L-R: Charlie, Dee, Frank, Mac and Dennis. Photo Credit: TheSoftLounge.com
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is a sitcom that debuted on the FX television network in 2005. Now in its sixth season, it details the adventures of "The Gang," composed of Dennis, Mac, Charlie, Dee and Frank. Together, the friends own Paddy's Pub, deemed in one episode to be the worst bar in Philadelphia. At first glance, the various shenanigans the gang gets involved in seem crude, perverse and nearly offensive and this is partly true. With episode titles including Charlie Wants an Abortion, The Gang Goes Jihad and Mac Fights Gay Marriage, it is easy to see why someone may be offended by the subject matter of the show. However, the show is not just crude humour and nothing more. It provides a very interesting commentary on society as a whole. Religion, Christianity in particular, is referenced in various episodes throughout the show's run. Most overtly, Christianity is referenced through the character of Rickety Cricket, a man who went to grade school with the gang and entered into the priesthood. Throughout the show, he becomes implicated in several different schemes thanks to the gang and becomes disgraced, eventually ending up living in poverty on the streets. In other episodes, the Bible is referenced directly, used as a kind of shield for the immoral actions of the show's various characters. The show's continued reference to various aspects of the Christian faith is effective in a number of ways. First, it contextualizes the role of the Christian faith in young adults in North America. Obviously, Dennis, Mac, Charlie, Dee and Frank are hyperbolic figures. Their actions and the things they say are very exaggerated. However, the continued references to Christianity and the Bible show that, despite the immoral and inherent wrongness of their actions, the gang is still governed by the norms set by the Christian faith. Also, they can be viewed as representatives of their generation, in regards of Christianity, in that it is often used as a scapegoat for them to justify their actions without any real knowledge of the true nature of the Bible or the faith in general. This website aims to acknowledge this, examine the instances in which it happens in It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and bring to light the significance of this connection.
Books:
1. Herring, Mark Y. (2003). The Pro-Life/Choice Debate. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
- This book gives a comprehensive account of the on-going debate over the morality of abortion in North America. It includes several historical sections, that span from the Old Testament until the landmark Roe v. Wade case in the United States in the mid-70's, that contextualizes the debate. This book will aid in the examination of a particular episode, entitled Charlie Wants An Abortion, which very overtly examines the conflict between those who are pro-life and those who are pro-choice. In the episode, Charlie finds out that he may have a son with an old flame from high school, while Mac and Dennis try to play both sides of the argument in an effort to "get laid."
2. Leech, Kenneth. (1992). Subversive Orthodoxy: Traditional Faith & Radical Commitment. Toronto, ON: Anglican Book Centre.
- Subversive Orthodoxy: Traditional Faith & Radical Commitment is a book that speaks about the evolution of orthodoxy and places it in a contemporary context. One of this websites focuses will be how the portrayal of Christianity and what it means to young adults in contemporary society is reflected in it's treatment in It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and this book examines it's evevolution and how religion is treated today, with a focus on the difference between the Left and Right wings of the spectrum of political ideology, as well as the difference between "trendy" and "traditional" orthodoxy.
3. Stout, Daniel A. and Judith M. Buddenbaum. (1996). Religion and Mass Media: Audiences and Adaptations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- This text examines the role religion plays in mainstream media, including television, film and print. Throughout the text, there are specific case studies of particular religious phenomena in mass media, as well as chapters that give a more general notion of the relationship between the two. This book will help to contextualize the research and ideas put forth on this web page.
Articles:
1. Adams, Paul C. (1992). Television as Gathering Place. In Annals of the Association of American Geographers (117-135). Oxfordshire, UK: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
- This article discusses the concept of television as a generator of meaning for people. In the past 20 years, television has infiltrated the psyche of the population and has come to be a determiner of meaning for many people. This article is relevant in examining how a show like It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia may dictate some people's opinions on an issue like religion. The show has a strong weekly viewership and a devoted fan base and this article will help explain the impact it's portrayal of religion may have on its viewers.
2. Pirner, Manfred L. (2010). Religion on Television: Report on the Research. Christian Century (710-713). Chicago, IL: Christian Century.
- Pirner's article examines the relationship between the various forms of media and an individual's religious beliefs. He posits that media does have an effect on a viewer's religious beliefs, dependant on the program's message in relation to religion. Like the previous source, this article will be used to examine the effect that It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia has on it's viewing audience with its predominantly negative portrayal of Christianity.
3. Tatarnic, Matha Smith (2005). The Mass Media and Faith: The Potentialities and Problems for the Church in Our Television Culture. Anglican Theological Review (447-466). Evanston, IL: Templeton Press.
