It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (season 5)

The fifth season of the American comedy television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FX on September 17, 2009. The season contains 12 episodes and concluded airing on December 10, 2009. Beginning with this season, the episode's aspect ratio was changed from 4:3 to 16:9.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Season 5
DVD cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	FX
Original release	September 17 – December 10, 2009
Season chronology

Season synopsis

This season sees the gang tackling the global recession in their own selfish, clueless ways, by exploiting the mortgage crisis and taking advantage of the nouveau pauvre homeless people living outside the bar thanks to the 2008 recession to growing the bar's brand by selling merchandise. The gang also follow up on last season's musical episode by putting on a wrestling show for American troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq, with Frank also dresses up as a trash man for his wrestling-for-the-troops persona.

In their dating lives, The Waitress announces her upcoming wedding, which sends Dee into a panic while Mac and Dennis introduce Charlie to online dating to get his mind off the fact that his days of stalking The Waitress are over once she says, "I do." Dennis introduces the gang to his manipulative guide to scoring with women, while Dee has an online relationship with a soldier who turns out to be a wheelchair user.

This season also sees Frank becoming more self-destructive and worried over his mortality: becomes a slobbering drunk, attempts to hang himself after losing all his money, has sex with Artemis (the strange actress from Sweet Dee's acting class), and tries to sleep with the same women as Dennis...after Mac has had his shot at them. The gang then decide to take a trip to the Grand Canyon as part of an item on Frank's bucket list—but the trip ends before it can begin after several unfortunate events. The gang then gets their taste of Hollywood stardom when M. Night Shyamalan films his latest movie in Philadelphia, wreak havoc at the World Series, and reignite a rivalry started ten years ago at a popular drinking contest.

Cast

Main cast

• Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly
• Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds
• Rob McElhenney as Mac
• Kaitlin Olson as Dee Reynolds
• Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds

Recurring cast

• Mary Elizabeth Ellis as The Waitress
• David Hornsby as Rickety Cricket
• Artemis Pebdani as Artemis

Guest stars

• Melanie Lynskey as Kate
• P.J. Byrne as Tad
• Lynne Marie Stewart as Charlie's Mom
• Nora Dunn as Donna
• Mary Lynn Rajskub as Gail the Snail
• Nick Wechsler as Brad
• Nasim Pedrad as Lucy
• Roddy Piper as Da' Maniac
• Jill Latiano as Caylee
• Marshall Allman as Bezzy
• Noah Bean as Art Sloan
• Cody Kasch as Cheesefoot

