It can be hard to get people to watchIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiafrom the start, so what are the best episodes to show beginners? The series is a must-watch for anyone with a dark sense of humor, but I’ve found that people are reluctant to take the recommendation, because it’s such a huge time commitment. Now thatIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiahas been on the air for 16 seasons, amassing a grand total of 170 episodes, some people think it’s too late to go back and watch it from the beginning. It’s theGrey’s Anatomyof sitcoms.
It doesn’t help that the show took until about season 3 or 4 to really find its voice and become truly great. A lot of viewers give up on the first season, because it doesn’t grab them right away. The show’s first episode, “The Gang Gets Racist,” was a solid introduction to the cast’s chemistry and the series’ signature pitch-black comedic sensibility, but it was still a long way from finding its feet. If you’re trying to get a friend to watchIt’s Always Sunnyand they refuse to start from the beginning, maybe start with one of these episodes instead.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 17 Filming Start Window Revealed By Dee Actor
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17’s filming start window is revealed by Dee actor Kaitlin Olson, providing promising news for the show.
10Charlie Gets Crippled
Season 2, episode 1
It’s Always Sunnydidn’t really becomeIt’s Always Sunnyuntil Danny DeVito joined the ensemble as Frank Reynolds. Frank didn’t join the cast until the second season, when FX requested that they add an A-list star to keep the show on the air. He made his first appearance in season 2, episode 1, “Charlie Gets Crippled,” in which he shows up at Paddy’s and wants to give up his wealth and luxury to live on the fringes of society with the Gang.
Once Frank joined the Gang, the ensemble felt complete. He brings the other four characters together: he has the same sociopathy that he ingrained in Dennis and Dee, but he also shares Mac and Charlie’s adorable, childlike naivety.As soon as DeVito was added to the cast,It’s Always Sunnywas off to the races.
9The Gang Solves The Gas Crisis
Season 4, episode 2
Season 4, episode 2, “The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis,” is one of the quintessential episodes ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It’s a perfect example of the Gang’s ludicrous get-rich-quick schemes, which form the basis for many of the series’ classic installments. With gas prices on the rise, the Gang decides to buy a few barrels’ worth of gasoline, hold onto it while the prices increase, and then sell it door-to-door for a profit.
“The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis” is aSunnymasterpiece
Not only is this episode a prime example of the Gang’s scheming; it also examines the cast’s dynamic on a meta level, which will be helpful for newcomers. All the characters have absurd delusions about their role in the group (like Mac, the guy who couldn’t even think of the word “words,”declaring himself to be “the brains”). “The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis” is aSunnymasterpiece.
8The Gang Finds A Dumpster Baby
Season 3, episode 1
It’s Always Sunny’s season 3 premiere – season 3, episode 1, “The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby” – sees the show finally starting to find its feet after a rocky couple of initial seasons. Mac and Dee find an abandoned baby in a dumpster and decide to raise it as a child star.Frank and Charliebecome so enamored with the dump that they move out of their apartment to live amongst the trash. And Dennis becomes an eco-warrior purely for vanity.
All three of these story threads demonstrate exactly what kind of show this is. Mac and Dee’s dumpster baby storyline exemplifies that these are all really bad people; Frank and Charlie’s living-in-trash storyline exemplifies the show’s unbridled weirdness; and Dennis’ eco-warrior storyline exemplifiesSunny’s twisted social satire.It’s one of the series’ earliest perfect episodes.
7Mac And Dennis Break Up
Season 5, episode 9
A lot ofAlways Sunnyepisodes are built around a timely social or political issue, like gun control or abortion, but as with any sitcom, it’s the characters and their dynamics that make the show so endearing. Rather than showing a beginner one of the topical episodes, you should show them an episode that puts the focus squarely on the characters’ relationships. Season 5, episode 9, “Mac and Dennis Break Up,” is a prime example of one of these episodes.
It sees Mac and Dennis confronting their co-dependence while Frank and Charlie remain blissfullyignorant of their own co-dependence. It’s a great example of Dee getting her own back against the rest of the Gang, only for it to come back and bite her. These five characters are firing on all cylinders in this episode.
6Paddy’s Pub: The Worst Bar In Philadelphia
Season 4, episode 8
Paddy’s gets a terrible review in a local newspaper in season 4, episode 8, “Paddy’s Pub: The Worst Bar in Philadelphia,” and Charlie retaliates by kidnapping the critic, bringing him back to the bar, and forcing him to write a more positive review. This premise is a perfect way to introduce these five terrible people to new viewers. Seeing the Gang frantically try to pull off a successful kidnapping and botching the plan at every turn provides plenty of laughs.
