20 years later,It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiadraws a narrative element from its original pilot.It’s Always Sunnyseason 17’spenultimate episode, “The Gang Prepares For Primetime,” is an instant classic, with all the laugh-out-loud humor one would hope for in an episode where the Gang exhibits itself in front of a live audience.
Mac, Dee, and Charlie offer hilarious gags to the mix, while Dennis has an internal eruption akin to his experience onFamily Fight, not wanting to repeat his public outburst out of concern for repeated, widespread humiliation. When Dennis gets serious, the rest of the Gang gets more volatile than ever, and it’s priceless.
It’s Always Sunny’sbest episodesare often the ones where the Gang tries desperately to appear normal, but just can’t quite work together to crack the code. Charlie, in particular, struggles to be on his best behavior or follow Dennis’s script, even showing up without hair at one point in the episode.
It’s Always Sunny Season 17 Episode 7 Calls Back To Charlie’s Season 1 Cancer Story
The original pilot forIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiawas eventually re-tuned and made it to air in a different setting, although some clips from the original can be found online. The re-shot version, “Charlie Has Cancer,” ended up being season 1’s fourth episode, in which Charlie fakes having cancer.
The latest episode shows Charlie accidentally removing his hair, leading the test audience to think he has cancer. This is an evident call-back to a classic season 1 episode that was technically the first episode they ever shot.
This episode had multiple callbacks to previous episodes, including “Thunder Gun 4: Maximum Cool,” in which the Gang was a test audience for a new Thunder Gun movie. The episode also brought back Artemis, one of the show’s longest-standing guest characters.
It’s Always Sunny Season 17 Has Several Parallels To Season 1 Episodes
This is far from the first parallel to season 1, withIt’s Always Sunnyseason 17 feeling particularly nostalgic, likely in celebration of the show’s 20th anniversary. The most notable example was in “Overage Drinking: A National Concern,” which served as a direct sequel to the season 1 episode “Underage Drinking: A National Concern.”
WhileIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiacontinues to be a contemporary social commentary series, constantly modernizing and changing its approach to tackle pertinent issues, the latest season embraces its roots. At its heart,It’s Always Sunnyis the same, hilarious, absurd, chaotic series it was in 2005.
