By: Austin Winterle, Sarah Morrison, Flynn Martin, and Josie
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has just embarked on its 14th season. The show’s first eight season appeared on FX, until it switched to FXX for the continuing six. The show is known for its vulgar content and the characters are not the most upstanding citizens. The gang is composed of Charlie Kelly, Mac, Dennis and Dee Reynolds, and their father Frank Reynolds. They own a bar in Philadelphia called Paddy’s Pub, and get into all types of mischief on a daily basis.
But, if you are true Always Sunny like myself, you would know that the shows content is becoming more correct with the times, instead of like its earlier seasons where they basically did some terrible things to people and did not think twice about it. There is nothing wrong with newer seasons starting to make the show open to more audiences. It’s just interesting to see how the show started to where it is at now. The major change that I have noticed from the beginning of the show til now, is the evolution of the Character Mac.
From around seasons 1 to seasons 5, the show portrays Mac as this tough guy bouncer, who only wears cutoffs to show off his “tribal” tattoos. He dresses in all black and tries to emulate the badass type. But Mac deep down is just all talk and can’t backup any of his smack talk. The bottomline is, in the earlier seasons, Mac is portrayed as a very masculine straight male.
In season 7, Mac’s character makes a very big physical change. He becomes very fat and grows a huge beard. This is not the normal hard ass type look Mac is used to. That look only lasts for a season and then we get the regular Mac back. In season 11, episode 8 is the first real taste we get of Mac being Homosexual. Now, let’s make things clear, I have no problem with him being a homosexual. I am just explaining how the show is changing one of it’s main character and potentially opening their show up to a new audience.
In this episode, while Charlie is holding a “leprechaun” captive in the basement of the bar, Mac decides to hit the Local Homosexual bar to find a pot of gold. The bar which is called Rainbow is where he went. When he returns with glitter all over him, he tells the gang to not ask any questions.
In season 12 he finally comes out as homosexual. The show built up to him coming out, so it was not a surprise at all. But, it is very cool to see how the show changes a major personal trait in one character, but the other four pretty much stay the same. Mac is not completely changed, but he is not the character he was in the first couple seasons.
Many shows these days are incorporating homosexual characters. In my opinion it is to attract a new demographic of viewers to their show. Also for the show to get the reputation that they are socially correct. Even, though the gang does a ton of horrible things, this is the main thing that has me believing they are trying to be inline with the times.
