Season of television series
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | |
|---|---|
| Season 2 | |
 DVD cover | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | FX |
| Original release | June 29 (2006-06-29) – August 17, 2006 (2006-08-17) |
| Season chronology | |
| ← Previous Season 1 Next → Season 3 | |
| List of episodes | |
The second season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FX on June 29, 2006. The season contains 10 episodes and concluded airing on August 17, 2006.
Season synopsis
The series' second season introduces veteran actor Danny DeVito portraying Dennis and Dee's father Frank, who moves in with temporary wheelchair user Charlie following a car accident, and blackmails his way into the group. Anne Archer also has a recurring role as Barbara Reynolds, Dee and Dennis's promiscuous, cold-hearted mother. Meanwhile, Mac has sex with Barbara and spins a web of lies and deception in order to throw the rest of the gang off his tracks.
The gang ups their efforts on the scheming front: the gang tries to fight back against a property anomaly that leaves their bar in the path of an Israeli immigrant's new place, Dennis and Dee quit their jobs and hatch a plot to get on welfare so they can live out their dream careers, and Frank—along with Charlie and Mac—exploit the religious when they discover a water stain in the back room that resembles The Virgin Mary. Charlie and Dee fight against cigarette smoking, while Frank, Mac, and Dennis fight back against their freedoms being encroached by making their bar an "anything goes" establishment that first attracts drunk college girls willing to flash their breasts for beads, but things do not go according to plan when heroin addicts, Vietnamese gamblers, and the incestuous McPoyle siblings get in on the action. At the end of the season, Dennis and Dee find a man on MySpace who claims (and turns out) to be their biological father, while Mac reunites with his convict dad, and Charlie is still trying to find the identity of his missing father.
Production
Before production of the second season began, series creator Rob McElhenney found out that Danny DeVito was a fan of the show and a friend of FX president, John Landgraf. McElhenney asked Landgraf to set up a meeting. McElhenney met DeVito at his home and pitched DeVito's character, Frank Reynolds. DeVito agreed to star in the show, but was only available for twenty days. To have Frank Reynolds in all ten episodes of the second season, all of DeVito's scenes were filmed before filming the season.
Cast
See also: List of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia charactersMain cast
- Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly
- Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds
- Rob McElhenney as Mac
- Kaitlin Olson as Deandra "Dee" Reynolds
- Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds
Recurring cast
- Mary Elizabeth Ellis as The Waitress
- Anne Archer as Barbara Reynolds
Guest stars
- Natasha Leggero as Stripper #1
- Tiffany Haddish as Stripper #3
- Eddie Pepitone as Tony
- Aisha Hinds as Caseworker
- Lucy DeVito as Jenny
- Lynne Marie Stewart as Mrs. Kelly
- Sandy Martin as Mrs. Mac
- Eddie Mekka as Bobby Thunderson
- Patrick Hallahan as AA Director
- David Hornsby as Father Matthew Mara
- Jimmi Simpson as Liam McPoyle
- Nate Mooney as Ryan McPoyle
- Gregory Scott Cummins as Luther Mac
- Artemis Pebdani as Artemis
- Stephen Collins as Bruce Mathis
Episodes
See also: List of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | "Charlie Gets Crippled" | Rob McElhenney | Story by : Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney Teleplay by : Rob McElhenney | June 29, 2006 (2006-06-29) | IP02001 | 1.64 |
| Dennis and Dee's father Frank (Danny DeVito) abruptly appears, scaring Dennis, who accidentally runs over Charlie with his car. When Charlie gets attention from strippers by being in a wheelchair, the Gang decides to fake disabilities to get attention. | |||||||
| 9 | 2 | "The Gang Goes Jihad" | Dan Attias | Story by : Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney Teleplay by : Rob McElhenney | June 29, 2006 (2006-06-29) | IP02002 | 1.50 |
| An Israeli businessman buys a neighboring property of the bar, the floor-layout of which actually includes half of Paddy's Pub, prompting the Gang to go to extremes to get the man to leave; Frank fights with his ex-wife over the possessions she got in their divorce. | |||||||
| 10 | 3 | "Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare" | Dan Attias | Story by : Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney Teleplay by : Rob McElhenney | July 6, 2006 (2006-07-06) | IP02004 | N/A |
