It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been on the air since 2005, and like any show that has been airing for that long, there have been some pretty significant changes. Unfortunately, and again as is often the case with a show running so long, the show has changed for the worse. The quality is simply not what it once was, and that comes down to a variety of important reasons.
Don’t get it wrong – the show still makes for some decent entertainment. But it’s nowhere near as good or as boundary-pushing as it once was. These are ten major ways the show has changed throughout the seasons (for the worse).
Flanderization
Flanderization seems to hit every sitcom after a while, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is not immune. Nearly every major character has suffered from flanderization throughout the years.
Frank is wackier than ever, Dee is mistreated to ridiculous degrees, Mac is egotistical, Charlie is borderline mentally incompetent, and Dennis is a raging psychopath. This flanderization may be warranted in-universe, as the gang slowly descends into depravity and madness. But in-universe explanation or not, it still makes for tired and predictable viewing.
More Expansive Cast
It’s Always Sunny works best when it’s just the four core characters goofing around and ruining the lives of nearly everyone they come into contact with.
However, it has since grown into something more akin to The Simpsons, complete with an expansive cast involving a list of outrageous characters. In the early seasons, the characters ruined the lives of normal, everyday people – and it was darkly hilarious. But now, it just seems like they constantly pick on the same sad sacks, and it’s undoubtedly getting a bit stale. Speaking of which…
More Outrageous Humor
In the early days, It’s Always Sunny remained relatively grounded. It often veered into the extreme for the sake of comedy, but its humor always remained rooted in reality.
But now, the show has become a borderline cartoon. Rickety Cricket is this sad, disheveled, horrifically disfigured creature. Liam McPoyle has some bizarre eye patch that comes across more freaky than comedic. Charlie’s pedophile uncle walks around with these ridiculous hand gloves. Again, it speaks to the increasing degeneracy of the show and its characters, but it’s just not as funny.
More Outlandish Stories
Expanding on the whole “cartoon” aesthetic, Always Sunny has recently started utilizing more outlandish stories. Early seasons of the show often focused on bizarre yet realistic situations, like holding a dance contest in the bar, exploiting welfare, and “hunting” people for fun.
The show got more and more outlandish as it progressed, resulting in bizarre episodes like “McPoyle vs. Ponderosa: The Trial of the Century”. The show still busts out the odd grounded episode (“The Gang Goes to a Water Park” is a good example), but they’re fewer and farther between.
Stretching Out Beloved Jokes
A common trap that sitcoms often fall into is stretching out beloved jokes until they’re no longer funny. Always Sunny has many classic jokes that became fan favorites over time, like Charlie’s ridiculous bird law.
And then these jokes were repeated and repeated and repeated, often getting more outlandish over time until Charlie is rambling about bird law in court. It not only lessens the hilarity of the joke itself, but it comes across as lazy and annoying. Later seasons of It’s Always Sunny seem more like “greatest hits” compilations than genuine stories, as they repeat past jokes and situations ad nauseam.
Warmer Tone
Many fans of It’s Always Sunny have noticed that the show is beginning to humanize its characters. Unfortunately, some do not necessarily agree with that creative decision. A big talking point is Mac’s sexuality and his official, sincere coming out as homosexual. It’s nice that Always Sunny is advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, and it’s great that one of its characters belongs to it.
But this type of genuine sincerity doesn’t gel with the show’s otherwise hostile, cynical, and subversive tone – not to mention the show’s deliberate defiance of character development. Always Sunny hasn’t been genuine for 15 years, so it’s jarring to see it make the shift.
Making The Characters More Likable
Similarly, the show has recently tried depicting its characters as more three-dimensional and likable, but again, the rapid change in tone and characterization serves as a jarring shift. Before, the show wasn’t afraid of making its characters as horrible and unpleasant as possible.
They were sexist, racist, homophobic, violent drunks who often terrorized the lives of everyone around them, regardless of their innocence. Sympathy does not belong on a show as openly caustic and hostile as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Increasing Lack Of Care
It’s been made quite clear that Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, and Rob McElhenney don’t really care about the show anymore. Both McElhenney and Day have created another show over on Apple TV, and Howerton is heavily involved with AP Bio.
This disassociation grew so bad that Dennis didn’t even appear in half of season 13, and many people questioned if he would even return to the show. Their writing output has also slowed in recent years, with only one episode in both season 11 and 13 being credited to McElhenney & Day – Howerton didn’t write a single episode throughout seasons 13 and 14.
Older Characters Aren’t As Funny
Well, it’s only natural that actors get older over 15 years. Unfortunately, the obvious aging of the actors in Always Sunny has created a really weird tone in the later seasons. It’s really funny, relatable, and realistic watching 20 and 30 somethings mess around in a bar all day, behaving like selfless and petulant children, and causing as much chaos as they possibly can.
It’s not nearly as funny watching people in their mid-40s doing the same thing. It’s becoming more sad and pathetic than anything. But then again, maybe that’s the point.
Cleaner Look
The production of Always Sunny has radically changed throughout the years. While this is usually a good thing, it often works to the show’s detriment. Early seasons of It’s Always Sunny were filmed in standard definition 4:3, giving it a very cheap and “grungy” appearance.
The low-budget aesthetic worked wonderfully with the show’s caustic tone and characters, almost as if the “grunge” of the characters’ morality was reflected in the show’s visual design. Beginning in 2010, the show shifted to 16:9 1080i HD, lending it a cleaner and more cinematic appearance which doesn’t gel as well with the show’s content.
