Light orchestral jazz streams from my living room TV shows the time of 9:40 a.m. Quickly, the screen transitions to say the day of the week, then, “Philadelphia, PA,” as I hear Danny DeVito’s voice come through the music.
Every episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” begins in a similar fashion to this one, telling the audience the time, day of the week and location. And it has for the last 17 seasons.
The first two episodes of Season 18 began airing through FX on Aug. 17, with the next eight episodes scheduled to premiere weekly until Oct. 12. As of Sept. 8, five total episodes have aired.
After watching half of the season so far, I can safely say that “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has outlasted cable television for one reason – the topical quick-witted humor.
One thing the writers have done right since the first season aired in 2005 is allowing the Gang — as the five main characters refer to themselves — to evolve (and purposefully having them not evolve with the times). The writing of the series has stayed consistent through the years with the satirical themes of acknowledging, participating and harping current events, technology and movements.
It is one of the few shows that consistently satirizes current problems without making the satire feel too gimmicky. Within the over-the-top satire of Paddy’s Pub, the characters interact with the world as it is and as it changes.
I have seen almost all of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and while the latest season has yet to beat the golden years of the show — which I personally think are seasons 2-8 — the Gang has managed to keep their numerous commitments to the bit alive.
The infamous McPoyle family makes a comeback in “The Gang Goes to the Ren Faire,” as the owners of the land a Renaissance faire is hosted on that the Gang is visiting. The ever-so business savvy Frank attempts to meet with the landlord, unknowingly scheduling a meeting with Pappy McPoyle (Guillermo del Toro).
Within the series, the McPoyles have feuded with the Gang since they were introduced in the early days of the show as the dysfunctional family of the Paddy’s Pub owner, Pappy McPoyle.
RelatedMeet Me at the Metz series returns with ‘America: 250 Years’ show
The weekly Metz Carillon recital series is back for the fall semester.
Other recurring characters, such as Uncle Jack (Andrew Friedman) and Luther McDonald (Gregory Scott Cummins), continued to serve their purpose as Charlie Kelly’s (Charlie Day) creepy lawyer uncle or Mac McDonald’s (Rob McElhenney) deadbeat dad.
Overall, the past five episodes kept the spirit of the show’s integrity. The first episode was a strong start to the season and the writers kept the storyline from the first episode bleeding into the second episode since they were released on the same day, which I think was an excellent choice.
The next episode, “The War on Alcohol,” will air 9 p.m. Sept. 14 on FX. Five more episodes in total are set to come out each Monday at 9 p.m. until Oct. 12.
Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe
