Review: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, "The Gang Gets Cursed"| Season 16, Episode 3
The real curse is coasting as Sunny continues its dominant run
“That’s oversimplifying it… but that’s it in a nutshell.”
In its sixteenth season, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is giving off the air of a slightly bored championship team. Let me explain.
Think the 1950s-60s Celtics winning 11 out of 13 NBA championships, or the 1990s, Jordan-led Bulls, winning six of eight. All-stars everywhere, universal admiration, and aging superstars with no weak links and nothing left to prove. That’s the It’s Always Sunny core group at this point, except that none of them have whiffed like Jordan when they’ve ventured outside of their comfort zone; Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, and Rob McElhenney have proven that they can thrive separate from the filthy home court that brought them to universal acclaim. (Danny DeVito, naturally, remains untouchable as a TV icon.)
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in this record-extending 16th season, is going to win each week. It’s just a foregone conclusion. The pieces are all in place after nearly 20 years of team-building and skill-honing, and the five teammates just have to show up, show off their still-impeccable moves, and waltz home with a W. The thing is, there’s a difference between sending your spoiled-by-success fanbase home content, and leaving them reeling with the realization that the team you’ve started to take for granted can still dazzle you with their originality, virtuosity, and creativity. And the first three episodes of Season 16 have been more cozy, unadventurous victories than thrilling restatements of greatness.