On TV

I'm not usually much of a "TV guy"....
I mean, sure -- I'll buy that television shows can be totally compelling and artistically legitimate, and, in a vague way, I also understand why some folks get all into stuff like Madmen or CSI (or whatever). You know, it's not like I look down on TV. It's just that I lack the ability to COMMIT to a series in the way that other people do.


If I hear some dude talking about how excited he is to see the latest episode of 24 or Lost (etc, etc), I am struck by the notion that he actually has the time to tune into a given program on a regular basis. It's like, "REALLY? You have a reasonable assurance that you can be at home and in front of your TV at a particular hour, on a specific DAY, each week to check out some show???" -- I personally do not, at the moment, have that luxury.

Plus, I have trouble getting enthusiastic about any television content, in general, unless it is comedy. If I'm gonna bother devoting regular time to something like that, it's got to make me laugh. I mean, not to be a snob or anything, but there have only been a handful of dramatic TV shows that I could enjoy. For me to tune into something on a regular basis, it simply MUST be funny.

So...what DO I watch???


Well, lately, I've been obsessed with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Yeah.


My God, what a great show. I can't believe I never saw it until a month ago. I mean, I KNEW about it and everything, but just never happened to catch an episode until very recently, and by random chance. Boy, was I missing out!

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is about Dennis, Dee, Charlie, and Mac -- four losers with no morals whatsoever who run a bar in the fair city of (you guessed it!) Philadelphia. They encounter a different serious scenario every week, and always walk away from it having learned no valuable lesson.

I've read that the series was originally going to be called Jerks, and that definitely would have been a fitting title. I mean, these people really ARE a bunch of jerks. They never hesitate to screw each other over, and have even wrecked a lot of lives throughout the course of the show's six seasons.

Yet, I like them. Each character on It's Always Sunny may be a dirtbag, but I can RELATE. In fact, I think most of us can. That's got to be why the show has become a hit. Max, Dee, Dennis, and Charlie are all a-holes in ways that I think many folks occasionally are (hey, we've all felt like these people from time to time). It's just that THEY cut out the niceties, and are consistently a-holes. The result is hilarious.

(I think I like Dee the best. I'm not quite sure why, though....)

Such clever writing! Such excellent acting!! Such personality!!! It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has to be the funniest TV series since Strangers with Candy. In fact, now that I think about it, I can see several similarities between the two shows -- they're both primarily about bad people with crappy morals, and they both rely on humor that can only be caught when one is paying actual attention to everything that's being said. That right there is quality comedy writing, folks: no obvious punchlines; just clever, character-dependent dialogue.

(And Dee is a really smart character.)

Throw comedic virtuoso Denny Devito into the mix, and you've got yourself one hell of a TV series, my friend. I mean, to me, Danny Devito has always been grossly underrated, anyway. Look at him in any role he's ever played -- Devito never fails to be excellent and absolutely hilarious, regardless of the context. The man is a brilliant actor! Hey, no one could look like THAT, and consistently work in Hollywood for decades on end without being a total genius, right???

And Danny has a regular part on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as Frank, the show's best character. What a perfectly-played scumbag. I just love him.

(Although, I must say that, for some reason, Dee is almost as good).

The show's humble beginnings also intrigue me. Did you know that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia started out as a crappy, shot-on-a-camcorder, amateur demo project written by Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton? The pilot cost less than 80 dollars to produce, and the three friends sent it around to various TV producer types until somebody at the fledgling FX Network happened to see it, and decided to give those crazy kids a chance.

The series was born with a shoestring budget, and NEARLY failed in its first season. It wasn't until (somehow) Danny Devito got attached that it all really took off. Now, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is entering its seventh season.


Yes, you can add It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to the extremely short list of television shows I have actually liked enough to purchase on DVD. It now occupies the previously-empty third arm in a trifecta that also consists of Strangers with Candy and Futurama. At last, I finally have THREE all-time favorite shows....

(I am complete.)

Friends, check out It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, if you haven't already. It's a fresh, clever, and hysterically original television program that is not to be missed. I honestly can't get over how great this stuff is, and it's really been occupying a great deal of my attention lately (which might partly explain why I've had so few films to review).

Such a talented bunch of people who produce it!

(All right, FINE. I just really want this woman, OK??? There. I admitted it.)

Ahem.

As I was saying, our pals Dennis, Mac, Charlie (another highlight of the show), Frank, and Dee provide us with some world-class and original laughs on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Is anyone else here a fan? If so, what are your favorite episodes??? For me, it would have to the be the one in which Dennis and Dee become crack addicts.

...Or, maybe the one in which they turn the bar into an underage teen club.

...Or, MAYBE, the one in which Dennis tries to run for elected office.

...OR, MAYBE, the one where they try to sneak into a Phillies game....

See??? So many great moments to choose from here, really.


Check it out, and have yourself a good, mean-spirited laugh. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is excellent television.

5 out of 5.

b.