- 5 months ago
From crude beginnings to cultural phenomenon! Join us as we trace how America's longest-running live-action sitcom evolved over its remarkable two-decade run. We'll examine how the show's approach to satire has shifted, how the characters developed, and whether the series has maintained its edge despite changing cultural landscapes. Have they peaked? Or have they not even begun to peak?
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00:00I'm finished, guys. I'm finished.
00:02Now, this is all about making myself credible in your eyes again,
00:05and I'm going to do that by admitting that evolution is a lie!
00:11Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're tracing the evolution
00:15of the longest-running live-action sitcom in American history.
00:19Over the course of 20-plus years, our beloved yet irredeemable gang
00:23has endured as a staple of our screens.
00:26So, as a satire, how has It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
00:30adapted to the changing cultural landscape
00:32while still staying true to itself?
00:35Have they peaked?
00:36Peaked, D?
00:39Let me tell you something.
00:41I haven't even begun to peak.
00:44Origins, development, and season one.
00:47If you ask any seasoned Always Sunny fan
00:50their favorite season of the show,
00:52their answer is unlikely to be season one.
00:54Could you guys try to not be weird?
00:57What is that supposed to be?
00:57What?
00:58It was obvious that the gang was finding their footing.
01:01The show's tone and characterization had yet to be solidified,
01:04and it showed.
01:06Even still, from the very beginning,
01:08the series cemented itself as a satire,
01:10and a widely offensive one at that.
01:13The pilot episode, The Gang Gets Racist,
01:16aims to tackle both race and sexuality to the very extreme.
01:20Oh, okay, first of all, that's rude,
01:22and that has nothing to do with what I'm talking about.
01:24Oh, that's exactly what you're talking about.
01:25That's exactly what you're talking about.
01:26Now, we don't want to over-intellectualize
01:29what It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
01:31has ever been trying to achieve.
01:33As creators Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob Mack
01:36have themselves claimed,
01:38their own grasp on the concept of satire
01:41was tenuous in the early days.
01:43No, we were happy, but then Dennis had an experiment,
01:45and he wants to go back to normal after the experiment.
01:47Well, yeah, I mean, we had the little experiment.
01:48Well, why do you keep saying it like that?
01:51While we think they should give themselves a bit more credit,
01:54they make a fair point.
01:56Season one leans heavily into the shock value
01:58of its subject matter,
02:00clearly unconcerned with how their approach
02:01might be interpreted by a wider audience.
02:04Mac?
02:06Stop talking.
02:07In terms of character development,
02:09Caitlin Olsen was cast as Dee Reynolds
02:11after the original pilot had been filmed.
02:13Is that, are you joking?
02:15No, it's not a joke.
02:16Once FX had officially ordered a season of the show,
02:20the original actress in the role
02:21and Mack's girlfriend at the time,
02:23Jordan Reed,
02:25was coldly booted,
02:26and Olsen was hired in her place.
02:29And before she stepped into the role,
02:31Sweet Dee was an earnest nickname.
02:33Dee was imagined as a level-headed straight man character
02:36to counterbalance the depravity of her male counterparts.
02:39Come stand next to me, then.
02:40Why?
02:41So she doesn't think I'm creepy.
02:43Well, you're creepy.
02:43I realized this.
02:44That's why I need you.
02:46All right, let's go.
02:47When Olsen became aware of this,
02:49she turned down the role,
02:51but ultimately returned when Mack reassured her
02:53that the character would be rewritten
02:55to better suit her comedic sensibilities.
02:57We'd argue that this crucial shift in Dee's character
03:00unbound to Always Sunny
03:01from any seemingly obligatory moral center,
03:05allowing the characters to cross the line
03:07and go to extremes in ways
03:09they likely wouldn't have otherwise.
03:11And we also have a social responsibility
03:13to keep teenagers from drinking.
03:16I guess.
03:20Well, I don't know about that, though.
03:21Oh, Mack.
03:23No.
03:23We won't delve too deeply into production details.
03:26We do have two decades' worth of content to cover,
03:29but it bears acknowledging that Day,
03:31Howerton, and Mack created the series
03:33out of virtual obscurity.
