Right? Isn't that the rule? Sharks have to constantly swim. A rolling stone gathers no moss. Madonna reinvents herself every three years. It's what you have to do if you want to stay alive or relevant.

Yet here we are already at
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’: Season Five and as we check in on "the Gang"- five dishonest, egotistical, depraved, greedy, unethical, lazy, arrogant, antagonistic, self-delusional, underachievers still barely running a dive bar in South Philadelphia (which makes Detroit and Laredo, TX look good by comparison) - we see that these characters haven't grown or evolved one bit. Every week they're hatching the same elaborate
schemes involving manipulation, blackmail or just dumbassery against people (or each other) for personal gain or just some good ol' fashioned schadenfreude.
...I'm sorry. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this lack of evolution a bad thing. Not when it comes to 'Almost Sunny'. The formula has worked perfectly for this long, I'd be happy if they kept it going another five seasons.

So, what do the gang get into in the fifth season?
1. "The Gang Exploits the Mortgage Crisis"- Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Mac (Rob McElhenney), and Frank (Danny DeVito) go into real estate, Dee (Kaitlin Olson)sets out to be a surrogate for a wealthy couple, Charlie (Charlie Day) gets into it with an attorney.
2. "The Gang Hits the Road"- The gang goes on a road trip to the Grand Canyon.
3. "The Great Recession"- Seeing the effects of the recession, Mac and Dennis try to find a way to keep Paddy's pub going. Frank and Dee go into business together.
4. "The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention"- When Frank's behavior becomes even more outlandish than usual, the gang decides to stage an intervention.

5. "The Waitress is Getting Married"- Dee is jealous that she isn't a bride to be. The guys try to reintroduce a broken-hearted Charlie into the dating scene.
6. 'The World Series Defense"- The gang tries to get out of paying a parking ticket that they received on the evening of the final game of the 2008 World Series.

7. "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops"- The gang puts together a wrestling show for returning troops. Dee meets the solider that she has been communicating with over the internet.
8 "Paddy's Pub: Home of the Original Kitten Mittens"- The gang decides to expand their business by developing a number of Paddy's products.
9. "Mac and Dennis Break Up"- Mac and Dennis decide that they need to spend some time away from each other. Charlie helps
Dee search for her cat.
10. "The D.E.N.N.I.S. System"- Dennis teaches the guys his comprehensive seduction system.
11. "Mac and Charlie Write a Movie"- When Mac and Charlie learn that Dee has gotten a part in M. Night Shyamalan's next film, the two see this as a perfect opportunity to pitch their screenplay.

12. "The Gang Reignites the Rivalry"- The gang is once again eligible to compete in the Flipadelphia, a flip cup tournament after being banned from it for 10 years.

It's funny how
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ is like 'South Park' in that they both have short seasons and if you divide it up it's always the first quarter and last quarter of shows that are the funniest. " "
The Gang Hits the Road" is almost universally considered to be the best episode of the series, while I thought that had the best ending. Another contender is the
"A Very Sunny Christmas" episode which didn't air on TV and is only available as a standalone disk. Co-incidentally, all of these episodes were co-written by Charlie Day.
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SPECIAL FEATURES
- Commentary tracks for almost all of the episodes. They're even joined by Dr. Drew for “The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention” and “Mac and Dennis Break Up”
- Season Five Blooper Reel
- Kitten Mittens Endless Loop
- “Phindin’ Love in Philly” featurette
- Extended/Uncensored Scenes and Alternate Takes
- Season Five Dream Sequence
- Schwep Dream Sequence
- “Archer” Season One Pilot Episode (SCORE!!!!!!!!)
The commentaries are fun but they do take away some of the "magic" from the episodes. The deleted scenes are good because the casts are such masters of working their 'improv-fu' with each other. The dating video was a bit of a head scratcher and the "dream sequence is a colossal waste of time.
This
'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia': Season Five DVD set was released to coincide with season six, which start airing any day now. I wouldn't worry too much about any character growth this year either. The plan is for the gang to tackle gay marriage, fight the class war, battle the high seas on a houseboat, bash rats, etc.
...that is unless you count Dee's mysterious pregnancy.

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