Blog Post #2 "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia"

Link to Photo

Describe: "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is an American show that started out on the station FX for it's first eight seasons. Season nine has been moved to the new sister network of FXX, with the show being renewed for a tenth season. The show airs on Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" falls under the sitcom genre. On Wednesday November 13, 2013 saw the season finale of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" with the episode titled "The Gang Squashes Their Beefs." This episode has the five main characters trying to make up for the wrong they have caused others during Thanksgiving. The primary characters of the show are Dennis (played by Glenn Howerton), Mac (played by Rob McElhenney), Charlie (played by Charlie Day), and Dee(played by Kaitlin Olson). The fifth main character of the show is Frank (played by Danny DeVito), who was introduced in the second season as Dennis and Dee's father. The show was created by stars Howerton, McElhenney, and Day. Ads that were shown during the episode were the new Call of Duty:Ghost, Payday candy bars, and Christmas Best Buy ads. 

Analyze: All the characters of the show are narcissist, so no matter what subject the show covers the characters only talk about how everything will affect them. The show is a comedy that deals with current subjects in a humorous matter. The characters almost always talk in a crude manner, and dress like normal people would dress. This gives us the audience the feel that these are everyday people. The show is shot with a hand held camera, giving us the feeling that we are there with the characters. The show isn't really like any other show on TV today, but it is reminiscent of "Seinfeld" with how the characters only care about themselves. What makes the show unique is the dialogue. How the characters talk and what they talk about is hilarious. They cover topical subjects but the way in which they talk about them with ignorance, is almost like a mirror of society today. We all have an opinion on events happening today and we like to voice our opinion, but not all of us do our research. This is how the characters talk, they have no idea what is going on, but they like to hear their own voices. 

Interpret: All the male characters disregard Dee as a dumb girl, even though she does have some pretty good insight. They make fun of her appearance and constantly tell her to shut up while the men talk. This often causes the gang to break up into teams against one another. Beside that I do not really see any stereotypes in the show. I do believe the commercials shown during the show do reflect the target audience. With the commercials of new video games and savings on consumer items come holiday season, and the show catering to the teen ages to adults, these commercials do fit the demographic. If I were a visitor to this country I feel this show would give an accurate depiction of US culture. The show is about people who are all about themselves and at the end of the day do not accomplish anything. 

Evaluate: The strengths of the show are the acting and the writing. Also what really helps the show is that the three leads created the show and have a hand in writing episodes. You can tell in their performances that they are comfortable with what they are acting out and the subject matter they are covering. One weakness of the show is the low prediction cost. You can tell while watching that the show is made on the cheap. This does not hinder the show, because it is focused on characters, but the horizons could be broadened with more funding. Critic reviews on metacritic.com have given the series positive reviews, that have continued to rise as the series goes on. Critics agree the the series is very similar to "Seinfeld." Noting that the comparisons are drawn from the characters. 

Engage: I became a regular viewer my freshman year in college, and have continued up to today. All of my roommates are regular viewers as well as my father. I am a fan of the show on Facebook, and enjoy the updates and insights they provide. Something that everyone might not know about the show is the actors Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney are married and have two kids together. The aspect makes the show even more funny because they usually clash on the show. 

Conclusion: While researching the show I learned that the show was Danny DeVito was brought on the show to boost ratings, as he was a huge fan of the show. What surprised me is how the show came to fruition. Series creator Howerton and McElhenney came up with the idea of of a guy telling his friends he may have cancer while he only wants some sugar for his large quantity of coffee. I guess it shows that we all start small. For more information visit the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" website.