It’s Always Sunny – Season 2 Episodes Ranked

From what I remembered from my initial foray into the wacky world of Sunny, it didn’t get good for me until Season 3. I remember this season being much better than the first, but it still didn’t get me hooked.

On my re-watch, I can’t believe how solid this season is. The creators had completely found their groove by this point, and other than a few tame jokes here and there this had become the balls-to-the-wall Sunny that I know and love. How would I rank all of the episodes in this fine season?

You can check out some of my other Sunny related lists below:

10 – The Gang Runs for Office

Rating: C

This whole episode just felt a little bit off by Sunny standards, almost as if a new writer had come in and not quite understood the assignment (this is one of David Hornsby’s first writing credits, he’s gone on to write some classics but maybe he was just finding his footing?)

There are some decent gags here and there – Dennis’ interpretation of Charlie’s speech will always be hilarious – but a lot of the dialogue and jokes just weren’t up to scratch. The ending was also one of the most generic and sitcom-y Sunny has ever done, it really caught me off-guard by how broad it was.

9 – The Gang Exploits a Miracle

Rating: C+

It’s amazing to see just how far Matthew Mara (Rickety Cricket) has fallen since these early seasons, and his downfall is one of the best running gags in the show. It’s still early doors here, however, so we haven’t quite reached the good stuff just yet.

Charlie and Mac battling it out to be the best preacher is clearly the highlight of the episode, and everything else was a bit tame compared to what I was expecting.

8 – Charlie Gets Crippled

Rating: C+

Straight off the bat in this season opener, “Charlie Gets Crippled” was a premise and execution that I would expect from prime Sunny. Each character acts equally putrid, and even Dee for basically the first time ever gets some good laughs.

This was a pretty decent opener to the season, and Frank’s introduction is alright (it’s a little off-putting seeing him trying to be anything other than a horrific human being, but that’s the drawback to re-watching the earlier seasons).

7 – Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody’s Ass

Rating: B-

An episode saved by some incredible individual moments, but the overarching story here is easily the weakest of the season.

Charlie’s patriotism can be funny at times – especially his “rock flag and eagle!” tirade – and the McPoyles make for a few oddball moments here and there. The whole plot with Mac and Dennis rebranding the bar while Frank runs an underground poker ring was completely left-field, and I don’t know if the two ideas mix well in the same episode.

6 – Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad

Rating: B-

“Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad” is a tale of two stories, as the Dennis / Dee A plot pales in comparison to the much funnier Mac / Charlie B plot.

Mac’s Dad is one of my favourite characters based purely on the way he makes Mac squirm, and every episode with him involved is inevitably a classic. Mac and Charlie’s attempts at “getting hard” completely eclipse the mundane family drama going on with the Reynolds.

5 – The Gang Gives Back

Rating: B+

I forgot just how funny this episode was, and even in a really solid season is stands alongside some of the certified classics.

The start is a little slow, but once all the pieces come together during the final match it made for one my favourite scenes in the season – Charlie refereeing the game while blackout drunk will never fail to make me laugh.

4 – Mac Bangs Dennis’ Mom

Rating: B+

Some of the episodes of Sunny are ingenious in the way the plot comes together and resolves itself in a satisfying way, and “Mac Bangs Dennis’ Mom” was the writers just showing off.

Charlie’s master plan is sensational whilst being hilarious at the same time, and the twist ending of Frank sleeping with the waitress was one of the best endings of the season.

3 – The Gang Goes Jihad

Rating: B+

What could have easily been a provocative episode with the intention of grabbing headlines rather than telling a compelling story, “The Gang Goes Jihad” is handled remarkably well, even in today’s current cancel culture climate.

I just love how perverted the gang’s sense of decision-making is, even in these early seasons, and their plan to scare off the buyer by posing as terrorists could only be funny when handled by Sunny’s expert writing team.

2 – Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare

Rating: A-

A lot of people would say that this was when Sunny was truly born, and as such I’ve seen quite a few people recommend this episode as a good jumping off point for new fans.

Both the Mac / Charlie and Dee / Dennis plots are great, and I love how they collide in the best way possible at the end, but I think the Dennis and Dee stuff in particular makes for some of the best scenes in the season. The show doesn’t hold back at all once they get addicted to crack, and the sheer audacity of the writing is what sets Sunny apart from its competitors.

1 – Hundred Dollar Baby

Rating: A-

“Hundred Dollar Baby” has always been a favourite episode of mine, and that’s mainly down to the insanely entertaining plot and performances from Kaitlin Olsen and Charlie Day.

Dee and Charlie are so wacky that some might consider it to be over-the-top, but I think it falls in line with the themes of the episodes perfectly. I haven’t seen “Million Dollar Baby” so maybe a few references are lost on me, but on its own this is one of the funniest early episodes of Sunny.

Season Rating: B

This was a much bigger step up from the first season than I remember – this is actually feeling like the classic Sunny I know and love now.

Let’s have a look at the stats for the season:

• 2A (20%)
• 5B (50%)
• 3C (30%)

And now we can look at the whole series so far as well:

• 2A (12%)
• 6B (35%)
• 8C (47%)
• 1D (6%)

So there you have it, now we’re getting to the prime cuts of Sunny! Until next time, you can check out some of my latest blog posts below: