Five people argue in a bar and while trying to prove that their extreme, stupid, and ignorant positions are valid, they destroy the lives of the innocent who have the misfortune of crossing their path. That is the basic premise of most episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the longest-running comedy on television, which after 16 seasons on the air, continues to be one of the great unknowns to the public.

Its protagonists never change, they don't learn, and they never ever become better people. It is the heir of Seinfeld of the 21st century, but more rambunctious, daring, cheeky, and irreverent, and among its fans are names like Jason Sudeikis, Guillermo del Toro, or  Brian Cranston, who have participated as guest stars; and David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, who not only made a cameo (12x02) but also wrote an episode in the ninth season (9x08).

Abortion, jihadism, cancer, and Nazis are some of the topics that this FX series uses for humor in its first season. Unwary viewers approaching this series for the first time will now be surprised not only that it was greenlit in 2005 but also that it's still on the air almost 20 years later and already renewed for two more seasons.

A satirical comedy

Its writers dare with any topic. Any topic, no matter how thorny, thorny, or inappropriate it may seem, and they do so without fear and without caution, since from the beginning they have established that their protagonists are deeply despicable, selfish, petty, and ignorant, and they trust that the viewer will be able to see it.

Government aid, MeToo, gun control, discrimination, homophobia, wars, hate crimes, elections, or a debate in which faith is equated with science... It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia satirizes current social and political issues through the viewpoints of its protagonists, who have the peculiarity of always being on the wrong side of history, ethics, and the law, but who will surprise you with some moments of clarity in the midst of the absurdity of many of their dialectical battles.

Actors at the peak of their game

Sociopathy, absence of moral scale, narcissism, misanthropy, detachment from reality, pathological insecurity, nihilism, cynicism, intellectual and emotional illiteracy... The series' protagonists embody the worst of human nature, but their actors embrace all these hyperbolic flaws without any fear of ridicule.

Danny DeVito cutting his toenails with a knife or eating cat food straight from a can, those are just two examples of some of the most normal situations in which he moves with total naturalness. That's the level. The supporting cast deserves a separate chapter.

It has episodes that deserved an Emmy award

It's no secret that the cost of a single episode of House of the Dragon could have covered the production of the 16 seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It's also no secret that its low budget is probably one of the keys to its longevity, considering that the Emmys have systematically ignored it since its premiere.

And to that awards disregard, the series dedicated a meta episode (9x03), in which the group desperately tries to get their bar to win an award, while wondering if they need unresolved sexual tension, better lighting, or a black companion to be able to get the trophy.

The series embraces its tackiness, especially considering that it can take advantage of the disgusting and unhealthy lifestyle of its characters, but occasionally allows itself to surprise us with episodes in which it experiments formally, like the musical, which is television history (4x13), and another with a single shot sequence reminiscent of Birdman (10x04), which, by the way, was filmed before the movie's premiere.

You can skip the first season

As is often the case with most comedies, this one also needs some running to grease its machinery. The first season is by far the weakest, something influenced by the lack of experience of Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob McElhenney (Mythic Quest), its creators and stars, who in the early episodes had not yet developed the character of Kaitlin Olson (Hacks) and Danny DeVito had not yet joined.

Starting from the second season, it begins to show the genius that characterizes it, so if you're willing, you could start from there. Once you finish the 16 seasons, you can go back to the first season out of curiosity.

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence