FX is often known for its captivating, envelope-pushing dramas, producing big-name series’ like Sons of Anarchy, The Americans, and Fargo – in fact, in recent years especially, FX has pushed to the forefront of thought when it comes to dark, gritty TV. But for years the network was also home to some of the best, underrated comedy around, a little show getting ready to kick off its tenth season tonight on FXs sister network, FXX: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
It’s been over a year since the finale of the series’ 9th season aired, and it’s sure as hell been a dreary year for comedy without Sunny. Tonight, though, the gang is back and better than ever. Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson), Charlie (Charlie Day) and Frank (Danny DeVito) are up to their old tricks in “The Gang Beats Boggs”, as they hop on a plane to L.A and attempt to beat Wade Boggs’ beer-drinking record. Mac overseas while the rest of the gang attempts to down upwards of 70 brews each on their flight and everything goes down just about exactly as you’d expect.
In this case, predictability is a good thing. Sunny has remained consistently one of the funniest series on TV since its inception in 2005, being one of the few shows to continually deliver genuine gut laughs. The characters are so well fleshed out at this point that it’s hard to be surprised by any of their outrageous actions, but the writers (largely featured in the cast in varying roles) continue to keep the series fresh with topical episodes and how-the-hell-did-they-end-up-there situations. If you’ve never heard of or seen Always Sunny before don’t let its age scare you away – what I’ve seen of season 10 so far is as smart and insanely funny as anything that’s preceded it. With shows like Parks and Recreation, Veep and Louie on air, I certainly don’t say this easily… but it’s still my favorite comedy on TV, and by some margin.
It’s a true shame the series doesn’t get more award season recognition (something they parodied to perfection in last season’s “The Gang Tries Desperately To Win an Award”) because the writers and cast here are some of the best working. Still, count on Mac’s delusions, Sweet Dee’s vulgarity and Dennis’ epic ego to continue to bring the laughs for years to come – Always Sunny has been picked up through season 12.
Likely not by coincidence the series debuting after Sunny tonight is one of the only comedy pilots I’ve screened this year that looks like it could truly have some legs. Man Seeking Woman is potentially even more ridiculous than its lead-in, with the pilot featuring a troll, Hitler, and a few Tinder jokes to keep it current. The always awesome Jay Baruchel leads the cast as a guy reluctantly reentering the dating world after a rough and unexpected breakup. Eric Andre, one of the most exciting voices in comedy right now, provides backup as Baruchel’s playboy best friend. It takes a lot to genuinely shock in today’s no-holds-barred TV landscape, but Man Seeking Woman takes its stories to genuinely insane places and it’s incredibly hard to guess what the hell’s coming up next (I mentioned that Hitler is in the pilot, right?)
While the penultimate episode of American Horror Story: Freakshow airs on FX tonight, don’t be afraid to search for some decidedly lighter (but no less biting) fare over on FXX. Two of your absolute best bets so far in 2015 may be hidden on a still-new network, but they’re absolutely worth seeking out.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Man Seeking Woman premiere tonight, back-to-back, at 10:00 and 10:30 on FXX. For more on these series and all my SpoilerTV work follow me on Twitter.
