It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Review

I stumbled on to It's Always Sunny in Philadeliphia by accident - it's not on one of the big networks, but on cable's FX channel, which I don't often turn to. What a fortunate accident! I honestly think this is the funniest show on television right now, and one of the funniest, ever.

The Premise: Mac, Charlie, and Dennis are low-life friends who own a ratty, backstreet Philadelphia bar. Sweet Dee (Dennis' twin sister) work at the bar. As the most amoral, degenerate group of friends to ever grace the small screen, they get into all sorts of trouble - mostly because they're always out to pull a scam, make some easy money, get over on someone, or be entertained at the expense of others. Danny Devito plays Dee and Dennis' father (or is he???), who buys intot he bar and joins the gang in their hideous antics.

A simple premise, but it adds up to great television. For one thing, nothing is tabboo on IASIP. Crack addiction? Comedy gold! Questionable paternity? Hardee-har-har! The death of an elderly bar patron? A hilarious opportuniy for Dennis and Mac to compete for the sexual attentions of the dead guy's next-of-kin!

What's So Great About it? : This show is great because there's nothing else like it on television. Sure, there have been lots of buddy shows (Seinfeld, Friends, etc) but not one of them has ever gone to the degenerate, low-life place that Sunny goes to. There's nothing warm and fuzzy about this show or its characters. No one is about to let Mac or Dennis have an extra key to their apartment - because these two guys would sell your your furniture while you were on vacation, and maybe rent out the place as a location for a porn film. Sweet Dee isn't writing pithy copy for J. Peterman...she's too busy battling a crack addiction, ruining the life of the local priest, and stealing money from the bar's till.  And Charlie? He's a lovable, glue-sniffing slob of questionable parentage, who has never addressed some pretty obvious learning disabilities. Oh yeah....did I mention that learning disabilities are a laugh riot in th e world of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

Give this show a try. If you're anything like me, you'll find yourself drawn to the refreshing nature of it: not at all preachy, in no way looking to send out a moral message or a tidy resolution at the end of every episode, daring to laugh and poke fun at things that we all secretly laugh at. In the world of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the debate about reproductive rights is only relevant in that pro-choice rallies are a great places for Dennis and Mac to meet sexually liberated women. It's politically incorrect in every way, which makes it must-see-tv, in my book.