Posted in: FX, TV | Tagged: always sunny, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Always Sunny Season 17 Ep. 6 Preview: "Underage Drinking" Grows Up

With this week's episode a sequel, here's a look back at It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S01E03: "Underage Drinking: A National Concern."

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the premiere of FXX's Rob Mac, Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito-starring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with Mac dropping a very cool post to honor the occasion (more on that below). So it seems only fitting that this week's episode, S17E06: "Overage Drinking: A National Concern," serves as a follow-up to August 18, 2005's S01E03: "Underage Drinking: A National Concern," as you'll see in the overview below. In addition, we've also included a very cool look at Paddy's Pub that was released by FX Networks earlier today, one that offers a 360-degree look inside the bar. Following that, we have a look back at The Always Sunny Podcast and what they had to say back in November 2021 about the original first-season episode.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S17E06: "Overage Drinking: A National Concern" Preview

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 Episode 6: "Overage Drinking: A National Concern" – When Tammy and Trey, now in their 40s, show up to remove their teenage son from Paddy's, Dennis and Dee attempt to reconnect with their former prom dates; Frank's sudden disappearance sends Mac and Charlie on a mission to track down his whereabouts.

During Season 17 of FXX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, fans will see how "The Gang Embraces the Corporate Era," a season that shows us "how greed and the New American Dream have consumed Paddy's Pub." The official overview continues: "They'll exploit cross-network promotion to increase market share; they'll scapegoat one of their own to avoid a PR backlash; they'll risk everything for a handshake with the Saudis; they'll bend the laws with side hustles to pad their pockets; and they'll change everything about themselves to appeal to a broader audience. And sure, like any corporate goon, the Gang craves money and parasitic social privileges. That's been plain since 2005. But they're also human beings. They crave love.. respect… conditional freedom… constant adulation… histrionic amounts of attention… non-stop gratification… and unfiltered, slaphappy eroticism."

To honor the show's 20th anniversary, Mac took to social media on Monday to share how some things haven't changed about The Gang (pre-DeVito, who joined the cast during the second season), even after a two-decade run:

The Always Sunny Podcast E03: Dead Bodies, The Waitress' Name & More

After checking out "The Gang Gets Racist" (review) and "Charlie Wants An Abortion" (review), it was time to look at what the trio had to say about S01E03 "Underage Drinking: A National Concern." With there being a lot to this episode that reminded me of the previous episode, I have a theory I need to share. First, let me just say that it was another episode where we learned a lot about Day, Howerton & McElhenney on a personal level and also some very cool facts about the series overall. But as an episode offering a look behind the curtain on the inaugural season's third episode, it was a bit lacking- and I think I know why.

Considering it's been 15+ years, and when I hear things like them not knowing the order episodes were written and filmed, and stuff like that, I'm getting the impression they may not remember a whole lot about the first season. Again, that's more than offset by what I mentioned before, but if you're looking at these initial episodes as a deep-dive dissection of what made each episode tick, you might have to wait until they start covering the second season. My one recommendation, though? There were a few moments this go-around where the three of them talked over each other a bit too much, and it cut off some funny stuff from coming across clearly.

S01E03 "Underage Drinking: A National Concern": The third episode of the first season was actually the second-to-last episode written, and also the quickest. McElhenney is not a big fan of this episode, saying it's not the kind that would get him to watch the show. Howerton and Day liked the episode, and that led to a conversation about how it represented the importance of them having conversations apart from the episode to help bring the episode together. Howerton brought up, and all three agreed, that Olson put on a "clinic" in drunk acting. Howerton again stresses the point that The Waitress' (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) name is not Nikki Potnick and that the name tag scene in S07E12 "The High School Reunion" was meant as a joke about how no one knows The Waitress' name (sorry, internet conspiracy theorists).

Everything Else: Okay, once again, you might want to get your brain into the crash position because a ton of ground was covered- here are some of the highlights:

It looks like the podcast will never have Michael Jordan, Michael B. Jordan, or pretty much any "Jordans." It also doesn't look like there will be a formal intro coming any time soon, but on the plus side, we were treated to Howerton's "splash of manic" side (with a little coffee to fuel his ride).

If you get a chance, go back and listen to how masterfully Howerton brought McElhenney and Day back to the reality that they did a bit more drinking during production over the years than they were remembering. It sounded like it was more of a cross between "straight edge" and "Mardi Gras."

Was it just me, or did they have way too many stories about dead bodies to discuss? I would be lying if I said I didn't feel like there were others, but there just wasn't enough time (or legal clearance?). There were way more "Stand By Me" vibes going on here than we expected.

Best Moment: When Howerton steps in as an impromptu "host" to ask Day and McElhenney about their underage drinking experiences, and then Howerton calls them out for not asking him about his experience. Day and McElhenney admitting that they were ready to move on and that Howerton was right about them not asking got a quality out-loud laugh from me.

A student at the very problematically-named Jefferson Davis High School, Howerton shared how he accidentally hung himself in a barn as part of a practical joke that he and his friend were pulling on others. Howerton's hanging was so convincing (because it was real) that his friend literally shit his pants upon finding him. Happy holidays, people.

And while there were a number of potential contenders, this week's sponsor is… "Education: Please Fucking Get One."

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