03:35Maybe we should look at this whole thing
03:37from a different angle.
03:39Howerton even claims that when they filmed
03:40their first pilot,
03:42he wasn't considering the possibility
03:43that they would go on to sell it to a network.
03:46He just thought it was funny.
03:47And when you watch or re-watch the first season,
03:50it feels evident that the gang had nothing to lose,
03:53but everything to prove.
03:55What you're doing is sick and wrong.
03:57What are you, living out some sad fantasy years?
03:59The gang's unabashed approach
04:01to such shocking situations and themes
04:03could have easily spelt its demise.
04:06Who wants to watch four idiots wave guns around,
04:09falsify cancer, and claim to envy victims of abuse?
04:13Well, in 2005, people did.
04:15Bush's America, we suppose.
04:17And with a concept vague enough to adapt
04:19and standout moments funny enough
04:21to attract initial viewership,
04:23Always Sunny was picked up for a second season.
04:26And, as we now know, over 15 more to follow.
04:30Oh, this is pathetic.
04:31You guys are pathetic.
04:32Satire and parody.
04:34Before we dig into the text or episodes,
04:37we want to quickly define a few key terms.
04:40I just don't get it.
04:42What's not to get?
04:43Come to Philly for the crack.
04:44It has a picture of the Liberty Bell on it.
04:46It's funny and original.
04:47It's not fun.
04:48How's it funny and original?
04:49When we call It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia a satire,
04:53we're addressing that the intention of its humor
04:55is most often designed to mock ignorance
04:58or misconceptions regarding an idea.
05:01Through satire,
05:02the method is to become the object of criticism
05:04in an ironic way.
05:06So, through the gang's own personal folly,
05:08we're meant to observe the shortcomings
05:10of their thinking and extremity.
05:12Oh, Dee, you know what?
05:12Nobody cares about your psych or theater training.
05:15No, no, Dee's right.
05:16Let's think about this.
05:17What's the one thing that Charlie never gets?
05:19Late.
05:20Right, so let's find a girl for Charlie.
05:22No, not at all what I was saying.
05:24When we delve into parody,
05:26there is still a subject being made fun of,
05:28but in a slightly lower-brow fashion.
05:31Parody is the act of literally copying a text
05:33and adding a new spin or layer of context to it.
05:37It typically offers less nuance
05:38and often requires a lower lift of engagement
05:41from an audience.
05:42This isn't to say that parody can't also be satirical
05:45or that it's inherently unintelligent.
05:48We love you, Weird Al.
05:50But generally, satire is a sharper,
05:52more critical art form.
05:53It's not going to work.
05:54You can't just do that.
05:56Well, what do you want to do?
05:57In a 2011 interview,
05:59Rob Mac expressed his fears
06:01regarding the show's ability
06:02to maintain a counterculture status,
06:05which he believed was crucial
06:07to producing quality satire.
06:09He later unpacked this comment on Hot Ones.
06:12We're satirizing hypocrisy and culture,
06:15and I don't think we get it right 100% of the time.
06:17In fact, if you do,
06:18then you're probably not pushing
06:19as far as you need to.
06:20So we're always right out on the edges
06:22and on the fringes,
06:24some would say of good taste,
06:26and they're right.
06:27With this all in mind,
06:29let's dig into how Always Sunny's comedic approach
06:31shifted over time,
06:32for better or for worse.
06:34To properly cover the scope
06:36of the sheer mass of episodes
06:37we could possibly discuss,
06:39we'll be breaking the seasons up
06:41into what we feel are three distinct eras
06:43of the iconic series run.
06:45I think it's a great idea.
06:48I'm sorry?
06:49I think it's really smart.
06:50Seasons 2 to 7,
06:52Creating a Canon.
06:53With Danny DeVito's Frank Reynolds
06:55now aboard the cast,
06:57fears of low viewership
06:58from the network could subside.
07:00I had something very important to tell you.
07:01Oh, really?
07:02What could be so important
07:02and couldn't just wait till the morning?
