"Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab" | |
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It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode | |
Episode no. | Season 16 Episode 5 |
Directed by | Megan Ganz |
Written by | |
Produced by | Jeff Luini |
Featured music | "I Wanna Be Rich" by Calloway |
Cinematography by | John Tanzer |
Editing by | Scott Draper |
Production code | XIP16006 |
Original air date | June 28, 2023 |
Running time | 21 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab" is the fifth episode of the sixteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia . It is the 167th overall episode of the series and was written by series developers Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton, and directed by executive producer Megan Ganz. It originally aired on FXX on June 28, 2023.
The series follows "The Gang", a group of five misfit friends: twins Dennis and Deandra "(Sweet) Dee" Reynolds, their friends Charlie Kelly and Ronald "Mac" McDonald, and Frank Reynolds, Dennis' and Dee's legal father. The Gang runs the fictional Paddy's Pub, an unsuccessful Irish bar in South Philadelphia. In the episode, the Gang tries to get Malcolm in the Middle stars "Mr. Middle" and "Malcolm" (actually Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul) involved in their new alcohol brand.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.268 million household viewers and gained a 0.13 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the guest appearances by Cranston and Paul, humor and absurdity.
When two celebrities visit Philadelphia to promote their alcohol brand, Charlie (Charlie Day), Mac (Rob McElhenney) and Dennis (Glenn Howerton), viewing celebrities using their faces to sell brands as a cashgrab, decide to create their own "premium alcohol brand" called Paddy's SchlägerSchnappsterMeister. Charlie's idea to infuse their drink with nickel coins is angrily shot down by Dennis and Mac, but Charlie pursues the recipe on his own.
Needing funding, Dennis calls Frank (Danny DeVito) for help. However, Frank has left on a private plane with Dee (Kaitlin Olson), leaving her dismayed when he informs her that his plan to fly to Aruba was a ruse: he's circling Philadelphia to put on enough miles to make it appear he went to Aruba, which will net him a fraudulent corporate tax break for use of the jet. Frank is hesitant in funding the operation, due to a bad experience after working with Greg Louganis. After getting confirmation that the celebrities involved are "Mr. Middle" (Bryan Cranston) and "Malcolm" (Aaron Paul), the gang only recognising the former from Malcolm in the Middle and mistaking the latter for Frankie Muniz, Frank okays the plan if he can meet them. Charlie stays behind the meet-and-greet, vomiting up the many nickels he gulped down, while Mac and Dennis enter to convince Cranston and Paul to sign with them. However, their intentions are not clear and "Mr. Middle" and "Malcolm" leave the meet-and-greet without any confirmation. They decide to abandon their plan and try to convince Jalen Hurts, but they only run into Gritty, and leave in frustration afterward.
After vomiting on a limo driver, Charlie mistakes a query and ends up becoming the driver for the departing "Mr. Middle" and "Malcolm". He calls Frank to tell him he will deliver them to him, while "Mr. Middle" and "Malcolm" argue in the backseat; it turns out "Mr. Middle" was bankrupted by his gambling addiction and "Malcolm" now controls all of his actions (for example, "Malcolm" won't allow "Mr. Middle" to shake anyone's hand, which is part of what left Dennis and Mac unable to deliver their pitch). On the plane, the Gang tries to converse with "Mr. Middle" and "Malcolm", panicking them. Seemingly fed up with "Malcolm" telling him what to do, "Mr. Middle" delivers a speech channelling a character of his that reiterates his displeasure with the business and how everything wrong will be the fault of "Malcolm", which turns out to be an acting showcase. When asked if they might be interested in joining their brand, both "Mr. Middle" and "Malcolm" bluntly tell the Gang to leave and bring them back to Philly without a deal.
In May 2023, FXX reported that the fifth episode of the sixteenth season would be titled "Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab", and was to be directed by executive producer Megan Ganz, and written by series developers Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton. This was Ganz's third directing credit, McElhenney's 57th writing credit, Day's 63rd writing credit, and Howerton's 45th writing credit. [1]
The episode features guest appearances by Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, both playing themselves, with their roles revealed in the trailer for the season. [2] [3] The episode also features an appearance by Gritty, the official mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers, which was teased by Rob McElhenney in February 2023. [4] [5]
In its original American broadcast, "Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab" was seen by an estimated 0.268 million household viewers and gained a 0.13 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.13 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [6] This was a 30% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.205 million viewers with a 0.09 in the 18-49 demographics. [7]
"Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Ray Flook of Bleeding Cool gave the episode a 8 out of 10 rating and wrote, "For some background, McElhenney, Howerton & Day have teamed up in real life on Four Walls Whiskey, and Cranston & Paul really are the ones behind the mezcal. That means we have McElhenney, Howerton, Day, Cranston & Paul going the self-deprecating meta route to have some twisting the knife on celebrities who slap their names on a bottle, and suddenly they're in the alcohol business. It's a satire... that's also an ad... that was also a deeper examination of just how intoxicating fame and the power to influence others with it can be. And once again, Always Sunny proves that you can go deep without sacrificing the laughs – and being twistedly brilliant while sticking the landing." [8]
Jerrica Tisdale of Telltale TV gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 rating and wrote, "Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul take this episode near 4.5-star land, but if grading it overall, it loses some points because the gang’s storylines just don't deliver as much sharp comedy, or even extremely silly comedy, as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is capable of." [9] Dianna Shen of Primetimer wrote, "Cranston and Paul's presence add a delightful layer of chaos into the mix. It might not be Breaking Bad (or even Malcolm in the Middle !), but it's always fun seeing outsiders interact with the gang." [10]
Rendy Jones of Paste praised Cranston and Paul, writing, "As expected, Paul and Cranston are in on the fun and provide delightful performances worthy of a 'Best Guest Star in a Comedy Series' Emmy. Not to give too much of that episode away, but the starring duo cook up a fun fictional dynamic that fits the series' demented nature." [11] Ross Bonaime of Collider considered the episode as "very much like old school It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at its finest." [12]
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed with Glenn Howerton for FX. It premiered on August 4, 2005, and was moved to FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Charlie Day, Howerton, McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito. The series follows the exploits of "The Gang", a group of narcissistic and sociopathic friends who run the Irish dive bar Paddy's Pub in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but spend most of their free time drinking, scheming, arguing amongst themselves, and plotting elaborate cons against others, and at times each other, for personal benefit, financial gain, revenge, or simply due to boredom or inebriation.
