# It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 1

The first season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. The season contains 7 episodes and concluded airing on September 15, 2005.

## Season synopsis

This season, the gang inadvertently turns Paddy's Pub into a gay bar after one of Sweet Dee's acting class members invites his gay friends over to drink while Mac and Charlie try to prove to Charlie's crush that they are not prejudiced against African Americans. Then Charlie becomes a father when an old flame reveals that the son she has is his—and Charlie attempts to get a paternity test at a free clinic but the old flame finally reveals that is not true, while Mac and Dennis frequent pro-choice and anti-abortion rallies to pick up women. The gang then turns their bar into a safe haven for underage drinkers—and find themselves regressing to their high school ways when they get invited to the prom. Charlie fakes a cancer diagnosis and the gang looks for a woman to sleep with him before he dies.
The gang then gets gun-crazy when their bar has been robbed and Dee dates a man who may be the culprit. Following that, the gang finds a dead man in one of their booths and Dee and Dennis visit their ailing (Nazi) grandfather at a nursing home. Finally, Charlie is suspected of being a victim of child molestation when a former gym teacher is accused of sexually molesting his students—and Mac is livid that he was not one of the victims.

## Cast
### Main cast

* Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly
* Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds
* Rob McElhenney as Ronald "Mac" McDonald
* Kaitlin Olson as Deandra "Dee" Reynolds

### Recurring cast

* Mary Elizabeth Ellis as The Waitress

### Guest stars

* Malcolm Barrett as Terrell
* Autumn Reeser as Megan
* Heather Donahue as Stacy Corvelli
* Jaimie Alexander as Tammy
* Artemis Pebdani as Artemis
* Brittany Daniel as Carmen
* Michael Rosenbaum as Colin
* Lindsey McKeon as Rebecca Keane
* Dennis Haskins as Chris Murray
* Lynne Marie Stewart as Charlie's Mother
* Jimmi Simpson as Liam McPoyle
* Nate Mooney as Ryan McPoyle