07:04DeVito arguably saved the show
07:06in more ways than one,
07:07from simply drawing eyes
07:09to the relatively unknown sitcom,
07:11to elevating the possibilities
07:13of the gang's antics to new heights.
07:15Frank, introduced as Dennis and Dee's father,
07:18quickly sheds any presumptive parental expectations
07:21within the structure of the cast.
07:23In his first appearance,
07:25Frank teams up with Charlie
07:26to get as much attention at the strip club
07:28by whatever means necessary.
07:30From this point on,
07:31it's clear that his depravity meets,
07:33if not exceeds,
07:34the rest of the gang's.
07:35I think I know how we can really up our game
07:37at the strip club.
07:38How?
07:39Who gets more respect and admiration
07:41in this country than war heroes?
07:46Athletes.
07:46Yeah, that's true.
07:47But after that...
07:48Rock stars.
07:49Yeah, also true.
07:50But after that, Frank...
07:51Actors.
07:52Right.
07:52Models.
07:53Yes.
07:53In these initial seasons,
07:55the series had solidified an early status
07:57as a pure satire.
07:59As a case study,
08:00season two's Dennis and Dee
08:02go on welfare
08:03both exemplifies their comedic approach
08:05and marks a point
08:06where the gang began to hit their stride.
08:09We got big dreams, Mac.
08:10We're gonna go follow him.
08:11You guys have nothing without this bar.
08:14Don't worry about us, Mac.
08:15We'll be just fine.
08:17Dennis and Dee quit Patty's
08:18to follow their dreams,
08:20but when they realize
08:21that unemployment pays better than the bar,
08:23they go off the deep end.
08:25This episode had extreme,
08:26confrontational subject matter
08:28akin to season one,
08:30but each character
08:31is more thoroughly defined,
08:32and each role in the gang's dynamic
08:34feels considerate.
08:36What the hell is this?
08:37Oh.
08:38Living the dream, bro.
08:39I thought you two were out
08:42looking for careers or something.
08:44We are, man.
08:44We're just getting a little bit of assistance
08:45to help us out over the hump.
08:47In terms of the larger context
08:49of this episode,
08:50using unemployment programs
08:52as the inciting incident
08:53grounds us in a complicated reality.
08:55While we are obviously not meant
08:57to learn anything
08:58from the gang's actions,
08:59the episode lays out an issue
09:01that many Americans have faced.
09:03In some circumstances,
09:05unemployment can be more lucrative
09:06than employment.
09:07I want that welfare, Dennis.
09:09We do.
09:09So do I.
09:10No, you don't understand.
09:11I got a taste of my dream.
09:12I can't go back.
09:13I gotta get to Broadway,
09:14and welfare's the key.
09:14This was the case in 2006,
09:17and has continued to be an issue
09:18in the following decades,
09:20particularly during
09:21and following the pandemic.
09:23When dissecting the formula
09:24that has made
09:25Always Sunny near eternal,
09:27many of everyday political problems
09:29that the series
09:30has commented upon
09:31have unfortunately persisted
09:33alongside its 20-plus-year run.
09:35This fact makes episodes
09:37like Dennis and Dee
09:38Go on Welfare feel timeless,
09:40despite being shot
09:41on a Panasonic camcorder.
09:44Children!
09:45With me?
09:45What's all the fighting about?
09:47Did you tell them
09:48that they could have our jobs?
09:49Why don't we go on inside
09:50where it's nice and warm
09:51and we can settle this like a family?
09:53By season four,
09:54the series started taking
09:55some bigger swings.
09:57Trust us when we tell you
09:58that Patty's Pub
09:58played an extremely important part
10:00in history.
10:01This might be a hot take,
10:03but this season could potentially
10:04be the most iconic,
10:06consistently strong
10:07of the show overall.
10:08But you can argue with us
10:10in the comments about that.
10:11At the time,
10:12some sunny purists took issue
10:14with The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell,
10:16an episode that transports
10:18the gang to 1776.
10:20I saved you from being burned
10:21at the stake for being a witch.
