It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 12

By the time a show hits twelve seasons there really isn't that much left to say. Sunny has been kind of hit or miss for me for, oh, six years now - half its damn life - but when it hits, it hits, and I do think this season was heavy on the hits. Good!

In fact, I think I've finally been able to put my finger on what makes a great Sunny episode for me. It's a lack of gimmicks. It's when the gang just sort of makes terrible decisions, either together or against each other, and reaps the rewards. My favorite episode of this season was probably the second one, entitled "The Gang Goes to a Water Park." Three plots, all of them involving our favorite group of five excitedly making bad decisions out in public in the pursuit of something as simple as having a blast at a water park.

But that's just highlighting one gem in a season full of them. And let's not ignore some of the monumental payoffs to gags that have run for, literally over a decade. Mac? Finally out of the closet! Charlie? Finally banged the Waitress! (And was immediately over her.)

Rumor has it that Glenn Howerton is leaving the show after this season. I'm absolutely fine with this. It's been twelve years, Dennis has always been my least favorite character, and I'm sure the show could make absolute hay out of rolling in a series of guest stars as potential Dennis replacements to "run the bar" who are immediately horrified and scarred by the gang, or even just by elevating its own supporting players - Cricket! The McPoyles! Bill Ponderosa! Uncle Jack! Ben the Soldier! Why not?

Another rumor is that Sunny might go on an extended hiatus before returning for the already contracted thirteenth and fourteenth seasons. Again, fine - this is just what, like, half of the shows on television seem to do now. (And most of the good ones!)

Either way, I'm very happy with how Season 12 unfolded. Only a year ago, I said of Sunny something like, "can we just put this old dog to rest?" And then along came these ten episodes. Nothing like a solid, bounceback year from an old favorite.