It almost seems unfathomable to say that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been on for 11 seasons. While it helped to inspire low budget comedies such as The League (news flash: it's gone), it somehow has remained a consistent presence, doing its best to offend whatever target comes its way with a gang that was initially referenced as "Seinfeld on crack." Yet there's something endearing about the show, of which has barely felt like it has worn out its welcome. If anything, it has only gotten bored with conventions and has pushed into making the show into an artistic look into narcissism. Considering the show's quest to critique its own past at the same time, season 11 is not without its redundancies. However, it's still one of the greatest comedies on TV, and there's not much sign of slowing down.
The truth is that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has a sense of familiarity this season. It opens with a sequel episode to its famous "Chardee MacDennis" episode and proceeds with an episode in which Frank (Danny DeVito) thinks that it's 2006. The show loves pointing out how stuck in the past it is that one could easily compile a top 10 of every episode that has done that over the past few seasons. To say the least, there's no great through line this season nor has any character changed a bit. Considering that last season did a fantastic job of being a meta commentary on the show's lack of progression, season 11 does get bogged down in a little bit of the familiar (there's even a retro episode called "The Gang Hits the Slopes" - which feels overdue). However, that's only an initial problem - as the show quickly finds its legs.
"Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs" may be the show starting to explore the show's legacy in the modern tense. When the neurotic Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and overtly masculine Mac (Rob McElhenny) move next door, they run into a series of problems with the neighbors and themselves. They play out like a gay couple who cannot even keep the house clean. It's the show realizing that the characters cannot get along and exploits it for every valuable moment. By the time that the fantastic two parter "The Gang Goes to Hell," the show has mostly served to ask how anyone of these characters is still alive. None of it really makes sense, especially since they're still crazy after all of these years.
Maybe the appeal of the show is watching how long it can get away with the crazy, offensive stories while pushing the repugnant features for humor. There's a first person "Being Frank" episode that turns Frank's negligence into a source of surreal drug binges and saving the day despite failing at every turn. The show still manages to find creativity after 100 episodes, and that is the biggest miracle of all. Not every episode is a hit ("McPoyle vs. Ponderosa" is a miss), but it's not from the lack of these characters trying. The actors are almost so committed that it'll be hard to picture what their post-careers look like. Sure, Charlie Day may already have a decent film career, but his portrayal of Charlie Kelly is an inspired mix of neuroses that will be impossible to top. Even in the cruel yet darkly funny "Charlie Captures a Leprechaun," the characters' foolish and evil actions have some inspired shocks. It's impossible for a show to be this edgy and still fun after 11 seasons. Just ask Family Guy.
It would be impossible to really write a recap of each individual season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as well as call one season better than the other. It's been consistently fun and inventive, which feels like an anomaly in modern culture. The show hasn't worn down so much as found new ways to point out its shallow characters' flaws. It may be more polished and familiar, especially in the jabs at characters like Dee (Kaitlin Olsen), but most of the episodes qualitatively are indistinguishable from season to season. It may be why the show doesn't have as much adoration nowadays. However, it could just be that we've all accepted that we got a good thing here, and that's all that it'll ever be. Thankfully, the show knows this and just has fun with it.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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