| Dennis and Dee quit their jobs to pursue their dreams, but when Mac reminds them that unemployment eventually runs out, Dennis and Dee get hooked on crack cocaine so they can apply for welfare. Meanwhile, Frank hires two new workers under the "Work for Welfare" program, and Charlie and Mac go on a spending spree with the money in Frank's secret bank account. | |||||||
| 11 | 4 | "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom" | Dan Attias | Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton | July 6, 2006 (2006-07-06) | IP02005 | N/A |
| When Mac is asked to fetch Frank's toupee from his ex-wife, he has sex with her; Charlie uses this information to hatch a plan to get with his crush, a coffee-shop waitress, by getting Dee to create a web of lies and backstabbing. | |||||||
| 12 | 5 | "Hundred Dollar Baby" | Dan Attias | Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney | July 13, 2006 (2006-07-13) | IP02007 | N/A |
| Frank trains Dee for a boxing match against his old boxing foe's daughter; Dennis and Mac train Charlie for an underground fighting ring to make money off him. | |||||||
| 13 | 6 | "The Gang Gives Back" | Dan Attias | Charlie Day | July 20, 2006 (2006-07-20) | IP02003 | N/A |
| The Gang must atone for the events of "The Gang Goes Jihad": Mac, Dennis, and Dee are sentenced to coach inner-city children's basketball, and Charlie is sentenced to attend AA meetings. The Waitress, an alcoholic, is at the meetings and offers to be Charlie's sponsor just to get to Dennis. | |||||||
| 14 | 7 | "The Gang Exploits a Miracle" | Dan Attias | Charlie Day & Eric Falconer & Chris Romano | July 27, 2006 (2006-07-27) | IP02009 | N/A |
| When the Gang finds a water stain in the office that resembles the Virgin Mary, Frank charges patrons to see the miracle. Meanwhile, Dennis goes anorexic when Dee tells him that his face is fat, Mac and Charlie become dueling preachers, and a former admirer of Dee's get another chance with her. | |||||||
| 15 | 8 | "The Gang Runs for Office" | Dan Attias | David Hornsby | August 3, 2006 (2006-08-03) | IP02006 | N/A |
| After realizing political corruption's money-making potential, the Gang helps Dennis run for the position of a local comptroller. | |||||||
| 16 | 9 | "Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody's Ass" | Dan Attias | Charlie Day & Rob McElhenney | August 10, 2006 (2006-08-10) | IP02008 | N/A |
| Outraged when Dennis smokes in the bar, Charlie teams with Dee to start an anti-smoking rally. Meanwhile, Mac, Dennis, and Frank turn Paddy's Pub into an "anything goes" bar, which goes horribly wrong thanks to the new clientele: heroin addicts, Vietnamese gamblers, and incestuous McPoyle siblings. | |||||||
| 17 | 10 | "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad" | Dan Attias | Story by : Charlie Day & Rob McElhenney Teleplay by : Rob McElhenney | August 17, 2006 (2006-08-17) | IP02010 | 0.96 |
| Dennis and Dee discover the MySpace page of a man who claims to be their real father. Meanwhile, Mac and Charlie visit Mac's convict father in jail, and Charlie thinks Frank might be his real father. | |||||||
Reception
The second season received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 95% with an average score of 7.8 out of 10 based on 21 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Gang becomes complete with the addition of Danny DeVito, whose wily performance gives Always Sunny a new shine."
Home media
The season two episodes are presented in production order, rather than their original broadcast order.
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Seasons 1 & 2 | |||||
| Set details | Special features | ||||
Technical specifications
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| Release dates | |||||
| Region 1 | Region 4 | ||||
| September 4, 2007 | June 2, 2009 | ||||
References
- Davis, William Scott (March 11, 2015). "Here's how Danny DeVito saved 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' from getting canceled". Business Insider. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- "Looking At The 'Sunny' Side Of Life". NPR. September 17, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Seasons One & Two — "Sunny Side Up" featurette. 20th Century Fox. September 4, 2007.
- ^ "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending July 2, 2006". Ratings Ryan. January 9, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- "Broadcast & Cable Nielsens: Week Ending August 20, 2006". Ratings Ryan. January 24, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
- "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 2 (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Seasons 1 & 2 (2005)". Amazon. September 4, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
- "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Seasons 1 & 2 (3 Disc Set) (DVD)". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on April 12, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
