Blu-ray Review: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia The Complete Season 6

     Now available on Blu-ray and DVD is FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Complete Season 6. The two disc set contains all twelve episodes of another very funny season, as well as a wealth of extras. The stories in season six tend to run longer than in previous seasons, with some plots stretching for multiple episodes or the entire season. But there are also the shorter adventures more common for the show.

     Season six finds the gang getting into some humorous trouble, just as the past five years have. But some of the situations they get into here have lasting consequences. This season begins with most of the gang contemplating marriage after Mac (Rob McElhenney) learns that Carmen (Brittany Daniel) is now a woman, and engaged. Dennis (Glenn Howerton) marries a girl he liked long ago, but soon regrets the decision. Frank (Danny DeVito) and Charlie (Charlie Day) pursue the idea of a gay marriage without sex. None of these work out, and it isn't long before the group reverts to status quo, though Dennis is still stuck playing alimony.

     This year, the main characters are looking to better themselves, though those familiar with the series know that is unlikely to ever happen. Dee (Kaitlin Olson) works at a school for a while, and Charlie soon joins her as a janitor. They do okay until they expose the students to their friends, and both are soon out of a job. Dee is also pregnant, but won't say who the father is, driving the guys crazy as they try to figure it out. I'll refrain from spoiling the surprise as the paternity is not revealed until the season finale, but it's unexpected, for sure.

     Besides these longer stories, there are some of the stand alone stories that are standard for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In these episodes, the gang buys a boat, looks for a pool, and gets lost in the woods. Each is humorous in its own right, and there isn't a disappointing entry in this entire season.

     Among the many extras included on this release are the expected deleted and extended scenes, bloopers, and four audio commentaries on select episodes. FX has kindly included the "pilot" of Wilfred, to introduce fans of this series to another on the network. There are also three minutes of Jack Kelly's late night legal show.

     For some of the other bonuses, the gang gets extra creative. Three episodes of Dennis and Dee's podcast, about four minutes in length, are included, as is a 15 minute cut of the gang's Lethal Weapon 5. If you'll remember, this is the movie they show to Dee's class, and among the offensive things in it are Mac in blackface and a long sex scene starring Frank. The cut on this Blu-ray set is longer than the one shown in the broadcast episode. LW5 has an optional audio commentary track provided by Charlie, Dennis, and Mac--in character--and it may just be funnier than the short film itself. A fourth episode of the podcast is included, too, if your Blu-ray player contains memory.

     On the Blu-ray only, not included on the DVD, is The Sunny Flip Cup Trivia Challenge. This is an addictive interactive game consisting of three rounds of five trivia questions each, based on episodes from season six. After each round, players are given the opportunity to play one of four randomly selected mini-games. They're more complicated than expected, and there are enough different trivia questions to keep your attention for a long time.

     It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia The Complete Season 6 is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen picture, and has English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. This means it looks and sounds as good as anything else on Blu-ray, despite it being so much more low budget than most shows and movies. Why do you need excellent, crisp, clear sound and picture for a sitcom with virtually no special effects? Well, why not? It looks great, the details are vivid, and that allows the viewer to be more fully drawn into the world onscreen. The characters really come alive with such a perfect image. I can't recommend any other format besides Blu-ray when high definition is available.

     New episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia air Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

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Article first published as Blu-ray Review: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Complete Season 6 on Blogcritics.