Fisher Stevens gives one ofthe best guest performances inIt’s Always Sunny’s historyas the kidnapped critic. The Gang is at their funniest when they have a deadpan straight man pointing out the absurdity of everything they do. In this episode, Stevens did a hilarious job as the straight man commenting on the Gang’s rash decision-making and unceasing stupidity.
5Reynolds Vs. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense
Season 8, episode 10
The season 8 finale – season 8, episode 10, “Reynolds vs. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense” – brings the format of a legal procedural to Paddy’s Pub. After Frank bumps into Dennis’ car and knocks a bowl of cereal out of his hands, the Gang holds a trial to determine who should pay for the damages. Is it Frank’s fault for knocking the cereal out of Dennis’ hands or is it Dennis’ fault for bringing a bowl of cereal on the road with him?
“Reynolds vs. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense” is a bottle episode that barely leaves the bar.It puts the focus solely on the characters and their uniquely skewed viewof the world. AnAlways Sunnynovice would get a clear idea of what the show is and who the characters are from the cereal verdict in the season 8 finale.
4Sweet Dee Has A Heart Attack
Season 4, episode 10
Even if you’ve never heard ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, chances are you’ve seen the “Pepe Silvia” memes. So, a good place to start would be the episode that originated the Pepe Silvia reference: season 4, episode 10, “Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack.” The episode sees the Gang on a health kick after Dee suffers an untimely heart attack.
Dennis and Dee hit the gym to get in shape and end up ditching the gym and getting cosmetic surgery instead. Meanwhile, Mac and Charlie get minimum-wage office jobs for the health insurance (that’s the source ofthose Pepe Silvia memes) and Frank gets swept up in a hilarious drug-hazed parody ofOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. This episode exemplifies what makes these characters so funny, and what makes their worldview so delightfully absurd.
3The Gang Hits The Road
Season 5, episode 2
The premise of season 5, episode 2, “The Gang Hits the Road,” is simple enough for a beginner to easily grasp it. The Gang sets out to drive to the Grand Canyon, but they face so many obstacles and setbacks that they never even leave Philly. Dee picks up a hitchhiker so she can drink, Mac gets a jar of pee thrown in his face, and Dennis and Charlie unwittingly poison themselves by burning wicker chairs inside a trailer – suffice to say, this is not your average road trip.
Before season 11 delivered the masterpiece that is“Mac and Dennis Move to the Suburbs,”“The Gang Hits the Road” was my personal favorite episode ofIt’s Always Sunny. It encapsulates the show’s Seinfeldian ability to wring big laughs and ridiculous situations out of a mundane “show about nothing” premise. And the enclosed space of the car will help newcomers get to know these unfamiliar characters.
2Mac’s Banging The Waitress
Season 4, episode 4
It can be pretty overwhelming to get to know the entire cast of a TV show in a single episode. The medical students inGrey’s Anatomy, the study group inCommunity, the survivors inThe Walking Dead, the extended Bluth clan inArrested Development– it’s a lot of names and faces and personalities to take in. Maybe a good place to startAlways Sunnywould be an episode featuring just three out of the five main characters.
Mac tries to woo Charlie’s love interest to get back at him
In season 4, episode 4, “Mac’s Banging the Waitress,” Mac tries to woo Charlie’s love interest to get back at him, Charlie investigates Mac’s suspicious behavior, and Dennis leverages his intel to play them both against each other. It’s a terrific three-hander, emphasizing great writing and great comedic acting. This would be an ideal episode to start on.
1Dennis And Dee Go On Welfare
Season 2, episode 3
Season 2, episode 3, “Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare,” is a great one to start with, because it exemplifies the show’s ability to take a really serious subject and spin comedy gold out of it. It sees Dennis and Dee quitting their jobs at the bar, claiming to be addicted to crack and intellectually disabled, and trying to get on welfare. It’s a classic case of the Gang trying to buck the system and facing hilarious consequences for it.
Even though the Gang does some awful things – and the show makes light of some really dark subjects – the joke is always on them. They’re deplorable and reprehensible, but their schemes always backfire on them and give them their karmic comeuppance. Since it’s early enough to feel like the beginning of the series but late enough to have found its comedic voice, I think “Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare” is the perfectIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiaepisode for beginners.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Cast
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a television series that premiered in 2005, chronicling the chaotic lives of four self-involved friends running an Irish pub in Philadelphia. Their misguided decisions and skewed perspectives often result in amusing and uncomfortable situations, complicating their professional and personal relationships.
