Ronit J

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 17 Synopsis:

Five friends with big egos and small brains are the proprietors of an Irish pub in Philadelphia.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 17 Review:

I had no idea that IASIP was doing a crossover with Abbot Academy. The good thing was that I could watch both of those episodes back to back, which is what I did the day that IASIP season 17 premiered.

There’s nothing good about the proprietors of Paddy’s pub. Yet, in all its crassness edging the borders of insanity and offensive, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has found a soft spot in my life for how creatively vile and provocatively profound it is.

While the show isn’t at its peak, it’s still leagues above most comedies in my opinion, which is why Season 17 was one of my most anticipated watches of the year. But, did it live up to the hype? Let’s find out!

Episode 1: The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary

I don’t watch Abbot Academy. The only episode I watched was the crossover, so I’m sure I missed out on some inside jokes that fans of that show caught on to. However, the Gang’s version of the crossover was every bit extreme and funny as I had expected it to be. Could the Abbot Academy episode get any worse (in terms of conflicts)? The answer is yes. Yes, it could.

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of this crossover, I really enjoyed the gang’s antics. Classic IASIP. I liked Charlie (Charlie Day) and Frank’s (Danny DeVito) arcs more than the other three, but that’s also cause Charlie and Frank are my favourite two characters of the five.

Episode 2: Frank Is in a Coma

This episode almost gave me the same feels as ‘Mac Is a Serial Killer’. Hilariously debasing, I loved watching Dee (Kaitlin Olson) constantly trying to project her anger and childhood dissatisfaction with a comatose Frank. The emotional rollercoaster that she suffers was equal parts moving and sadistic. I didn’t really like the other arc with the ‘Paddy’s Pub Franchise’ and the corporate after parties, but it was funny and absurd enough to keep my attention.

The ending, though. Now that really takes the cake. Pun intended.

Episode 3: Mac and Dennis Become EMTs

From Charlie’s references to the Bear, to Dennis (Glenn Howerton) & Mac (Rob Mac) acting like drugged up fake EMTs, this episode was a charged up twenty minutes of extreme. I struggled to breathe between bouts of laughter, and had trouble laughing because my jaw hung in awe at the relentless pacing of gags in this episode.

Plus, the ending had me slow clapping for the cruel genius of It’s Always Sunny.

Episode 4: Thought Leadership: A Corporate Conversation

This was my least favourite episode of the lot. I don’t find corporate culture funny in general. And even IASIP couldn’t pique my interest. The over-reliance on corporate jargon, the Succession-like rapid dialogues, the overall plot and gags… none of it appealed to me.

I was honestly bored, and I predicted the ending within the first few seconds. Apart from the Waitress’ (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) appearance and bitch-slapping Dee, this was the worst episode of the season for me.

Episode 5: The Gang Goes to a Dog Track

I have mixed feelings for this one. As an IASIP fan, I loved it. As a dog parent, I felt the discomfort the pro-gun conservatives feel when people make fun of school shootings.

Don’t get me wrong, the episode really stretches the definition of edgy and offensive by absolutely debasing Dee and Dennis. Yet, I enjoyed seeing their sibling relationship/rivalry at full swing as they gamble away their money, belongings, and even their self-respect. I actually liked Charlie and Mac’s raw-dogging arc equally. This episode gets extremely dark, leaving you with a strange sense of ‘WTF’.

The only thing I didn’t like was the dog semen collection, which I felt was a step too far. The act isn’t glorified. On the contrary, it’s shown as something only the worst and most despicable person would even think of doing. Yet, that part made me uncomfortable enough to dampen my enjoyment.

Episode 6: Overage Drinking: A National Concern

An interesting—if not a tad discomforting—follow up to one of season 1’s best episodes, this one struck all the right notes. I wasn’t a fan of Dennis & Dee’s attempts to sleep with a now grown-up Tammy (Jamie Alexander) & Trey (Robert Adamson), but Charlie & Mac’s entire arc was hilarious. From Cricket (David Hornsby) & Uncle Jack (Andrew Freidman) making an appearance, to the murder-mystery-political-thriller parody quest they go on, I genuinely feel like that should have been the A-plot. However, this arc more than made up for everything that I found lacking in Dennis & Dee’s arc.

The episode was overall funny, but not enough. The callback to the Underage Drinking episode wasn’t all that interesting. I’ll admit, the ending was super dark, but still felt lacking.

Episode 7: The Gang Gets Ready for Prime Time

Season 17’s penultimate episode was hilariously brilliant. Despite Frank’s absence for most of its runtime, I loved how the episode played with each of the gang’s quirks/pet peeves. Almost like a bottle episode, the spatial constraints paved the way for character personalities and gags to really shine. Plus, we got to see the Waitress again, and Artemis (Artemis Pebdani), who I didn’t recognise at first because she’s constantly in costume. Finally, from the premise to the ending, everything was perfect in this one and I can’t wait to see the season 17 finale.

Episode 8: The Golden Bachelor Live

I’ll start off by saying… I’m not a fan of reality TV. I did watch my share when the primary medium of consuming content was the communal TV in a joint family. But the moment I got my own screen, these shows just vanished from my life, except for the occasional meme. I’m saying all that because… I didn’t like this episode.

The Gang was great. Dennis, Mac, Charlie & Dee’s follow up to last week’s episode was hilarious. Frank being his typical degenerate self was equal parts funny and unsettling. Even him having to choose between a geriatric Sam (Carol Kane) and 20-year-old internet sensation Cock Chewa (Audrey Corsa) played out exactly like I expected. However, I just didn’t like the reality show format, which dampened my enjoyment of this finale. I’m pretty sure the finale’s final scene is going to completely do a 180 in next season’s premiere.

Also, Rest In Peace, Lynne Marie Stewart. Her last appearance as Charlie’s mom Bonnie was brilliant.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 17 Episodes Ranked

Because I’ve reviewed each episode in detail, I will only rank the episodes here. And my ranking is:

1. Ep 2: Frank is in a Coma
2. Ep 3: Mac and Dennis Become EMTs
3. Ep 7: The Gang Gets Ready for Prime Time
4. Ep 1: The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary
5. Ep 8: The Golden Bachelor Live
6. Ep 6: Overage Drinking: A National Concern
7. Ep 5: The Gang Goes to a Dog Track
8. Ep 4: Thought Leadership: A Corporate Conversation

Agree or disagree? Let me know your rankings in the comments below!

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 17 Watching?

Yes. While it’s nowhere close to its peak anymore, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is still going pretty strong. Despite some misses in the mix, season 17 delivered on the offensive, edgy antics of the gang that has made it a cultural icon.

In Conclusion:

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Until next time.