With the first episode of the record-breaking 14th season coming up, what I consider to be the greatest television comedy of our time, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, has had so many amazing episodes. Here's my choice of the 30 best ones which was a very, very tough process.
HM: 'Charlie Catches a Leprechaun' (Season 11, Episode 8)
A fantastic episode I hate to leave off the list among many others, just for Sweet Dee's ridiculously stereotypical Crazy Paddy persona and Dennis' obsessive dealings with the customers he wants to offer an 'authentic Irish experience' to. 30. 'Hundred Dollar Baby' (Season 2, Episode 5)
One of the earliest examples of really letting Kaitlin Olson and her comedic sensibilities loose - with Dee's iconic delivery of 'I will eat your babies bitch' being a particular highlight of the show letting her in on the fun - the whole episode is just hilarious subversion of the usual boxing tropes, with the rest of the gang acting as the world's worst trainers and the ending a darkly hilarious subversion of Million Dollar Baby. 29. ‘Mac and Charlie Die’ Parts 1 and 2 (Season 4, Episodes 5 and 6)
Definitely a take it or leave set of episodes, but these are a pair of hilarious episodes which feature some of the best Charlie and Mac hijinks as they ineptly try to fake their deaths, as well as one of the most inappropriate yet funny fake funeral tributes, plus Dennis and Frank trying to go all 'European' and Andrew Scott Cummins as Luther is always a more than welcome presence. 28. 'Thunder Gun Express' (Season 7, Episode 11)
It's an episode that goes on random wavelengths with the cast in their race to get to a screening of the latest Thunder Gun movie on time, but a good example of that where everyone gets a chance to shine, especially Dennis' self-appraisal of his sex tape recordings in the car and Frank's oddly sweet and hilarious recounting of the gang's escapades when masquerading as a ship captain which is a highlight of Danny Devito's time on the show.
27. 'The Gang Goes to Hell'' (Season 11, Episodes 9, 10)
Really just a retread of the gang's greatest hits, from Mac dealing with religion and his sexuality so ineptly to Dee revealing her own D.E.E. system to Dennis finally showing his creeper antics in full actions. It's wonderful until they get locked into the ship's chamber where it become a random yet so enjoyable series of skits, the best of which is Mac's fake dinner party and Dennis and Dee's warring impressions.
26. 'The Gang Broke Dee' (Season 9, Episode 1)
Just a fantastic showcase episode for Kaitlin Olson as Sweet Dee is really taken through the ringer, awful standup routines and hilarious groaning and all that. She's the centrepiece of the episode, but everything else is top notch Sunny too, with the final switcheroo is surprisingly dark and built up too marvelously thanks to the cast all being particularly on point.
25. 'Mac is a Serial Killer' (Season 3, Episode 10)
Admittedly a bit of a dated episode in some regards, this is still a great episode of misunderstandings with the first taste of Charlie as an incompetent bird lawyer, Dennis taking a crack at Chris Hansen and the beginnings of his serial killer obsessions, and that darkly hilarious twist ending which is never brought up again.
24. 'Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life'
The titular shennanigans involving a particularly weird cameo from Sinbad are worth the price of admission alone, but what makes this classic Sunny is everything involving Sweet Dee and Charlie switching places as we get to see the first of Dee's 'dry heaves' which is just some phenomenal psychical acting.
23. 'The Gang Dines Out' (Season 8, Episode 9)
A great bottle episode where Dennis/Mac, Frank/Charlie and Dee cause chaotic situation after chaotic situation in the restaurant playing off the perfect straight man in Michael Naughton's nameless Waiter, with glorious moments such as the staring contest between Charlie and Mac thrown into the mix.
22. 'The Gang Buys a Boat' (Season 6, Episode 3)
A fairly low-key episode all things considered, with the highlight of course being the glorious 'The Implication' scene which is simply one of, if not the, best acted scenes in the whole series with Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenny perfecting the differing wavelengths of Dennis and Mac with regards to seafaring etiquette. The rest of the episode is solid sunny of course, particularly Dee's dance moves and Charlie and Frank's antics, but 'The Implication' is what truly stands out.
21. 'Gun Fever Too: Still Hot' (Season 9, Episode 2)
Note: I do enjoy the original 'Gun Fever' episode which is a good example of pre-Frank Reynolds Sunny. This however takes the discussion of the gun issue up a notch with hilarious scenes such as Dennis and Dee failing miserably at purchasing guns, Frank getting creepy Uncle Jack to help him promote the gun issues, and Charlie and Mac trying to implement their own brand of vigilante protection to a middle school.
