It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (season 5)

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, 2009 – December 10, 2009

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.

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 wheelchair-bound.

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 (12 episodes)
• Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds (12 episodes)
• Rob McElhenney as Mac (12 episodes)
• Kaitlin Olson as Deandra Reynolds (12 episodes)
• Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds (12 episodes)

Recurring cast

• Mary Elizabeth Ellis as The Waitress (3 episodes)
• Artemis Pebdani as Artemis (2 episodes)
• Lynne Stewart as Bonnie Kelly (2 episodes)
• Travis Schuldt as Ben Smith (2 episodes)
• Brian Unger as The Lawyer (2 episodes)

Guest stars

• David Hornsby as Matthew "Rickety Cricket" Mara ("The Gang Wrestles for the Troops")
• Mary Lynn Rajskub as Gail the Snail ("The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention")
• Sandy Martin as Mrs. McDonald ("The Waitress is Getting Married")
• Nick Wechsler as Brad Fisher ("The Waitress is Getting Married")
• Roddy Piper as Da' Maniac ("The Gang Wrestles for the Troops")
• Andrew Friedman as Uncle Jack Kelly ("The Great Recession")

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	U.S. 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 sweet pool. Meanwhile, Charlie faces off with a lawyer on the intricacies of the judicial system.
47	2	"The Gang Hits the Road"	Fred Savage	Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton	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 guy's attempts to leave Sweet Dee behind, the entire group ends up traveling inside Dee's small car and the back of a U HAUL trailer. The gang makes many stops along the way (switching cars, the Italian Market to buy wicker furniture for the trailer and fruit for Charlie, bathroom stops, 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 that he attributes to the recession. Mac and Dennis deal with the economic strain by making Charlie and Dee prove their worth. When they fail to do so, 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 feeling doesn't last. Mac and Dennis try to emulate the Dave & Busters 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 has to share a room with Uncle Jack drives him to choose a cardboard box instead. 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 attempt to stage an intervention on Frank because they feel it's no longer fun to drink with him. As a part of his attempt to become as depraved as possible, Frank attempts to seduce his former sister-in-law (Nora Dunn), who Mac is also interested in seducing. The Gang also has to deal with Dennis and Dee's bizarre cousin "Gail the Snail" (Mary Lynn Rajskub).
50	5	"The Waitress Is Getting Married"	Fred Savage	Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton	October 15, 2009	IP05004	1.61[1]
Dee finds out The Waitress is getting married and she is jealous so she tries (with the help of Frank, Artemis, Mrs. Kelly, and Mrs. Mac) to derail the wedding. It turns out she dated the groom, Brad Fisher (Nick Wechsler), back in high school—but cruelly dumped him because of his bad acne. Dennis and Mac, fearful Charlie will lose his mind and take it out on them, try to find Charlie 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 trials and tribulations they went through 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, and that's why the gang has decided to put on a wrestling show for the returning troops. 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. They try to blackmail The Lawyer in to helping them.
54	9	"Mac and Dennis Break Up"	Fred Savage	Scott Marder & Rob Rosell	November 12, 2009	IP05003	1.87[2]
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	1.49[3]
Dennis reveals his foolproof system for seducing any woman to the rest of the gang. Charlie tries to use it on The Waitress but he 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 the parts they play in the system.
56	11	"Mac and Charlie Write a Movie"	Randall Einhorn	Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney	December 3, 2009	IP05009	1.89[4]
When Dee gets a part in the new M. Night Shyamalan film, Mac and Charlie seize a chance to pitch their movie script, Frank takes on the role of talent agent, and even though Dennis participates in all of it 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[5]
After being banned for 10 years from a local drinking competition appropriately named "Flipadelphia," the gang tries to reignite their old rivalry with another local bar. Finding that they are in need of some serious practice, the guys head to Dennis' old fraternity house at the University of Pennsylvania to get their game up to speed. There, they find new rivals. Dee hones her skills on her own.

DVD and Blu-ray release

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season Five
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[6]			February 29, 2012[7]

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. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
2. "Cable TV Ratings for Week Ending November 15, 2009". TV Aholics. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
3. "Cable TV Ratings for Week Ending November 22, 2009". TV Aholics. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
4. Gorman, Bill (December 4, 2009). "Thursday broadcast & cable finals: Flash Forward Down; Other broadcast shows unchanged". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
5. Seidman, Robert (December 11, 2009). ""It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "The League" Finales Strong for FX". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
6. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season Five (2009)". Amazon.com. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
7. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 5 (DVD)". EzyDVD.com.au. Retrieved March 29, 2014.

External links

• List of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes at the Internet Movie Database
• List of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 5 episodes at TV.com
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at epguides.com