‘Deandra, I don’t give a shit what you think about me…’
At 17 seasons and 162 episodes, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has cemented its reputation as one of the greatest live action comedies ever. For my money, only Peep Show runs it close in recent years. While it’s not quite as consistently exceptional as it was in its peak years, when it’s good, it’s still outrageous and hilarious and gasp-inducing and everything else that made the show so incredible in the first place…
Season 17 begins with a crossover episode with ABC’s other long-running comedy, Abbott Elementary. As I’ve never watched the latter, much of this season premiere passed me by, although, as ever, there were some lovely Dennis moments. From there, this latest season really starts cooking. ‘Frank is in a Coma’ is an all-timer episode with an unforgettable pay off, ‘Mac and Dennis become EMT’s’ is a reminder of just how weird this show can be (the gang all develop an obsession with peppers), and ‘The Gang Goes to a Dog Track’ leans into the sleazy, scuzzy side of the show that has always set it apart from its peers (Dennis and Dee rekindle their love affair with cocaine inside five minutes of entering the dog track, obviously).
At 17 seasons, It’s Always Sunny… has a formidable back catalogue to pull from. ‘Overage Drinking: A National Concern’ goes all the way back to season one with exquisite results, and it’s refreshing to see such a long-running show pulling from its history without it ever seeming like a pure nostalgia exercise. The season ends on a two-parter, and while these episodes fell a little flat for me (as with episode one, the final two episodes are also a crossover – this time with reality TV show The Golden Bachelor), there is no denying that season 17 is a massive success overall – this is still the best comedy on television.
