Postmodernism and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Well, it's here, the end of the course. This was an interesting course and I have enjoyed these blog posts. One of my favorite topics was postmodernism, I found it to be a rather unique and in a strange sense, relatable topic. So, I decided to combine postmodernism with something I like, more so a movie, book, or TV show I like. So I decided to combine postmodernism with one of my favorite TV shows of all-time, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-present).

For those unaware, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, follows Dennis, Mac, Dee, Charlie, and Frank, five friends and deplorable human beings who own Paddy's Pub, a run-down bar in South Philly. Each episode deals with the gang coming up with some scheme and trying to benefit from it. The show has tackled taboo topics such as abortion, terrorism, gun-control, and many others and

There are many ways to look at postmodernism, one such it's criticism of certain aspects of modernism, or Always Sunny's case, modern sitcoms, such as Fuller House (2016-present), Big Bang Theory (2007-present), and Modern Family (2011-present). In episodes like The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award and Old Lady House, Always Sunny attacks the clean and overly sentimental sitcoms of today. For example, in The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award, the gang investigates why every year they are passed on the Bar of the Year Award. Their search takes them to a clean cut bar with all the cliche TV tropes, the black best friend and the will-they-or-won't-they specifically.

It's Always Sunny not only does the stories attacks the common tropes of TV, the characters attack these tropes as well. A perfect example lies in Dennis Reynolds, of of It's Always Sunny's main characters. One of the most popular character tropes in sitcoms is the womanizer. Such popular examples include Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother) and Zack Morris (Saved by the Bell). These characters use countless schemes to pick-up on woman and sleep with them. If anyone did this in real life, they'd be seen as sociopath. It's Always Sunny turns this trope on its head by actually making Dennis a sociopath. He even has a system for seducing women called the D.E.N.N.I.S. System, which involves tricking them, sleeping with them, and then dumping them, all while emotionally manipulating them.

In other words, the show takes a trope and turns it on its head.