It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a TV show that has bizarrely survived a period of time where shows are very easily cancelled. As of 2025, this brazen series has ran for 17 seasons and an 18th is already commissioned. Hitting FX in 2005, Always Sunny was initially considered a low-budget, underground show, but steam quickly picked up and it became a massive hit.
The show was obscurely modelled off of one of the biggest sitcoms of all time, Friends. While Friends is about a group of pals who will always be there for each other, Always Sunny set out to be the complete opposite. These friends are close, but their moral compasses are so low and their narcissistic ways are so intense that they often turn on each other. And when they’re not fighting one another, they’re causing mayhem for the general public. So, here are 6 times the gang went too far on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
6. The D.E.N.N.I.S System
In pretty much every sitcom about a group of friends, you have the womanizer. How I Met Your Mother had Barney Stinson, Two and a Half Men had Charlie Harper, and of course, Friends had the questionable but loveable Joey Tribbiani. Always Sunny has Dennis (Glenn Howerton). However, there’s a major difference here. Typically, these boisterous types of characters are cheeky and flirtatious but don’t really have bad intentions. But Dennis’ approach to getting women is somewhat sinister. In fact, he has an entire process which he has narcissistically named “The D.E.N.N.I.S System”.
In episodes 10 of season 5, Dennis breaks down his system to the rest of the gang. However, things go a little too far when he reveals the fact that he records his sexual encounters with these women. And what’s even more shocking, the gang (apart from Dee) think it’s a foolproof system, making Dennis further believe he is a god and modern-day Casanova.
5. Charlie’s Christmas Trauma
Charlie (Charlie Day) has done many questionable things throughout Always Sunny, however, a lot of it can be put down to his rough childhood. When he discovers that his mother used to sleep around when he was a child, he recounts a story of how she used to bring Santa home and take him to her bedroom. The rest of the gang convince Charlie that this wasn’t to bring her gifts, but something else. To that, Charlie scours the malls of Philly at Christmas time to find the man who defiled his mother. However, he takes things too far when he bites off the nose of an innocent mall Santa just trying to do his job. At the time of this episode airing, this was perhaps the most crazy thing to happen in Always Sunny, but really, it simply set the pace for much more bizarre antics and mishaps to come.
4. The Gang Become Kidnappers
It was just a question of time until the bad reviews began to flood in for a bar as dysfunctional as Paddy’s Pub, and this episode showcased just how far the gang would go when pushed. Naturally, as the wild card amongst a group of already wild individuals, it was Charlie who instigated this scenario when he kidnapped the man who left a negative review of Paddy’s Pub. While the rest of the gang were shocked at first, they quickly got on board and set out to force the critic into re-writing his review to make it gleaming. However, then the problem of what to do with him came about. But Charlie quickly came up with the plan of breaking a bottle over his head to give him amnesia. Of course, this didn’t work and the new review didn’t name any names but stated how the the gang belong in prison. So, Charlie showed up at the critic’s door again, but this time equipped with a hammer.
3. The Gang Try Extreme Home Makeover
Throughout Always Sunny, the gang have embarked on many schemes that they pass off as a means to helping others, but really, they only care about themselves. In episode 12 of season 4, the zany bunch became inspired by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and set out on their own mission. However, they got a little too heavy on the ‘extreme’ element. The gang set their sights on the Juarezes, an immigrant family, but instead of turning their home around, they abducted them, accrued enormous debt in their name, gave them an American “makeover” complete with colored contacts and wigs, and literally destroyed their house to the ground. All without a drop of remorse. Not nice, guys, not nice.
2. The Gang Hold a Fake Funeral
Although the Always Sunny bunch have done some atrocious things, faking a funeral for a baby was one that even some of the most diehard of fans felt uneasy with. And how this came about is equally as immoral. So, when Dee found herself in trouble with the IRS and facing an audit, what did she do? Of course, throw a funeral for a made-up child that she can claim as a dependent. Even though it’s a really despicable idea, at least no real infants were hurt, which is more than we can say about a number of the gang’s plots. On that note, for a bonus time the gang went too far, Charlie and Mac once beat up a bunch of kids when they stole their bikes.
1. The Gang Attempt Murder
A running theme throughout It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the gang’s long-standing rivalry with the twisted McPoyle family. Although both sides have done some wacky and dangerous things to one up the other, the Paddy’s Pub crew took things too far when they essentially tried to murder them. During a fire escape in the building, the gang decided to lock the McPoyles in so that they would burn alive. Thankfully, they managed to escape and live to be weird another day. However, this moment really showcased just how immoral the gang had become. And this was only in season 9. We’re sure there’s plenty more debauchery to come in July 2025 when season 17 lands.
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