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
46	1	"The Gang Exploits the Mortgage Crisis"	Randall Einhorn	Becky Mann & Audra Sielaff	September 17, 2009	IP05008	2.24[1]
While Frank, Mac, and Dennis try their hand at real estate, Dee arranges to be a surrogate mother to a wealthy couple with a pool; Charlie faces off with a lawyer on the intricacies of the judicial system.
47	2	"The Gang Hits the Road"	Fred Savage	Glenn Howerton & Charlie Day	September 24, 2009	IP05005	1.79[1]
The Gang tries to expand their horizons by going on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Despite the guys' attempts to leave Dee behind, the entire group travels in Dee's small car and the back of a U-HAUL trailer, making many stops along the way: bathroom stops, the Italian Market to buy furniture for the trailer and fruit for Charlie, and picking up a hitchhiker.
48	3	"The Great Recession"	Fred Savage	David Hornsby	October 1, 2009	IP05007	2.01[1]
Frank attempts suicide because of a recent financial loss he attributes to the recession. Mac and Dennis deal with the economic strain by making Charlie and Dee prove their worth; when they can't, Dee quits and Charlie gets fired. Dee then teams up with Frank, who feels better after financially cutting off the Gang, to start a business; the business fails and the good feeling flees. Mac and Dennis try to emulate the Dave & Buster's business model with newly-impoverished Americans who are residing in RVs by the bar. Meanwhile, Charlie tries to move back in with his mother but the condition that he must share a room with Uncle Jack drives him to choose a cardboard box. After much stress and worry, order is restored to the bar in typical It's Always Sunny fashion.
49	4	"The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention"	Fred Savage	Scott Marder & Rob Rosell	October 8, 2009	IP05006	1.51[1]
Dennis, Charlie, and Dee stage an intervention on Frank because they no longer enjoy drinking with him; trying to become as depraved as possible, Frank tries to seduce his former sister-in-law (Nora Dunn), whom Mac also pursues while Dennis and Dee deal with their bizarre cousin "Gail the Snail" (Mary Lynn Rajskub).
50	5	"The Waitress Is Getting Married"	Fred Savage	Glenn Howerton & Charlie Day	October 15, 2009	IP05004	1.61[1]
Jealous that The Waitress is marrying her former boyfriend Brad Fisher (Nick Wechsler), whom she cruelly dumped because of his acne—Dee tries to derail the wedding, enlisting help from Frank, Artemis, Mrs. Kelly, and Mrs. Mac. Fearful that Charlie will lose his mind and take it out on them, Dennis and Mac try to find him a girlfriend with online dating. Dee learns that The Waitress went to high school with her ("... you really are forgettable.")
51	6	"The World Series Defense"	Randall Einhorn	David Hornsby	October 22, 2009	IP05014	1.61[1]
The Gang describes the tribulations they endured during Game 5 of the World Series, hoping that the judge will clear them of all the citations they received.
52	7	"The Gang Wrestles for the Troops"	Randall Einhorn	Scott Marder & Rob Rosell	October 29, 2009	IP05012	1.35[1]
There's nothing more American than wrestling, so the Gang decides to put on a wrestling show for the returning troops; Frank wants to go along as the Trashman, but the others disapprove. Meanwhile, the soldier (Travis Schuldt) Dee has been chatting with online is not what she expected.
53	8	"Paddy's Pub: Home of the Original Kitten Mittens"	Randall Einhorn	Sonny Lee & Patrick Walsh	November 5, 2009	IP05011	1.99[1]
When a merchandising convention comes to town, the Gang tries to develop marketable products, such as Kitten Mittens, Nudey Pens, Dick Towels, and "Shot"guns in an attempt to build the Paddy's brand, and try to blackmail The Lawyer into helping them.
54	9	"Mac and Dennis Break Up"	Fred Savage	Scott Marder & Rob Rosell	November 12, 2009	IP05003	N/A
Mac and Dennis decide to spend some time apart after Dee compares them to an old married couple; Charlie lends his feline expertise to help Dee get her cat out of a wall.
55	10	"The D.E.N.N.I.S. System"	Randall Einhorn	David Hornsby & Scott Marder & Rob Rosell	November 19, 2009	IP05013	N/A
Dennis reveals his foolproof seduction system to the Gang; Charlie tries to use it on The Waitress but doesn't quite grasp the concept; the Gang tells Dee that her boyfriend from The Gang Wrestles for the Troops is using the system on her; Mac and Frank reveal their parts in the system.
56	11	"Mac and Charlie Write a Movie"	Randall Einhorn	Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney	December 3, 2009	IP05009	1.89[2]
When Dee gets a part in the new M. Night Shyamalan film, Mac and Charlie seize the chance to pitch their movie script, Frank takes on the role of a talent agent, and although Dennis participates, he spends the whole time typing on his phone.
57	12	"The Gang Reignites the Rivalry"	Randall Einhorn	Dave Chernin & Charlie Day	December 10, 2009	IP05010	1.68[3]
After a 10-year ban from a local drinking competition, "Flipadelphia," the gang tries to reignite their old rivalry with another local bar. Needing serious practice, the guys head to Dennis' old fraternity house at the University of Pennsylvania to get their game up to speed,only to find new rivals. Meanwhile, Dee hones her skills on her own.

Home media

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Complete Season 5
Set details			Special features
12 episodes 3-disc DVD set, 2-disc Blu-ray set (Region 1 & 4) Technical specifications Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) English Dolby Surround (DVD), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Blu-ray) English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese subtitles			Six Audio Commentaries: "The Gang Hits the Road" "The Gang Give Frank an Intervention" "The Waitress Is Getting Married" "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops" "Mac and Dennis Break Up" "The Gang Reignites the Rivalry" Phindin' Love in Philly: The Gang's Dating Profiles Kitten Mittens Endless Loop 23,793 Photos in 5 Minutes – Dream Sequence Montage Extended/Uncensored scenes and alternate takes Blooper reel Archer Pilot episode
Release dates
Region 1			Region 4
September 14, 2010[4]			February 29, 2012[5]

References

1. Seidman, Robert (November 6, 2009). "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League up over 50% without World Series". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
2. Gorman, Bill (December 4, 2009). "Thursday broadcast & cable finals: Flash Forward Down; Other broadcast shows unchanged". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
3. Seidman, Robert (December 11, 2009). ""It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "The League" Finales Strong for FX". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
4. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season Five (2009)". Amazon.com. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
5. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 5 (DVD)". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2014.

External links

• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia – list of episodes at IMDb
• List of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 5 episodes at TV.com
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at epguides.com