20. 'The Gang Wrestles for the Troops' (Season 5, Episode 7)
An absolute bonkers episode with such classic moments such as Frank's iconic salute to the troops to Seal, to the memorable guest appearance by Roddy Piper and best of all, Rickety Cricket and Frank Reynolds going head to head as the ultimate heel 'Talibum', and the 'villain' turned Hulk Hogan superstar The Trashman.
19. 'The Gang Gives Back' (Season 2, Episode 6)
The Gang doing community service goes as well as expected as this is another one of the crazy converging episodes that results in a particularly riotous basketball match finale. Everything from Franks' Vietnamese gambling buddies, the incompetent coaching techniques of Dennis, Mac and Dee, and Charlie's downwards spiral into increasing depravity with his obsession over the waitress.
19. 'The Gang Reignites the Rivalry' (Season 5, Episode 12)
The Gang at their pettiest as their 'underdog story' of trying to win at 'Flipadelphia' is a hilarious sports movie subversion of sorts. We get a taste of how Dennis' alpha status may well be a fabrication with his unfortunate encounters with a university frat culminating in some of Glenn Howerton's greatest breakdowns on the show, and the climax is one of the funniest scenes in the whole show, hands down.
18. 'The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award' (Season 9, Episode 3)
This incredibly meta episode - subtext being the inexplicable lack of Emmy nominations for the show over the years - involves the Gang trying and failing miserably at making Paddy's Pub more 'appealing', which results in glorious mess after glorious mess, the highlights being Mac's awful attempts at being the 'cordial' barman and Charlie's glue-inspired spider song.
17. 'Mac and Dennis Break Up' (Season 5, Episode 9)
A classic Dennis and Mac-centric episode as we watch the 'break up' and eventual restoration of the bromance (that might be a little more than just that). It's just so funny to watch the two clash off one another over Jason Statham's physique, Dennis bothering Dee with his juvenile requests for an apple to be peeled, and some more of the usual nonsense with Charlie dealing with a cat stuck in the wall, as you do.
15. 'Chardee Macdennis: The Game of Games' (Season 7, Episode 7)
The Gang devising a game that only their frenzied minds could possibly conceive for a boring day in is another great bottle episode, where it's again all about characters clashing with one another to hilarious effect. The most famous and indeed the most hilarious being 'Dennis is asshole, why Charlie hate?' and the subsequent response, but really every scene in this episode is comedy gold.
14. 'Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack' (Season 4, Episode 10)
From start to beginning this is one of the great Sunny episodes, though you really need to have watched every other episode beforehand to get the full measure of its greatness, as we watch each character deal with 'improving' their lifestyle. Whether it's Frank losing his mind and culminating in a great reference to one of his earliest and most notable film roles, Dennis and Dee's attempts to get 'fit' that results in them turning to substance abuse, and Mac and Charlie working at an office which results in Charlie Day's finest scene on the show with 'Pepe Silvia'.
13. 'Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer' (Season 12, Episode 5)
A fine parody of programmes such as Making a Murderer and The Jinx, this episode takes on this procedural format for the 'mystery' surrounding Maureen Ponderosa. It moves from that concept into a frankly hilarious deconstruction of Dennis' psychopathic psyche with the highlight being his thousand-yard psychopath stare, though there's a lot of other stuff to love about the episode from Mac's awful Borat impressions to Frank's Robert Durst-esque confessions, and a welcome few appearance as always from Bill Ponderosa.
12. 'The Aluminium Monster vs Fatty Magoo' (Season 3, Episode 5)
A crowning episode for early season egotist Dennis with more than a few classic moments here as he tries to make it big in the fashion world, with the iconic 'I haven't even begun to peak' scene, his ridiculous mistreatment of a model, and taking matters into his own hands with Judy Greer's Fatty Magoo. The rest of the episode is fantastic too with Frank and Mac co-ordinating a legally dubious garment factory/sweatshop and Charlie and Dee's terrible fashion designs.
11. 'The Gang Hits the Slopes' (Season 11, Episode 3)
An amazing subversion of 80s skiing films, down to the mocking of their often rather dated view on sexual antics and Glenn Howerton going full on 80s villain to aplomb. It's classic Sunny in all regards despite taking a very different approach in fulling embracing the parody, and is particularly notable in having Charlie as the 'straight man' and giving him his own 'hero speech' which just makes things even funnier.
10. 'Frank's Pretty Woman' (Season 7, Episode 1)
Alanna Ubach's criminally underrated guest appearance as Frank's favourite prostitute Roxy is just the icing on the cake to a brilliant episode which takes into different directions before cohering into a surprisingly moving yet also darkly funny finale. We have on one hand Charlie conjuring up the stupidest possible plan to find Frank the 'right woman', and on the other hand Dee trying to help rehabilitate Roxy to hilarious effect, and to top it all off the first appearance of Fat Mac and Dennis' attempts to prove 'I'm healthier than you bro'. It covers everything from crack addiction to Tiger Woods in such a glorious fashion.
