Favorite Always Sunny Episodes: 10 Runner Ups

I couldn't stick to just 10 favorite episodes of Always Sunny, that's ridiculous. Here's 10 more.

The Gang Gets Racist (season 1, episode 1)

Where it all started. This episode is packed full of great jokes, and is a perfect introduction to the tone of the series. The gang is hilariously tone-deaf about race, while also constantly worrying that they're perceived as racist. (Not genuine concern that they're being racist, mind you: just worried that other people think they are.) This combination is comedic gold, and demonstrates how this show can deal with controversial topics without being actually offensive. The humor comes from the gang's ignorance, not racist jokes. (To be blatant, we're laughing at the white people, not the black people.)

The Gang Dances Their Asses Off (season 3, episode 15) 

Thanks to Charlie's illiteracy, Paddy's Pub is the prize in a dance marathon competition. Several people they've screwed over show up to compete, and of course they're not very good at cooperating with each to win the bar back. Dee in particular tries to sabotage the rest of the gang, but Charlie has a surprising tolerance to the sedative brownies. Any episode with a single focused storyline like this is usually gold.

Mac & Charlie Die: Parts I and II (season 4, episodes 5 & 6) 

Yeah, I'm cheating with the two part episode but you have to watch them both together. Seeing these two idiots try to fake their death is hilarious, between Charlie pulling his teeth and Mac buying the wedding dress. Then of course the fact that their friends knew they were alive the whole time.

The Gang Hits the Road (season 5, episode 2)

This episode has a classic Sunny-esque premise, as the gang attempts to go on a road trip to the Grand Canyon, but doesn't even make it outside of Philly. This is good news for Charlie, who has never left the city and is afraid to. He has also never eaten a pear, as it turns out. But he has eaten a lot of stickers. Another highlight: Dennis and Charlie starting a fire in the trailer and passing out from smoke inhalation.

Mac & Dennis Break Up (season 5, episode 9)

Mac and Dennis's codependent relationship is the focus of this episode, but it turns out that while they may not be great together, they're even worse apart. This episode includes such comedic gems as the apple skins that are riddled with toxins ("I'm not allowed!") and Frank "putting on airs" by not eating cat food.

Who Got Dee Pregnant? (season 6, episode 7)

This episode is hilariously constructed, told through each character's drunk mis-remembering of the night. My favorite moment in the contrasting memories is probably: "That's insanely masculine" becoming "I'm insanely high on mescaline." Throughout the night, Dee gets progressively more bird-like, once appearing as an actual ostrich. Plus, the McPoyles are hilarious in this episode.

The Gang Gets Trapped (season 7, episode 9)

This episode starts off with the gang in a ridiculous situation, trapped inside of a house and the homeowners are home. They might need to rethink how they consistently get themselves into these jams. But for now, they have to find a way out of the house. The hilarious conclusion? They just walk out. Just walk right out the front door.

The High School Reunion Parts I and II (season 7, episodes 12 & 13)

Glimpses into the gang's high school life are always pure gold, and these episodes are the epitome of this. They all revert back to their high school ways despite their intention of showing how much they've changed. We also find out that Mac's given name is Ronald McDonald. But, the highlight without a doubt is Dennis in the parking lot, frantically getting his "tools" -- "I like to bind, I like to be bound!"

The Gang Broke Dee (season 9, episode 1)

The Dee episode we all deserve. This episode is hilarious as Dee seemingly gets her big break (and Dennis can't cope due to his need to control her), but it turns out to all have been a cruel and complex prank by Frank, Charlie and Mac (and like one hundred other people (but not Dennis)).

The Gang Tries Desperately to Win an Award (season 9, episode 3)

This is probably the most meta episode of the show. The gang tries to win a Best Bar award, but it's a thinly veiled and hilarious commentary on how the show has never won any awards - maybe people just don't get what they're going for? In an extra meta moment, the competing bar's manager is an actor from The Office. As a fan of this show, this episode is a gift because it really feels like an inside joke with RCG: We're among the few people who get what the show is trying to do.