10:23You're the one who accused me
10:24of being a witch
10:24in the first place, Dennis.
10:25Well, what's done is done.
10:27That's all in the past now.
10:28The plot of the episode exists
10:29within a story
10:30the gang tells a historian
10:32in an attempt to deem
10:33Patty's a landmark.
10:35But even with that framing device
10:37keeping the events
10:38of the episode in-universe,
10:40many fans felt it was
10:41a few steps too far
10:42outside of the world
10:43they'd come to love.
10:44And if we're talking big swings,
10:47season four's finale
10:48is probably its best known
10:50and perhaps most beloved episode,
10:52The Nightman Cometh.
10:53What you doing, buddy?
10:55I wrote a musical.
10:56Huh?
10:56You wrote a musical?
10:57Why?
10:58Why did you do that?
10:59Just to write a musical.
11:01Does there have to be a reason?
11:02I don't think so.
11:03A musical episode
11:04and, in our humble opinion,
11:06an even larger plot departure
11:08than Liberty Bell.
11:10All of this to say,
11:11regardless of public opinion,
11:13this season establishes
11:14that Always Sunny
11:14is far from a one-trick pony
11:16in terms of its ability
11:18to successfully expand
11:19the boundaries
11:19of their storytelling.
11:21Laying this groundwork early
11:23gave Day, Howerton, Mac,
11:25and the rest of the creative team
11:27even more freedom
11:28to take the series
11:29in unexpected directions.
11:31I'm gonna get real weird with it.
11:33Seasons five through seven
11:35continue to deliver
11:36instant classics.
11:37The Dennis System,
11:38A Very Sunny Christmas,
11:40and Charty McDennis,
11:42The Game of Games,
11:43to name a few,
11:44have all remained
11:45in the cultural consciousness
11:46as some of the defining episodes
11:47of the series.
11:49I don't think I wrote that.
11:50You definitely wrote this one, Charlie.
11:53Who else would have written this?
11:55I'm not remembering that.
11:57I don't think I wrote that one.
11:57Of course you do!
11:59This canon becomes a foundation
12:00that the rest of its
12:01Always Sunny in Philadelphia
12:02derives from
12:03and, eventually,
12:05may come to rest its laurels on.
12:08Seasons eight to 12,
12:09self-reference and adaptation.
12:12With seven seasons
12:13in their back pocket
12:14and a growing fan base,
12:15Always Sunny had to innovate
12:17while still delivering
12:18on the standard of quality
12:19it had been known for.
12:21What are you talking about?
12:22We're gonna solve
12:22the trash crisis.
12:24Oh!
12:24Luckily for them,
12:26they had created
12:26an almost airtight dynamic
12:28and had the flexibility
12:30to put the gang
12:31in almost any situation
12:32they could conceive of.
12:33While we've already
12:34established ourselves
12:35as the gang
12:36cracks the Liberty Bell
12:37apologists,
12:38we think there's a line
12:39as to how far the gang
12:41can take us
12:41outside of their world
12:43before becoming
12:43a parody of itself,
12:45a line that we start
12:46to approach here.
12:47I'm tired of people
12:48telling me what I can't do.
12:50In seasons eight through 12,
12:51many of the episodes
12:52start to exist
12:53outside of the Patty's formula.
12:55He raised them,
12:57but he didn't sire them.
12:58Now, he may have sired him.
12:59We're not exactly sure,
13:01but they do live together
13:02in squalor.
13:03And as the risks
13:04they took began to increase,
13:06at the same time,
13:07the tone of the episodes
13:08began to feel increasingly
13:09more self-referential
13:11as well.
13:11This isn't to say
13:12that there's a quality
13:13drop-off at this point,
13:15because there are lots
13:15of standout episodes
13:16to be highlighted
13:17in this era.
13:18But in regards
13:19to the series' evolution,
13:21compared to the previous
13:22batch of seasons,
13:23there's a noticeable movement
13:24towards the absurd,
13:26the parodic,
13:27and towards borrowing
13:28from its own canon
13:29as much as it attempts
13:30to expand it.