9. 'Sweet Dee's Dating a Retarded Person' (Season 3, Episode 9)
One of the best episodes just in terms of the laughs quota alone. The title conflict is hilariously drawn out and actually never quite oversteps the line, in my opinion, with Dee and Dennis' 'competition' and Lil Kev's comeback being pretty darn great moments. There's also the music show which allows us our first insight into the Nightman and Dayman, culminating in one of my favourite scenes of the whole series where Dennis and Charlie create the beginnings of a masterpiece.
8. 'Dennis and Dee Go On Welfare' (Season 2, Episode 3)
Dennis and Dee falling down into the ultimate low points is always a recipe for success for any given episode, but none has done it better than here where in the words of Frank, they become literal crackheads. It's amazing how quickly the cast and Devito clicked with regards to chemistry as in this episode we already get such amazing moments, from Frank's cunning entrepreneurial instincts playing off Mac and Charlie's idiocy and Dennis and Dee's 'plan' that goes all awry.
7. 'The Gang Misses the Boat' (Season 10, Episode 6)
The gang breaks up - for awhile. The idea behind this episode is straightforward yet great in its simplicity. Mac trying to become a ladies' man, Frank finding a new gang for his schemes are all hilarious. Dee and Charlie trying to reinvent themselves for the better is a delight, particularly their cafe conversation as they struggle to understand one another. And Dennis dealing with his anger management issues is just brilliant, as is the return of everyone's favourite slab of ham.
6. 'Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs' (Season 11, Episode 5)
A fascinating atypical episode which is almost entirely a two-man show of Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenny, and boy is it glorious. Watching the two vitriolic best buds trying to adapt to the suburban lifestyle, overly pleasant neighbour Wally, Mac's Famous Mac N' Cheese, highway traffic, and more is just a treat. It features perhaps my favourite Dennis breakdown of all as he channels Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith all in the manner of great comedy. Plus, killer soundtrack.
5. 'Dee Gives Birth' (Season 6, Episode 12)
Probably the sweetest episode in the whole series, though don't get me wrong it's still incredibly funny in every regard. Charlie and Mac's interrogation of all of Dee's former flings, from Pondy to Rickety Cricket and more to track down the father are all hilarious, as is Dennis having to deal with his sister's needs at the hospital (with another great monologue), plus you get random yet hilarious interactions like the exchange between Ben the soldier and Z. And that ending, especially with the real-life subtext of Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson's baby, is just lovely.
4. 'Charlie Work' (Season 10, Episode 4)
Back off True Detective this is where television one-shots are at (hell we even have the Golden God's take on 'alright alright alright'). Honestly though this is an ingenious episode as we get to see a day through Charlie Kelly's eyes as he tends to his janitorial duties against time. It's surprisingly tense, immaculately directed, and consistently funny particularly when you begin to see his concoction of a plan come into action. Bonus points for Danny DeVito covering himself in paint and flushing his shoes down the toilet for no reason.
3. 'The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis' (Season 4, Episode 2)
An episode where everything just clicks together perfectly even when the plan doesn't. One of the Gang's flat-out most entertaining schemes of selling gas door-to-door involves some particularly hilarious exchanges between Dennis, Charlie and Mac with regards to the fallout of their plans, and Dee getting waterboarded by Frank is a particularly dark yet memorable bit of black comedy. The best part is their self-commentary on the gang dynamic throughout the episode in particular Charlie as the compromising 'wild card'.
2. 'The D.E.N.N.I.S. System' (Season 5, Episode 10)
Here we have Dennis on top form with Glenn Howerton giving one of the great monologues in history, period. There's endless payoffs to gags set up by Dennis' system, especially with regard to Mac's subsequent sloppy seconds system and Dr Mantis Toboggan and his magnum dong, no one is left out of the fun, with even Dee's bits are a hilarious bit of shennanigans involving her suspecting the really awesome Ben the Soldier of 'Dennis-ing' her, and Mae Laborde as the Old Lady/Dennis' 'ailing mother' (who incidentally features in both my top episodes) just adding to the delights.
1. 'The Nightman Cometh' (Season 4, Episode 13)
The grand finale to Season 4 features so many iconic Sunny moments it's hard to pick one out. All of the musical numbers are sublime, of course the 'Dayman' song which is just glorious, the Troll Toll song which is truly peak Danny DeVito, the incestuous duet by Dennis and Dee, Charlie's encore that no one asked for...they're not just great for a parody musical, they're just amazing, period. Then you get little touches like Mac implementing his karate moves into the Nightman character, old lady Gladys' little asides, and all the little bits in the rehearsal scenes which all add up to a masterpiece about a masterpiece.