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "The Gang Gets Racist" | John Fortenberry | Charlie Day & Rob McElhenney | August 4, 2005 (2005-8-4) | IP01001 | 1.42 |
| Dennis and Deandra ("Sweet Dee"), co-owner/bartender and waitress, respectively, of Paddy's, a failing pub in Philadelphia, get entangled in racial and sexual discrimination when Terrell, a student in Dee's acting class, gets hired as a club promoter and turns Paddy's into Philadelphia's hottest gay bar. Meanwhile, Mac and Charlie (childhood friends and also co-owners of Paddy's) try to prove that they are not prejudiced against African-Americans after Charlie's crush (an unnamed alcoholic waitress) overhears him use a racial slur. After Dennis gets drunk and wakes up with two men, he changes his mind about Paddy's being a gay bar. Mac fires and then offends Terrell. ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Charlie Wants an Abortion" | John Fortenberry | Charlie Day & Rob McElhenney | August 11, 2005 (2005-8-11) | IP01003 | 0.84 |
| Charlie's old flame accuses Charlie of being the father of her ill-behaved son. Charlie spends time with him when he realizes it might impress The Waitress. Meanwhile, Mac and Dennis fake being involved in the "right to life vs. pro-choice" debate (with Mac siding on "right to life" and Dennis siding on "pro-choice") to pick up women: Mac attends an anti-abortion protest and has sex with a protestor, while Dennis decides to attend the next protest to meet pro-choice women. Dennis climbs a fence separating the two sides and incites a food fight. Mac's new girlfriend dumps him. Charlie's ex reveals Charlie is not the father. ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Underage Drinking: A National Concern" | Dan Attias | Story by : Charlie Day & Rob McElhenney Teleplay by : Rob McElhenney | August 18, 2005 (2005-8-18) | IP01006 | N/A |
| After Paddy's has a busy night due to an underage crowd, Mac decides to make Paddy's Pub a safe haven for teenage drinkers. Dee is invited on a date by a high schooler, Trey, while Dennis, Mac, and Charlie work at the bar. Mac and Charlie buy alcohol for a house party. Charlie and Dee are asked to prom, and after Dennis is blackmailed into attending by Tammy, they all decide to go. At a pre-prom party they host at Paddy's, Tammy and Trey get back together and all the teenagers leave. ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Charlie Has Cancer" | Rob McElhenney | Rob McElhenney | August 25, 2005 (2005-8-25) | IP01004 | N/A |
| Charlie tells Dennis he might have cancer, who tells Mac and Dee. They decide to find a woman to sleep with Charlie. Dennis decides the Waitress will sleep with Charlie out of pity after he sees her wearing a Livestrong bracelet; after he tells the Waitress about Charlie, she hits on Dennis and they sleep together. Mac pays her to sleep with Charlie as well. Charlie tells Dennis he lied about having cancer so the Waitress would like him and reveals they never had sex. Mac starts dating a trans woman, and after accidentally punching her is chased by two men for committing a hate crime. The Waitress refuses to return the money. ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Gun Fever" | Dan Attias | Story by : Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney Teleplay by : Glenn Howerton | September 1, 2005 (2005-9-1) | IP01005 | N/A |
| After Paddy's is robbed, Mac and Dennis decide to buy a gun. Dee's new boyfriend Colin encourages the idea and takes her to a firing range. Charlie's landlord Hwang demands that he pay the rent. He joins Dennis and Mac in shooting the new gun and then takes the gun home to use to intimidate Hwang. Dennis suspects that Colin is the robber so they bait him into robbing Paddy's again; Dennis shoots an intruder at Paddy's, who turns out to be Charlie trying to pay his rent. While the gang take Charlie to the hospital, Colin robs the bar again. ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Gang Finds a Dead Guy" | Dan Attias | Story by : Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney Teleplay by : Rob McElhenney | September 8, 2005 (2005-9-8) | IP01007 | N/A |
| Mac and Dee find a dead old man at Paddy's. The man's attractive granddaughter Rebecca shows up, and Mac and Dennis vie for her affection by claiming they knew him. When Dee and Charlie visit Dee's grandfather at a nursing home; Dee has a panic attack and leaves Charlie alone with him, who thinks he is Dennis and asks him to bring him a box from storage. At Rebecca's grandfather's funeral, Dennis and Mac bring a group of homeless men to pose as his friends and Dennis gives a speech. Charlie discovers the box is full of Nazi memorabilia and a uniform, and after he and Mac unsuccessfully try to sell it to a museum, they burn it. Dennis brags that he slept with Rebecca, and Mac tells him about his grandfather. ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Charlie Got Molested" | John Fortenberry | Story by : Charlie Day & Rob McElhenney Teleplay by : Rob McElhenney | September 15, 2005 (2005-9-15) | IP01002 | 1.09 |
| When the gang hears news of their former gym teacher Coach Murray getting arrested for molesting his students, including the McPoyle brothers, Charlie suddenly gets nervous and Dee and Dennis conclude that Charlie might have been one of the victims. Meanwhile Mac becomes jealous that he was not a victim. Charlie confronts the McPoyles, knowing they are lying about having been molested; they remind him he drunkenly gave them the idea a year ago, and insist he also claim abuse. Mac visits Coach Murray at his home and unsuccessfully hits on him. Dee and Dennis tell Charlie's mother he was molested, and she stages an intervention with the McPoyles, forcing Charlie to falsely admit to being molested. The McPoyles take Charlie to the police station to make a report, who exposes their scheme. ||||||||

## Reception

The first season received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 78% with an average score of 7.9 out of 10 based on 18 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's coarse humor and shabby style may be rough around the edges, but this sinful sitcom wrings a surprising amount [of] charm from its band of charmless underachievers."

## Home media

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Seasons 1 & 2 :
| Set details | Set details | Set details | Special features | Special features | Special features |
| 17 episodes 3-disc DVD set (Region 1 & 4) Technical specifications Full Frame (1.33:1) English Dolby Surround English, French, and Spanish subtitles | 17 episodes 3-disc DVD set (Region 1 & 4) Technical specifications Full Frame (1.33:1) English Dolby Surround English, French, and Spanish subtitles | 17 episodes 3-disc DVD set (Region 1 & 4) Technical specifications Full Frame (1.33:1) English Dolby Surround English, French, and Spanish subtitles | Scenes from the Original Pilot Two audio commentaries: "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom" "Hundred Dollar Baby" Two featurettes: Sunny Side Up Making-of Fox Movie Channel Presents Making A Scene: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia The Gang F**ks Up outtakes Kaitlin Olson audition tapes | Scenes from the Original Pilot Two audio commentaries: "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom" "Hundred Dollar Baby" Two featurettes: Sunny Side Up Making-of Fox Movie Channel Presents Making A Scene: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia The Gang F**ks Up outtakes Kaitlin Olson audition tapes | Scenes from the Original Pilot Two audio commentaries: "Mac Bangs Dennis' Mom" "Hundred Dollar Baby" Two featurettes: Sunny Side Up Making-of Fox Movie Channel Presents Making A Scene: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia The Gang F**ks Up outtakes Kaitlin Olson audition tapes |
| Release dates ||||||
| Region 1 | Region 1 | Region 1 | Region 4 | Region 4 | Region 4 |
| September 4, 2007 | September 4, 2007 | September 4, 2007 | June 2, 2009 | June 2, 2009 | June 2, 2009 |