13:32See, that's what I'm talking about.
13:33You sacrifice,
13:34you put the work in,
13:35you earn that card.
13:36What we feel marks this shift
13:38is season eight's
13:39The Gang Recycles
13:40they're trash.
13:41I feel like you guys
13:41have done something
13:42like that before.
13:44This episode essentially
13:45serves as an homage
13:46to the entire series
13:47up until this point,
13:49recycling dialogue
13:50and bits from
13:51former standout episodes.
13:53Done improperly,
13:54this episode could have
13:55felt hacky
13:56or like pointless
13:57fan service.
13:58But instead,
13:59Sunny delivered us
14:00a clever,
14:01self-aware,
14:02and dare we say,
14:03anti-clip show
14:04of an episode.
14:05I did not picture
14:06this guy getting recycled
14:07back into the mix.
14:08Through both form
14:09and content,
14:10we see that the team
14:11wanted us to understand
14:12that they recognized
14:13their own limitations.
14:15How many more social
14:16or political issues
14:17can they comment on
14:18in new ways
14:18before they come full circle?
14:20How many more schemes
14:21can the gang cook up
14:22before they begin
14:23to run out of ideas?
14:25Perhaps intentionally,
14:26perhaps in hindsight,
14:28this episode serves
14:29as a clear inflection point
14:30in the direction
14:31of the show.
14:32I think this might
14:32actually work.
14:33See, all we had to do
14:34is learn from mistakes
14:35and then work together.
14:36In season nine,
14:37we have a handful
14:38of episodes that hinge
14:39upon previous plot lines
14:41or repurpose ideas
14:42they have already explored.
14:44I mean, the whole gun thing,
14:45it just makes me really hot.
14:46Yeah.
14:46Well, it's a hot issue
14:47and I'm getting hot about it too.
14:48This is good.
14:48We're all hot at the same time.
14:50Namely,
14:50Gun Fever 2,
14:52still hot,
14:53the gang makes
14:53Lethal Weapon 6,
14:55and the gang squashes
14:56their beefs.
14:57All partially require
14:58some understanding
14:59of the lore
15:00to fully appreciate.
15:01However,
15:02the season nine episode
15:03we want to hone in on
15:04is the gang tries
15:05desperately to win an award.
15:07In the past,
15:08our group has not
15:09paid you
15:11any attention,
15:13but now
15:13we are prepared
15:15to pay
15:16you
15:17what you deserve
15:18in attention
15:19if you get my drift.
15:22While we're familiar
15:23with Always Sunny's
15:24inclination to comment
15:25on society at large,
15:26this episode is pointing
15:27directly towards
15:28its own critical reception.
15:30More specifically,
15:31its lack of awards recognition,
15:33the episode shows
15:34the gang's reluctance
15:35and ultimate inability
15:36to adopt the strategies
15:38that seem to gain
15:39other show's accolades.
15:41And their final message
15:42to the voting academy
15:43is quite clear.
15:45He's got a mean bite.
15:49Now he's ready to fight.
15:58In this case,
16:00Sunny is at the point
16:00where they're able
16:01to leverage their popularity
16:03in a way that's both
16:03self-referential
16:05and satirical.
16:06We're good at what we do.
16:07Yeah!
16:08We do our own thing
16:09and we're good at it.
16:09You know,
16:09I don't need their validation.
16:11No, that's exactly right.
16:12No, I'm happy with us.
16:14But as the show continues,
16:16the episodes feel
16:17less like the world
16:17of Sunny is being used
16:19as the satirical blueprint
16:20and more like external
16:22current events
16:23are leading the direction
16:24of the content.
16:25All right,
16:25why don't you tell me
16:25where you were that night?
16:27Well, it was actually
16:28a pretty average Friday night
16:30for me.
16:30Watched a movie
16:32with my roommate
16:32Mac at our apartment
16:33and then went over
16:35to the bar
16:35for a couple drinks.
16:36Season 12's
16:37Making Dennis Reynolds
16:38A Murderer
16:39is an obvious,
16:41we're saying it,
16:41parody of the true crime genre.
