It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 11 Review

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-)
Season 11 - 10 episodes (2015)

Rent It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 11 on Amazon Video
Created by:  Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney
Starring:  Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito
Rated: TV-MA

Read my Season 10 review!

Plot
Five egotistical and arrogant friends run Paddy's Pub, an Irish bar in Philadelphia. They are despicable, selfish people, but it makes them fun to watch as their illusion of grandeur land them in ridiculous situations.

Verdict
Always Sunny has always been a group of shameless people that will abuse each other and anyone else to win. The stakes never matter, and they each take anything much farther than any sane person would.
The comedy from this show has always been derived from taking any situation to the extreme. It's absurdist humor, but by making them caricatures, there's no basis for "the implication" from season 6 when the gang buys a boat. At this point Dennis wouldn't imply, he's so far past that he often references abduction and murder. Episode nine directly references the implication, but it feels like pandering.
The best episodes this season stand out because they change the setting or style. They are good episodes, but even season 10 would take a somewhat normal premise and crank it to eleven. Most episodes this season start well into crazy. While the show may be getting tired, it's definitely not dead yet. Despite the characters being over the top, this is still a hilarious show. It may not be prime Always Sunny, but it's funnier than anything else currently airing. Bring on season 12! 
Watch it.

Review
This season is less subtle. Dennis is a sociopath. He's always considered himself a ladies man while in reality he's a creepy stalker. This season has him equating love to disembodied heads in a freezer with no pretense whatsoever. All of the characters are becoming extreme examples of themselves. You could call it development or fan service, but it's also eleven years of the show.
While this season is more self referential, including a mention of the fan favorite "the implication", it's still hilarious. It's just not as fresh. This isn't a bad season, and ithas great episodes, like a parody of '80s movies set at a ski slope, a Frank first person point of view episode, and a trial.
The only dud is Frank falling out of a window and thinking it's 2006. It's a complete miss.

 

The first episode has the gang demonstrating their Chardee Macdennis game for a board game executive. It's solid, but not as great as the season ten opener, The Gang Beats Boggs.

Episode two was a dud. Frank falls out of a window and thinks it's 2006. Of course the gang tries to take advantage. It's half an episode with a premise and no punchline.

Episode three is an '80s tribute and parody of ski movies. It's got the music and nods to nonsensical movie conventions. It's memorable, but the notable episodes this season stand out because they are very different. They don't stand out on premise or joke alone. While that's not a bad thing, it's a sign of what we'll see in future episodes.

Episode five was great. Mac and Dennis move to the suburbs and devolve into being an old married couple. Dennis road raging at other drivers on his commute isn't only funny, but accurate.

This was followed by an episode entirely in Frank's head. We see how Frank thinks, or doesn't think. I liked little touches like when Frank gets in a car and can't see over the dashboard. Good episode, but again it relies on doing something different.

Episode seven's Trial of the Century crammed a lot into the episode, but it felt like a summary, relying on many jokes we've seen in seasons past.

In the final two episodes, the gang goes to hell.

Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 10 TV Review

Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 10 (2005-)

Created by: Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton
Starring: Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito
 

Plot:
Five characters run a bar when they're not enacting their own schemes. They are despicable, selfish people, but it makes them fun to watch and their illusion of grandeur land them in ridiculous situations.
Verdict:
Each episode of Always Sunny is self-contained with references to and characters from previous episodes. Even if you haven't seen previous seasons, you won't be lost starting with this one. Between the characters, every bad trait is encapsulated and exploited. That crazy person on the plane who wants to get drunk, the terribly rude family, Always Sunny takes it a sprint further. How these characters see themselves couldn't be any further from how they actually are. Their delusions are the entertainment. This season has it's ups and downs, but no episode is a complete miss. Even a sub-par episode has a few solid gags. Episodes 1, 4, and 8 are standouts. Episodes 2, 5, and 7 would be the low points, which still aren't bad. I definitely enjoyed this season.

Review:
Episode 1: The Gang Beats Boggs
This episode  has a great concept and execution. The gang is going to drink more beers that Wade Boggs was rumored to have drank on cross country flight. This could be fifty, sixty, or even seventy. The concept is outlandish, and the reactions are hilarious. Dennis asks how many beers he can order at one time and decides on six. Mac is acting as a personal steward to the gang marking beers consumed on the front of their shirts. When Charlie presses the call button and the stewardess arrives, Charlie points to Mac and says, "No, that's my guy."
It's a great first episode that introduces you to the gang if you had never seen the show. You realize they are that person who cares only about him or herself.

Episode 2: The Gang Group Dates
It wasn't as funny as the first. The gang is doing group dates. Dennis is initiating his system while Charlie, Mac, and Frank make a list of what they can't talk about. The list and discussion was hilarious. Despite a few good jokes, this episode dragged.

Episode 3: Psycho Pete Returns
Psycho Pete gets out of the institute. Mac thinks Pete is possessed and needs an exorcism. That's after he and Charlie try to force Pete into a restroom confessional with Cricket. Frank realizes he is the frog kid he was searching for from his childhood.

Episode 4: Charlie Work
This one is a lot of fun, seeing Charlie completely unhinged as he tries to get the bar to pass the health inspection. Nothing is going right and the gang is oblivious to his efforts. They aren't worried because it always passes, but the reason is because of Charlie's efforts. The episode has some nice camera work with the one takes. It's an absolutely manic episode that felt five minutes long as Charlie makes it happen.

Episode 5: The Gang Spies Like U.S.
Dee gets a job at a fish factory to spy on their operations. Frank and Charlie spy on Dennis and Mac.You always get a few good jokes, but this episode felt off.

Episode 6: The Gang Misses the Boat
Dennis is selling his car after driving it into the ocean (it's still in the ocean). Frank find a new group of people with a bar and helps them lose it. Dee and Charlie bond over poetry.
This episode splits the gang up and it suffers for it. The Dennis story line was good for a few jokes, as was Frank's line, but it didn't come together.

Episode 7: Mac Kills His Dad
The wit of the title card may be the best part. Mac vehemently states,"I'm going to save my dad's life." The title card appears, "Mac Kills His Dad."
Charlie and Mac search for evidence despite Mac's dad telling them not to. Dennis, Dee, and Frank try to prosper from Bill Ponderosa's death or lack of death.
Mac's dad was a bit one note, we get Mac is oblivious to the fact his dad doesn't like him. The Ponderosa story line just felt forced, especially when it moved to his family's house.

Episode 8: Family Fight
This episode showcases what is wrong with the Reynolds family. Family fight is a Family Feud parody game show hosted by Keegan-Michael Key. This episode goes for the cheap shots, which it should. It's a hilarious episode and the laugh track is so perfect.

Episode 9: Frank Retires
Frank decides to retire and the gang determines how to split Frank's share in the bar. Should Dee and Dennis get it, or just Dee since she is the first born? Charlie might actually be Frank's son. The blood bag is funny in the grossest way.

Episode 10: Mac and Charlie Join a Cult
This riffs Scientology and cults when Dennis creates a cult that Mac and Charlie join. The reason? Dennis wants to stop Mac from eating his thin mints.