Season 15 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia became a monumental season for the show, now making it the longest running live-action comedy series in TV history. Even after 15 seasons, the show still manages to live up to its potential of being one of the greatest series of all time.
The new eight-episode season features the same five members of the gang: Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), Charlie (Charlie Day) and Frank (Danny DeVito). Possibly one of the best ensemble casts in TV history, these raunchy characters are back to deal with the aftermath of a chaotic past few years.
The season premiere episode was a great opener, as it dives into how the members were involved in some of the biggest disasters in 2020. Disasters including the pandemic, the 2020 election and the Capitol Building riots on Jan. 6. It’s more political than usual but ultimately sets up a shockingly hilarious satirical episode, making it one of the best episodes the show has had in a while.
The second episode of season 15 entitled “The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7,” brings back the controversy of the gang doing blackface in the past. After the events in 2020, the group has learned from their past mistakes and have decided to make a wrong turn into a right. It would seem that the gang has grown, though not necessarily for the right reasons.
The characters consistently evolve throughout the season as they acknowledge their politically incorrect past. The gang desperately tries to be more correct, but their many failed attempts provide for some hilarious moments. Sure, the show does present social commentary but usually tries to make it satirical.
“The Gang Buys a Roller Rink” takes the crew back to the ‘90s in this flashback episode. It provides audiences with some well-needed backstory on the characters and shows even how they acquired the famous Paddy's Pub. Even after so many seasons with these characters, the show still proves that there is still more to learn about them.
In the second half of the season, the gang travels to Ireland. But what was supposed to be a nice vacation turns into chaos. Whilst there, Charlie finds his biological father, Dennis gets COVID and starts hallucinating, and Mac tries to become a priest.
The final episode in which “The Gang Carries a Dead Body Up a Mountain,” is essentially a peak episode for the season and for the show. Both situationally hilarious yet a little saddening, the gang grows together more than they possibly ever had.
There was also plenty of character development after the gang had been fighting with each other throughout most of the season. In the final episode, they had realized that they shouldn’t leave anyone behind because they only have each other to rely on. It’s more sentimental than they usually are, making this season feel a little a bit more heartwarming.
What continues to be fascinating is how It’s Always Sunny remains to be still relevant today, taking moments out of today’s news and figuring out how the gang is impacted by it. It makes for some hilarious moments in the show, just like finding out DeVito’s character was friends with Jeffrey Epstein. It’s amazing that the show never seems to run out of ideas, and with this formula it seems like they never will.
The show is still able to expand and evolve, which is something not a lot of shows can accomplish. They have been able to last so long also because of the addition of new writers to keep the show fresh. Even including a Black writer, Keyonna Taylor, to help take on some of their previous past in racial stereotypes.
Even the actors themselves prove how accomplished the show has become. Unlike other shows, they have kept the same cast throughout all the seasons, all while having amazing chemistry amongst each actor.
All eight episodes this season were astonishing with some standing out a bit more than others. It’s definitely not their strongest season yet, but it is still exceptionally enjoyable.
It’s Always Sunny should be rewarded for being able to make a show that continues to be hilarious and shocking for 15 straight seasons. No other show could simply accomplish that. The show isn’t slowing down anytime soon now that they have at least three more seasons with FXX.