16:44While still character-driven,
16:45it feels less original,
16:47drawing heavily
16:48from pop culture
16:49and fan theories
16:50surrounding Dennis' years
16:51of indiscretions
16:52and questionable behavior.
16:54Dennis, you're my son.
16:56I know you.
16:58I know your character.
17:00I know the type of person you are.
17:02That's why I know
17:03you definitely didn't do it.
17:05Be honest with me.
17:07Talk to daddy.
17:09What the hell is this, Frank?
17:10While we're on the subject
17:11of fan theories,
17:12the question of Mac's sexuality
17:14comes to the forefront
17:15in the next episode.
17:16In the early seasons,
17:18Mac is vehemently homophobic.
17:20It then becomes
17:21a running joke
17:22that Mac is not out
17:23about being gay,
17:25which eventually leads
17:26to his character
17:26officially coming out
17:28in hero or hate crime.
17:30As the creators have revealed,
17:32this was a retroactive decision.
17:34Season 1 of Sunny
17:35never pictured Season 12
17:37Mac as a gay man.
17:38For some reason,
17:39he thinks that I'm gay,
17:41and that is why
17:41he called me the F word,
17:43which makes him a bigot.
17:44Oh, wait.
17:45Catch me up here.
17:47Now, you're not gay?
17:49Obviously not.
17:50For some,
17:50it's easy to write this off
17:52as a woke move
17:53or as some means
17:54of undoing their past wrongs.
17:56If you ask us,
17:57well, this is our video essay,
17:59isn't it?
18:00The issue doesn't lie
18:01in the choice
18:01to embrace Mac's sexuality.
18:03However,
18:04after releasing the tension
18:05within his character,
18:07there seems to lack
18:08a direction
18:08in how Mac's newfound
18:10self-acceptance
18:11would function comedically
18:12within the plot.
18:14All of these creative choices
18:15lead us into the most
18:16current era
18:17of Always Sunny,
18:18where the social
18:19and political landscape
18:20become more significant players
18:22in the show's development
18:23than ever before.
18:24No, I think I'm out now.
18:27Yeah, I'm gay.
18:30Actually, it feels pretty good.
18:32See you guys.
18:34Season 13 and onwards,
18:36a new era.
18:37From 2017 forward,
18:39the series just feels different.
18:41The production value
18:42is noticeably higher
18:43and given the cast's success,
18:46they themselves
18:47look higher value as well.
18:49Congrats, Mac.
18:49It looks really good.
18:50Good job.
18:51This in itself
18:52is challenging at times
18:53as we're meant to believe
18:54that the gang
18:55are the same low-class
18:56Philadelphia crew
18:57that they're still
18:58meant to be portraying.
19:00They're rich people now
19:01and they look like it.
19:02Right before season 12 began,
19:05Glenn Howerton expressed
19:06a sentiment
19:06that may have been
19:07right on the money.
19:08He feared that Sunny
19:09was overstaying its welcome.
19:11Besides his concerns
19:12about the quality of the show,
19:14he also desired
19:15to spread his wings
19:16and take on
19:17new creative projects.
19:19So in season 13,
19:20he took a step back
19:21from the show,
19:22appearing only in
19:23select episodes
19:24as a recurring character
19:25as opposed to a lead.
19:27And obviously,
19:28his absence was felt.
19:29It's all right.
19:30It's all right
19:31because I got a new plan.
19:32In season 13,
19:34none of the episodes,
19:35aside from the finale
19:36Mac finds his pride,
19:38are written by any members
19:39of the core creative trio,
19:41which arguably gives the season
19:43a kind of fan fiction vibe.
19:45This is serious, okay?
19:46The future of Patty's
19:47depends on us
19:47completing this seminar.
19:49You guys should be
19:49really worried.
19:50It also leans hard
19:51into absurdity
19:52and meta-comedy
19:53more than ever before.
19:55With the gang
19:56does a clip show
19:57as a notable
19:58departure in style.
19:59In another attempt
20:00to mock
20:01the long-held
20:02sitcom tradition,
20:03the gang collectively
20:04reminisces
20:05on past highlights
20:06from the show.