Charles Peckham Day is an American actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Charlie Kelly on the FX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present), which he co-created with Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton, and of which he is also a writer and an executive producer. In 2011, he was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award and a Satellite Award for the role. He subsequently co-created the Fox sitcom The Cool Kids (2018–2019) with Paul Fruchbom and the Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest (2020–present) with Rob McElhenney and Megan Ganz, and continues to executive-produce the latter.
Robert McElhenney III is an American actor, writer, producer, podcaster and businessman. He is best known for his role as Ronald "Mac" McDonald on the FX/FXX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present), a show he co-created with Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton and on which he continues to serve as an executive producer and writer. He is also known for playing Ian Grimm on the Apple TV+ comedy series Mythic Quest (2020–present), which he co-created with Day and Megan Ganz as executive producers.
Glenn Franklin Howerton III is an American actor, writer, producer and podcaster. He is best known for playing Dennis Reynolds on the long-running sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present) on FX/FXX, a series he developed with creator Rob McElhenney, and on which he serves as an executive producer and writer. Since November 2021, he has co-hosted The Always Sunny Podcast with his fellow co-creators McElhenney and Charlie Day.
The first season of the American comedy television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. The season contains 7 episodes and concluded airing on September 15, 2005.
The second season of the American comedy television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FX on June 29, 2006. The season contains 10 episodes and concluded airing on August 17, 2006.
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 series' aspect ratio was changed from 4:3 to 16:9.
Megan Ann Ganz is an American comedy writer, podcaster, and former associate editor of The Onion. She has been a writer and executive producer on the FXX series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia since 2017. She previously wrote for the NBC series Community for three years from 2010 to 2013, and left to write for Modern Family from 2013 to 2015, where she won an Emmy. She also wrote for the Fox comedy series The Last Man on Earth, and co-created the Apple TV+ comedy series Mythic Quest alongside Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day.
"The Nightman Cometh" is the thirteenth and final episode of the fourth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 45th overall episode of the series and was written by co-creators Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob McElhenney and directed by Matt Shakman. It originally aired on FX on November 20, 2008.
The ninth season of the American comedy television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on the new channel FXX on September 4, 2013. The season consists of 10 episodes, and concluded airing on November 6, 2013. The ninth season was released on DVD in region 1 on September 2, 2014.
The tenth season of the American comedy television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FXX on January 14, 2015. The season consists of 10 episodes and concluded on March 18, 2015. The tenth season was released on DVD in region 1 on January 5, 2016.
"Charlie Work" is the fourth episode of the tenth season of the American television sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, written by Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and series creator Rob McElhenney, and directed by Matt Shakman, and airing on FXX on February 4, 2015. Featuring an uninterrupted ten-minute long shot, the episode garnered critical acclaim from critics and fans and is considered one of the best episodes of the show. Contrary to popular belief, the episode is not a tribute to Birdman, which had not come out when the episode was written and being shot, but rather "Who Goes There", the fourth episode of the first season of True Detective, which featured a similar seven-minute long shot.
"2020: A Year In Review" is the first episode of the fifteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 155th overall episode of the series and was written by series developers, executive producers and lead actors Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton and directed by Todd Biermann. It originally aired on FXX on December 1, 2021, airing back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7".
"The Gang Goes to Ireland" is the fifth episode of the fifteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 159th overall episode of the series and was written by main cast members Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton and directed by executive producer Megan Ganz. It originally aired on FXX on December 15, 2021, airing back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "The Gang's Still in Ireland".
"The Gang's Still in Ireland" is the sixth episode of the fifteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 160th overall episode of the series and was written by main cast members Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton and directed by executive producer Megan Ganz. It originally aired on FXX on December 15, 2021, airing back-to-back with the previous episode, "The Gang Goes to Ireland".
The sixteenth season of the American comedy television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FXX on June 7 and concluded on July 19, 2023, consisting of eight episodes. This season has first on demand availability on FXNOW and next day availability on Hulu.
"The Gang Inflates" is the first episode of the sixteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 163rd overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Nina Pedrad and directed by co-executive producer Heath Cullens. It originally aired on FXX on June 7, 2023, airing back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "Frank Shoots Every Member of the Gang".
"The Gang Gets Cursed" is the third episode of the sixteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 165th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer David Hornsby and directed by Richie Keen. It originally aired on FXX on June 14, 2023.
"Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day" is the eighth episode and season finale of the sixteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 170th overall episode of the series and was written by associate producer Ross Maloney, and directed by co-executive producer Heath Cullens. It originally aired on FXX on July 19, 2023.
"The Gang Goes Bowling" is the seventh episode of the sixteenth season of the American sitcom television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It is the 169th overall episode of the series and was written by series creators and main actors Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton, and directed by executive producer Megan Ganz. It originally aired on FXX on July 12, 2023.