Review of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", Season 4

Having watched It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for three seasons, I was happily satisfied to find that season four was no less raunchy, disgusting or creatively offensive.

In fact, it seems the gang in this season is the most absurd that they've ever been, poking at societies most hushed and sensitive of issues. Disk three of the DVD is a prime example.

In episode 12, "The Gang Gets Extreme: Home Makeover Edition," and episode 13, "The Nightman Cometh," Charlie, Dee, Mac, Dennis and Frank manage to peak their immoral standards by showing the world what they think about racism, ignorance, self-help, homosexuality and molestation. Not to mention they make fun of television itself, which is always a plus.

"The Nightman Cometh," which was written by Charlie Day (Charlie,) Glenn Howerton (Dennis) and Rob McElhenny (Mac,) even gained enough fan popularity to generate its own live musical, starring the three former leads, along with Kaitlin Olson (Sweet Dee,) Danny DeVito (Frank,) Mary Elizabeth Ellis (The Waitress) and Artemis Pebdani (Artemis).

The episode itself is based on a rock opera written by Charlie, in order to win the love of his life, The Waitress. Rightfully so, fans wanted to see more than just a half hour of this.

Like Seinfeld, the gang claims they are moral, law-abiding citizens, yet they manage to deprave and degrade almost anyone who walks through their door. Like society, the gang is hypocritical in their ways, claiming to be non-racist or non-sexist, for example, yet living shamelessly and soullessly as the exact opposite. Besides being from the City of Brotherly Love, I personally love this show for its brutal honesty.

Not many comedies (that don't belong to the HBO or Showtime families) have the ability to get audiences to drop their jaw and think, "Did they really just say that?" Not to mention, you can watch this show with virtually anyone who has a dirty sense of humor, which resolves the issue of what to watch among couples and friends of the opposite sex.

If you can view It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and truly understand and appreciate its humor, more power to you. Check out Season Four on DVD, (in stores now,) and be sure to watch the newest episodes of the show Thursdays at 10PM on FX.

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