20:07Ultimately,
20:08they deliver
20:08an Inception parody
20:10where they are able
20:11to link
20:11and alter their memories.
20:13Dennis,
20:14we're in your head,
20:15aren't we?
20:15Yeah.
20:16No,
20:17why would we be
20:17in my head?
20:18Why not?
20:20Conceptually brave,
20:21but extremely on the nose
20:22as they literally
20:23reference Inception
20:24within the episode itself.
20:26In what was a creative effort
20:27to come off
20:28as self-aware,
20:29Instead feels mistrusting
20:31of its lifelong fans
20:32to be in on the joke.
20:34The bridge from satire
20:35into parody
20:36has been crossed
20:36and we fear
20:38there's no going back.
20:39Thank God
20:39we're back to normal.
20:41Thankfully,
20:42Howerton returned
20:42full-time
20:43from season 14 forward,
20:45which revived hope
20:46in the future of the show.
20:47Let's keep the trap simple.
20:49Yeah, well,
20:49don't call it a trap
20:50because that's not romantic.
20:52Yeah, yeah,
20:52I'm sure for Dennis
20:53it's a trap.
20:54But aside from
20:55Dennis' sporadic involvement,
20:57season 13 is notable
20:58in terms of the cultural moment
21:00it takes place
21:00in the midst of.
21:02This season is the very first
21:03to air in the Trump era
21:05and it's apparent
21:06that Sonny felt the need
21:07to make their political agenda
21:08loud and clear.
21:09It seems as if the team
21:10recognizes that
21:12earlier seasons
21:12may have been criticized
21:13for their offensive content
21:15and as such
21:16adjusts their approach
21:18to satire
21:18to be more partisan.
21:20It is what it is!
21:21Issues discussed
21:22in more recent episodes
21:23diversity,
21:25sexual harassment,
21:26global warming,
21:27to name a few,
21:28are higher stakes
21:29conversations than ever
21:30given the political climate
21:32and so any nuance
21:33in exploring them
21:34comedically
21:35can be misconstrued
21:36by an audience
21:37expecting to see
21:38the gang take a side.
21:40We can't blame
21:41Always Sunny
21:41for making measured adjustments
21:43as the times change,
21:44but it does beg the question,
21:46if the original
21:47confronting Sunny-style
21:49satire
21:49is no longer possible,
21:51then what does the gang
21:52have left to tell us?
21:53What are we still
21:54hanging on to?
21:55It's a classic alpha move.
21:57Oh my god, it is?
21:58Before we continue,
22:00be sure to subscribe
22:00to our channel
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22:12and switch on notifications.
22:14In more recent years,
22:16Always Sunny
22:17has done its best
22:17to return to its core principles
22:19however possible.
22:20Howerton, Day, and Mac
22:27have more episode writing credits
22:29in season 14 forward
22:30and their personal touches
22:32really do make Sunny feel,
22:34well, sunny.
22:35Despite the challenges
22:36of maintaining
22:37a successful sitcom
22:38for 20 plus years
22:40and despite all
22:41of the valid critiques
22:42we've leveled towards it,
22:44it's truly astounding
22:45to witness a comedy series
22:46mature alongside
22:47a changing world.
22:49Whether you appreciate
22:50the direction
22:51of the latter seasons
22:52or not,
22:53no one could claim
22:54that they've ever
22:54been complacent
22:55and ironically,
22:57that's actually
22:58what we'd hope
22:59from the gang themselves.
23:00We want to see them
23:01stubborn,
23:02unwilling to learn
23:03or adapt,
23:04steadfast in their ignorance.
23:06Maybe we're the ones
23:07who need to learn
23:07our lesson.
23:09Sometimes things
23:09just sort of end.
23:12So has It's Always Sunny
23:13in Philadelphia peaked
23:14or have they not
23:15even begun to peak?
23:17Let us know
23:18in the comments.
23:19You haven't peaked.
23:20You haven't even begun
23:22to peak,
23:23but you're going
23:23to peak today.
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