TV Is Benefiting From ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Growing Brand Of Horribleness

It’s an unofficial rule of TV comedies that as a popular show goes on, it will inevitably lead to better comedy projects for its cast. The success of The Office led to Mindy Kaling‘s The Mindy Project, Ellie Kemper leading Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the theatrical career of Steve Carrell. Parks and Recreation led to Aziz Ansari‘s Master of None, Michael Shur‘s The Good Place, and the delightful blend of horrifying quirks that is Aubrey Plaza‘s career. Between Donald Glover‘s Atlanta, Dan Harmon‘s Rick and Morty, and Alison Brie in GLOW, Community may stand as one of the most influential comedies in recent history. It’s expected that great TV will beget more great TV. However, the way that the Always Sunny crew is expanding its television horizons is at once completely unexpected and brilliantly ballsy.

Typically when an actor from a well-known comedy leaves for another show, they play a character who’s at least slightly different from their big-name role. Ellie Kemper’s Kimmy Schmidt is sweet and a bit dumb like The Office‘s Erin, but she’s also kinder and far more optimistic. That’s not really the case with the Always Sunny gang. From The Mick and A.P. Bio to Fargo, the leads of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia have been devotedly bringing character who are essentially their same objectively terrible FXX personas to the greater world of television.

Fox’s The Mick and NBC’s new comedy A.P. Bio are the clearest examples of this trend. From The Mick‘s first episode in early 2017, it’s always had the same absurd premise — what if Dee (Kaitlin Olson) had to watch kids? Mickey Molng (Olson) should be named Dee Reynolds. She’s self-absorbed, fast-talking, and loves drugs, alcohol, and all morally questionable things. Really, the only personality trait that seriously differentiates Mickey from Dee is that Mickey is more confident. Glenn Howerton‘s new show A.P. Bio follows the same format right down to its premise — what if Dennis (Howerton) had to watch kids? Both Dennis and Jack Griffin can be defined by their selfishness, questionable morals, sociopathic tendencies, and their unearned sense of smugness. However, both series posit their respective Dee and Dennis doppelgängers in an interesting universe. What would Dee and Dennis be like if the gang wasn’t always pushing them down?

It’s a question that Always Sunny has asked itself on many occasions, the most notable being Season 10’s “The Gang Misses the Boat.” In that episode, Dennis finally puts his foot down, no longer allowing any absurd antics from his friends. Over the course of the episode, each member of the gang slowly comes to the realization that the constant mockery of their friends and the absurd plans they concoct are toxic. It’s a conclusion Dennis also comes to again at the end of Season 12 in “Dennis’ Double Life” when he decides to leave the gang to be a father. However, rather than embracing their new lives or making any sort of change, “The Gang Misses the Boat” ends with a begrudging reunion. As much as they may all hate each other, the gang is destined to be together by the laws of TV comedy logic.

Both The Mick and A.P. Bio seem to take their leads’ separation from the rest of “the gang” as a green light to do whatever they want. Mickey is perhaps more delusional than Dee, and Jack is more unnerving without having anyone to check his sociopathic tendencies. It’s up to both of them to find their own moral compasses, for better or for worse. However, these two shows are far from the first time Always Sunny clones have invaded the universes of other shows. Fargo was home to two. In Season 1, Howerton played the wonderfully named Don Chumph, a dim-witted and image-obsessed personal trainer with lofty ambitions and a knack for seducing older, married women. Rob McElhenney also had a cameo as obnoxious LAPD Officer Hunt in Season 3’s “The Law of Non-Contradiction”, a role that featured him hassling Carrie Coon in a bar for no real reason. McElhenney also starred in The Mindy Project as Lou Tookers, a character who is essentially a shadier and quieter version of Mac. Even Danny DeVito has jumped into this bizarre and non-canonical Always Sunny extended universe. DeVito’s latest M&M commercials have Frank Reynolds written all over them.

Of course, not all of Howerton, Olson, McElhenney, and DeVito’s characters fall into this very specific mold of “Always Sunny characters but somewhere else.” For example, Howerton’s Cliff in The Mindy Project was genuinely competent and charming, two things Dennis Reynolds never is. Likewise, two major Always Sunny actors — Charlie Day and Jimmi Simpson — have been moving away from their best known characters for years. From Horrible Bosses and The Lego Movie to Pacific Rim and the ill-fated I Love You, Daddy, Day has worked for years to transition into becoming a movie star. Simpson’s transition has been even more dramatic. The actor who was once best known for playing the perpetually sweaty Liam McPoyle is now perhaps best known for his romantic leading role on Westworld.

It would be easy to see the characters of The Mick and A.P. Bio as a sign of laziness or as just another form of typecasting. After all, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been running for 12 seasons. These characters should be second nature to anyone on the show. But as a fan of the FXX series, I see it as an odd, raunchy blessing. With the exception of Danny McBride‘s Eastbound and Down and Vice Principals, there’s no show on television that better understands the warped philosophy of the comedic anti-hero than Always Sunny. For 12 years, Always Sunny has entertained its audience without once poising its characters as an aspirational standard for viewers. The gang is always supposed to be hated and looked down upon, so when the show uses its position as TV’s easy target to talk about complicated issues like racism and homophobia, it typically hits harder than more traditional comedies. Always Sunny episodes like “Gun Fever”, “Reynolds vs. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense”, and “The Gang Turns Black” are hilarious, but they also smartly break down nuanced socio-political arguments.

We need characters who can always stand as our villains but who are engaging enough we can learn from their terrible behavior week after week. No one should want to be Charlie, Mac, Dennis, Dee, or Frank. The same can be said about Mickey and Jack. They’re all  horrible people who are consistently (and rightly) punished for their horrible actions. However, these clearly awful characters are doing a lot to sharpen what morality on TV shouldn’t look like. The fact they’re all so very good at making us laugh a lot in the process is just icing on the cake.

Where to stream It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Where to stream A.P. Bio

Where to stream The Mick