- This text examines the messages sent by mass media, with a focus on television, regarding Christian religious institutions. It takes into account the work of reknowned Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan. This text will be used to analyze the messages regarding Christianity, the Priesthood (as represented by Rickety Cricket), and other aspects of the faith sent out by It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
4. Winter, David (1992). The Influence of TV on Religion. Transformation (17-18). Australia: Editorial Committee of Transformations Journal.
- Winter posits in this text that television has not had any significant effect on television. Although this work was published in 1992, this contrary viewpoint is important to include, in contrast with other sources used that discuss the definite impact television has had on religion. It focues on the Christian church in Britain, but can still be used as an example in the purposes of this website. It will be used to try and determine how much impact a show like It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia actually has on its viewers, in relation to their theological opinions and leanings.
5. Samuelson, Norbert Max (1987). A Moral Critique of Television Values and the Role of Religion Religious Education (285-292). Florence, KY: Routledge.
- This text argues that prime-time television presents a distorted view of reality and exists solely for economic profits. Samuelson claims that from a theological perspective, this is morally reprehensible. This web page will use this text to try and deduce a perspective on the show from a theological perspective, and argue that it may hold some religious relevance, if one allows themselves to move past the show's crude exterior.
Web Sites:
1. FX Networks. (2010). It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Offical Website | Thursday 10 only on FX. Retrieved from http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/sunny/.
- The official web site for It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. It provides information on the show's history, characters and episodes.
2. Wikipedia. (2010). It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_Always_Sunny_in_Philadelphia.
- The Wikipedia entry on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. It provides more in-depth information about the show, including detailed synopses of each episode, and pages on the individual characters.
3. Hengeveld, Nick. (1995). BibleGateway.com. Retrieved from http://www.biblegateway.com
- An electronic, searchable version of the Christian Bible. It will provide verses from scripture to compare to claims made in various episodes in the show.
4. Wielgus, Jen. (2010). "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Season 6 premiere: Mac's bad religion. Retrieved from http://www.phillyburbs.com/opinions/blogs/pop_culture_tv/pop_culture_blog_details/article/418/2010/september/17/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-season-6-premiere-macs-bad-religion.html
- An article published on the web site, PhillyBurbs.com, before the premiere of the current (sixth) season of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia that examines the portrayal and use of religion in the show, particularly regarding the character of Mac, who Wielgus argues is the most overtly religious member of the gang.
5. Karnick, S.T. (2006). The American Culture: Religion in a Sitcom Retrieved from http://stkarnick.com/blog2/2006/07/dialogue_line_of_the_week.html
- A blog entry that defends the portrayal of religion on It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. It provides background information on the cast of characters, as well as notes on the episode entitled The Gang Exploits A Miracle, in which the gang try to make money off a water stain at Paddy's Pub that looks vaguely like the Virgin Mary. The character of Rickety Cricket is first introduced in this episode.
6. Biglow, Erin. (2010). It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Review: Love and Marriage Retrieved from http://poptimal.com/2010/09/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-review-love-and-marriage/
- This web site gives a synopsis of the second episode of the sixth and current season of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. It details the events of the episode, which features Dennis becoming disillusioned with marriage after having a quickie ceremony with a high school sweetheart. The episode, as well as the previous episode, called Mac Fights Gay Marriage, lampoons marriage, traditionally thought to be one of the sacred institutions of the Christian faith. This synopsis will aid in not only analyzing the show's portrayal of marriage and religion, but also in analyzing the character of Dennis in a religious context.
7. Internet Movie Database. (2010). It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (TV Series 2005-) Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472954/
- This is the Internet Movie Database Entry for It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. It acts as a resource for information regardinthe show, including plot and episode synopses and a comprehensive list of quotations from the show, that will be used to illustrate the political incorrectness of the gang, as well as offer context in some examples from the show.
8. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Wiki. (2010). Charlie Wants An Abortion Retrieved from http://itsalwayssunny.wikia.com/wiki/Charlie_Wants_An_Abortion
- This is a detailed wiki entry on the second episode from the first season of the show, entitled Charlie Wants An Abortion. The episode is centered around the issue of abortion and the conflict between pro-life and pro-choice groups, and is one of the most overt discussions of a religious issue in the entirety of the series.
9. Catholic Answers Forum. (2008). TV: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Retrieved from http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=392716
- This is an online discussion of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. It will be used to contextualize the show within a religious circle and give visitors an idea of how the show is perceived by an orthodox audience.
10. Fore, William F. (1987). Television and Religion: The Shaping Of Faith, Values and Culture Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House. Retrieved from http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=2236
- This e-book explores the implications of the prominence of television on Christianity. It presents both a cautionary view of technology, from an orthodox standpoint, but also methods in which technology can be used for the betterment of Christianity and the spreading of its message. This fits in with the argument that while It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia often lampoons Christianity, it also presents it in some positive fashion, at times.
This web site was built as a project for Religious Studies 2812 at Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada by Stephen Lethbridge (200747301).