioned table or laughing at the aforementioned savage, harmful joke. It's the nigh heartwarming episode in a show that has spent 12 seasons kicking and screaming at the mere notion of 'heartwarming' likewise equally a attestation to the true nature of friendship."

Just as rife with potential as episodes bringing the gang all together for ane mission are those in which the members spread out for totally different purposes. In this fantastic half-hr, Mac goes on a misguided dating quest, Frank joins a different gang, Dennis deals with his anger issues, and Charlie and Dee do everything from explore "def poetry" to (maybe? probably? definitely?) sleep together. "The Gang Misses the Gunkhole" is proof that the show'southward 5 leads are just as fun to picket on their own as together.

Some of Sunny's smartest plots put the gang deeply outside of their comfort zones, and, well, Mac and Dennis trying to brand it in suburbia certainly fits the bill. The comedic rapport between McElhenney and Howerton equally their characters slowly drive each other mad is a pleasance to picket, but it's the tiny things — the chirping smoke detector, the Applebee's photos, the dozens of trash bags piled effectually the house because presumably neither man understands how garbage pickup works — that make this episode so memorable.

Equally mentioned, Sunny'south tackling of timely social commentary oft leaves much to be desired, only the show'due south 2018 take on the #MeToo movement actually works. Afterward Paddy's is placed on a list of the worst bars for women, the gang attends an anti-sexual-harassment seminar, and while it doesn't exactly go swimmingly, each fellow member does accept an eye-opening realization about their ain less-than-ideal behavior. Does information technology change much? No, but hey, it's still progress.

Mac's denial of his articulate-to-everyone-else sexual orientation is a running gag through all of Sunny, but in the flavour-13 finale, things take a serious turn when he comes out to his male parent via an elaborate and emotional choreographed trip the light fantastic. It's a stunning, unforgettable scene, and despite the jarring change in tone from the rest of the episode, information technology's past and large 1 of Sunny's most notable achievements to engagement.

17 Essential Episodes of Information technology's Always Sunny in Philadelphia