5 Best Seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia isn’t just the longest-running live-action sitcom in U.S. history – it’s also consistently hilarious. The show boasts brilliant writing and a perfect cast, creating comedic gold. While some compare it to an R-rated Seinfeld, that doesn’t quite capture its unique spirit. It’s a show about awful, yet strangely endearing, people, and it constantly takes risks and explores new comedic territory. Remarkably, the show maintains a high level of quality, even its less stellar seasons, like Season 10, include exceptional episodes – such as “The Gang Beats Boggs.”

So, which seasons of the show are truly the best out of its seventeen? Interestingly, it’s not just the first few seasons that everyone remembers fondly – later seasons are also among the strongest.

5) Season 6

Season 6 was the first to be shown in HD, and it’s a memorable season for a few reasons. We begin to see Mac grapple with his sexuality in a more significant way, and it introduces the character of Maureen Ponderosa. Plus, the show cleverly weaves Kaitlin Olson’s actual pregnancy into the storyline.

As a huge fan of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I’ve been loving this season, especially the episodes that really focus on Charlie Kelly. Seeing him desperately searching for ‘oysters’ (which were actually barnacles!) in ‘The Gang Buys a Boat’ was classic, and the bit about his costume being ‘too sexy’ in ‘Who Got Dee Pregnant?’ had me cracking up. Even his jealousy over Schmitty in ‘The Gang Gets a New Member’ was gold, but honestly, the whole ‘Charlie Kelly: King of the Rats’ episode? Pure genius. If you’re a Charlie fan like me, you absolutely can’t miss these!

4) Season 14

Even after many seasons, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia continued to deliver great episodes. Season 14 is a perfect example – nearly fifteen years in, the show hadn’t lost its edge. The finale, “Waiting for Big Mo,” brilliantly highlights this. The characters reflect on how long they’ve been doing this – mirroring the actors themselves – and appear to be ending the series, only to unexpectedly return and prevent a newcomer from taking over their laser tag dominance.

That’s just one standout episode, though. Others like “Thunder Gun 4: Maximum Cool,” where the characters discuss current trends in the entertainment world, “Dee Day,” “The Gang Chokes,” and “The Gang Texts” are also excellent. This season also demonstrates that the show can successfully feature characters beyond the core group. A prime example is the Waitress, arguably the best supporting character on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, who plays a significant role in the episode “The Janitor Always Mops Twice.”

3) Season 2

It often takes actors years to truly settle into their characters on a TV show. But with Sunny, the cast seemed comfortable in their roles after only two seasons.

Season 2 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is arguably the show’s most crucial. It’s the season Danny DeVito joined the cast as Frank Reynolds, and he instantly became a vital part of the group, adding a special energy to the show’s core dynamic. But Season 2 is special for more than just DeVito’s addition. This is where the show really started to figure out which character combinations worked best. Episodes like “Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare,” “Hundred Dollar Baby,” and “The Gang Exploits a Miracle” showcased how hilarious and unique it was to see the Gang members interact with each other, rather than just causing trouble for everyone else.

2) Season 5

While Season 4’s “The Nightman Cometh” is a standout episode, Season 5 was a consistently strong season overall. With twelve episodes, it didn’t have a single weak link, featuring gems like “The Gang Hits the Road,” “The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention,” “Paddy’s Pub: Home of the Original Kitten Mittens,” “Mac and Dennis Break Up,” and “The D.E.N.N.I.S. System.” A particular highlight is “The Gang Wrestles for the Troops,” where the late Roddy Piper gives a memorably funny—and slightly scary—performance as Da’Maniac, cementing his place as the show’s best guest star.

Although “A Very Sunny Christmas” aired after the sixth season, it was actually filmed before Season 5 began. Because of this, it’s considered part of the fifth season – and its older, standard definition quality confirms that – rather than the sixth.

1) Season 7

It’s a bit ironic that Season 7 is so well-regarded, especially since it includes what many fans consider the worst episode, “Frank’s Brother.” While that episode is a bit unusual and doesn’t quite work for some, it does feature the memorable Shadynasty joke and a performance by the late, great Lance Reddick.

That one weak episode is easily overshadowed by many of the show’s strongest. Episodes like “Frank’s Pretty Woman,” “Frank Reynolds’ Little Beauties,” “Sweet Dee Gets Audited,” “Chardee MacDennis: The Game of Games,” “The Gang Gets Trapped,” and “How Mac Got Fat” are all exceptional. While both Season 5 and Season 7 represent It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia at its peak, Season 7 is slightly better because it takes the characters in fresh, funny directions, particularly with Mac. Rob McElhenney’s dedication to the show – gaining weight for the role – is fantastic, and the other characters constantly joke about it (“You have candy coming out of your pocket!”).

Stream It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Hulu.

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2025-11-17 03:11