Information technology bugs me that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia rarely gets thrown into discussions about the best sitcom ever—or fifty-fifty the all-time sitcom currently, for that affair. Since 2005, this show has been consistently hilarious and unique while showcasing five fantastic one-act actors: Charlie Twenty-four hour period, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito. For ten seasons, Sunny has been a sustained, consistent, virtuosic look at the world of five terrible people.

While shows like Community and Girls are worshipped by critics, Sunny rarely gets the same honey. I think information technology's because the show is likewise subtle: yes, subtle. I'grand well enlightened the testify has featured the characters smoking crevice, killing rats, stalking waitresses, and pooping in beds. On the surface, it'southward a disgusting, low-form show nigh disgusting, depression-class people. That grimy exterior is probable what turns off some dainty critics and viewers. These folks honey to feel like smart, special, swish intellectuals, and information technology's hard to experience that way when watching characters eat cat food or throw common salt at Gail the Snail—a disgusting cousin bravely played by Mary Lynn Rajskub.

Simply just equally Battlestar Galactica was near more than space and Lost was about more than castaways, Sunny is about more than dirtbags in a bar: it'southward almost every damn one of u.s.. These egotistic sociopaths, in addition to beingness funny every bit hell, are human ids representing the catastrophic callousness of us all. Maybe nosotros oasis't committed the particular sins and crimes of the Sunny gang, but we're the people who turn our backs on friends, don't care nigh celebrity rapists until years later on, and tin't find Syria on a map merely mythologize our lives like we were the Second Coming. No matter how we try to make ourselves feel similar classy heroes, we are gross animals. Lots of people have compared Sunny to Seinfeld, and it's a perfect comparison—but the Sunny characters are an even more than unforgiving, unflattering mirror.

Sunny sees Seinfeld'south narcissism and raises it, but it plays a whole new game too: the Sunny characters are often shockingly vulnerable in a way that Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer never are. I'thou thinking of the horror Charlie Twenty-four hours shows in "Charlie Kelly: Rex of the Rats." This is a human being genuinely traumatized past the "Charlie work" of killing rats, completely unable to bear like a normal person in a pic theater, and truly touched past the gift of a new "rat stick." He's besides an illiterate stalker who dreams of worm hats and denim chickens. This is a tragic character. Self-hating George would experience meliorate about himself—though terrified—if he ever met Charlie.

That vulnerability shows in the relationships between characters too: like the co-dependent relationship explored in "Mac and Dennis Break Up." Fifty-fifty though these characters (similar the rest) are utterly horrible to each other—for instance, the events of "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom"—their level of codependence is frightening. When Dennis childishly proclaims to Dee that he's non immune to eat the skin off an apple tree, because he has so absorbed Mac's nonsensical dietary advice, it'due south funny simply dark every bit hell.

Then what'south the all-time Sunny joke? Could be the rum ham. Could be everything in "Who Pooped the Bed?" The disturbing conversation between Dennis and Mac about scaring women into sexual activity on a boat through "implications" is a contender. Someone could write a book nearly that and other examples of Dennis being a sociopath: he may also be a genuine serial killer, as the testify has teased a few times. I seriously considered picking the gang'south endeavor to "squash beefs"—their half-hearted term for trying to make amends—that concluded with them locking the beefiness-havers in a called-for flat.

But I would say the best Sunny joke is non a single joke, simply an ongoing, dark tragedy: the tale of Rickety Cricket.

Cricket was a "friend" of the gang from high school who has always been in love with Dee. Dee was a main at manipulating Cricket: for example, she said she would kiss him if he ate a equus caballus turd, then refused to practise so because, naturally, he had equus caballus turd breath. When the gang starting time see Cricket on the evidence, he has become a priest. In one of the gang's many schemes, Dee pretends to be in love with Cricket to manipulate him into blessing a stain that appears somewhat like the Virgin Mary. (We've all been there). Though Cricket denies that request, he ultimately leaves the priesthood and asks Dee to marry him: naturally, Dee is no longer into it, leaving Cricket'south life in butchery.

That would be dark/funny enough, simply every time Cricket reappears on the bear witness, he is in worse shape, equally his post-priesthood life has left him homeless, partially toothless, and ofttimes fighting for his very being as a "street rat" (as the gang calls him). Cricket's deposition is sometimes absurdly funny—like when a dog attempts to accept sexual intercourse with Cricket's cervix wound, which was inflicted by Frank in a wrestling match—merely it's a painful funny. There's no question that our "heroes" take completely destroyed his life and continue to go far worse. Of course, he'southward one of the gang'southward burn victims from their failed Thanksgiving beefiness-squashing. If the series lasts many more seasons, he's going to be, to quote Jackie Chiles, aught more than than a shrunken head.

The tragedy of Rickety Cricket is a far more powerful version of the Seinfeld finale, which seemed designed to rub our faces in the awfulness of the characters, equally if that wasn't obvious all along. Cricket is a expert human existence laid to waste matter by monsters. I reckon Larry David would approve of his arc.

Like all skillful comedy, the fate of Cricket makes yous think: whose life have I ruined, or at least worsened? Where have I made the globe a shittier place? What's the damage left in the wake of my selfishness, brusque attention bridge, and self-interest? Those are disturbing questions I'd rather not answer. Like the Sunny gang, I'd rather beverage beer afterwards beer, obsessing about me, me, me, and me.