It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Having been recommended the show by a friend, I decided to give the It's Always Sunny pilot a go, assuming it was an immature sex-driven sitcom which would focus on purile comedy at best whilst adding nothing to the world of comedy nor of intelligently-written live-action shows.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pilot offered something no other sitcom had provided me with. The show possessed a jagged, raw edge which allowed for the possibility of pretty much anything happening within the show's universe.

The show's basic premise is that of a group of four single young adults; Charlie, Dennis, Mac and Dee. Danny DeVito completes the gang and whilst his actions have major implications on the others, his character doesn't warrant the focus the rest deserve for they carry the show without him. On a day to day basis, the gang run the Paddy's Bar in Philadelphia, only for random and normally nonsensical events to interfere in their banal everyday lives, usually resulting in one of them having sex with another's relative along the way. Dennis and Mac provide the machismo, Charlie plays the idiot of the group and Dee the naive and foolish third wheel role. DeVito, who plays Frank - Dee and Dennis' estranged father - is the troublemaker, investing in half-planned schemes, investments and does his best to ruin everyone else's lives whether he means to or not.

What It's Always Sunny brings to the already full-to-the-brim comedy arena is a sense of raw, unpredictable and thoroughly entertaining dialogue. Charlie, Mac and Dennis provide the canon in this respect, churning out lines which at first appear to be off the cuff ad-libbed lines simply because they're delivered with such simplicity and nonchalance. The nature of the show is relaxed, genuinely fun and each episode guarantees fantastic one-liners; values set in place for the stars of the show also created it and provide the script, meaning no more tired readings nor turgid to-and-fros.

Whilst there are certainly more intelligent comedies out there; Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm and arguably The American Office, It's Always offers a refreshing take on the very idea of the sitcom genre, delivering genuine laughs in a laid-back take on an ancient formula.