How It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Is Actually A Surreal Horror Show
Protagonists generally aren't supposed to be thought of as the bad guys. After all, the story is about them and their struggle. Framing main characters as villains runs the huge risk of making them unlikeable, especially in a long-running medium like a TV show. However, it is possible to play fast and loose with a character's moral compass without making them outright detestable. In fact, fans may even come to love them for how horrible they really are.
The sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is one such show that has mastered this balance. Its protagonists perform some of the most inexcusable actions a human can imagine, yet fans love them even more for it. In fact, fans love them so much that some have taken to looking back at the series with a different viewpoint, disregarding the show's comedic presentation and interpreting it as something more sinister. In this case, fans are reinterpreting the show as a psychological horror series.
Why fans are rewatching Always Sunny as a horror show
Fans recently took to the r/horror Subreddit to discuss this very idea. In this interpretation, the Always Sunny gang is something to be feared. Each member displays their own set of unhinged, selfish characteristics that cause them to act in morally reprehensible ways, often to the severe detriment of others. One Redditor gave the example of Rickety Cricket, a recurring side character whose life plummets downhill into destitution and drug addiction due to the gang's influence.
Fans also agree that one gang member, in particular, comes off very much like an unhinged serial killer. "Dennis literally treats women like cattle, the D.E.N.N.I.S system is just... mechanical and disconnected from any emotion," user u/Madnessinabottle wrote. "True narcissistic sociopath. The [sex] tapes are real strong serial killer vibes."
Even then, the rest of the gang aren't exactly saints. One fan recalled the time in which Frank "tricked Dennis and Dee into digging up their mother's grave." Meanwhile, Charlie has spent all 14 seasons of the show stalking the same waitress. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. In those 14 seasons, the gang has wreaked more havoc than most slasher flicks. They may not openly kill anyone, but they still spread chaos and fear with every action.