Influencer
Always Sunny Podcast: The Funniest Podcast On The Internet? Here’s What You Need To Know
The Always Sunny Podcast is a look back on the past fifteen seasons of the hit show, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, hosted by Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, and Rob McElhenney with writer Megan Ganz.
The podcast first aired on November 9th 2021, with the hilarious trinity rewatching each season of the sitcom, reliving their memories from the filming time, their first encounters, and just about everything else that crossed their minds at the moment.
The conversation frequently veers off topic and occasionally includes prospective episode ideas in between technical information and humorous memories.
And in the midst of all this, they highlight how they were able to forge a relationship that has lasted for more than two decades.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’, debuted on FX Networks in 2013 (now telecast on FXX) and has managed to become the longest-running show on either network’s schedule.
The series, which will soon enter its 16th season, has gained immense popularity among viewers, and one of the important factors for the surge in demand is the Always Sunny Podcast.
Popularity and Reach of the Podcast
As per Spin “The Always Sunny Podcast” has impressive analytics that place it in the top 1% of all podcasts, with an average of 2 million viewers/listeners across Spotify, YouTube, and Simplecast.
The ‘Always Sunny Podcast” has 478K subscribers on Youtube, 296K followers on Instagram and 278.8K followers on TikTok.
Our calculations indicate that the podcast receives a minimum of 4,50,000 views and a maximum of 1,800,000 listens and views per episode on average.
In total, the podcast has 47,849,053 listens and views. (source)
As of January 2023, the Always sunny podcast was ranked 11th on Apple Podcasts.
The popularity of the show can be attributed to the fact that its content instantly engages its listeners and also provides rib-cracking humorous relief.
The sheer corpus of memories the long-time buddies have made with each other over the years and the total absence of concern over how they appear to the audience results in the weaving of a seamless conversation that effortlessly hooks the audience.
In addition to this, the completely nonchalant, composed, down-to-earth aura of the podcast makes the audience live the entire spectrum of emotions people experience through the show.
The creators behind the podcast
Glenn, Charlie, and Rob are the hosts as well as the creators of the podcast.
Charlie Day grew up in Rhode Island, and this is where Day sculpted within himself the comic and the musician we all know and love him for.
Day has also starred in animated and live-action movies like Horrible Bosses, Pacific Rim, and The Lego Movie.
You will often find him enjoying a round of Golf when he isn’t entertaining the masses.
Glenn Howerton grew up in an Air Force family and thus spent most of his childhood traveling before settling in Alabama with his family.
Glenn graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Juilliard School New York.
He has also starred, That 80’s Show before becoming the charm of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
Rob McElhenney was born and raised in Philadelphia, the very town where it is always sunny! He can be considered the promoter of the series and the podcast, as initially both the shows were his ideas.
The trio has remained intact, overcoming ups and downs over 16 years. And viewers love their authenticity, their simple yet real conversations amid their narration of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”.
Themes and Topics Covered
Every new episode begins with discussions on some scenes or incidents from the original sitcom they are reviewing, with a mention of the podcast title.
(However, it is seldom the case that the podcast follows the direction the viewer may expect from the title.)
From here, it is all factual recounts, celebrity gossip and some minutes of good and valuable talks.
In the 49-minute episode, “Rob Almost Fights Some Guy Outside a Hamburger Store,” McElhenney talks about a heated exchange he once got into with a stranger outside an In-N-Out Burger.
McElhenney asks Day and Howerton for their feedback on how he handled the incident and revealed how he doubted himself when confronting a stranger in front of his kids, fearing that this would put the kids in danger.
This starts a wonderful discussion about parenting, toxic masculinity, and how challenging it can be to know when to speak up and keep quiet.
“Underage Drinking: A National Concern”, a 29 minute podcast was one of those episodes where, in addition to learning a lot about Day, Howerton, and McElhenney’s personal lives, we also discovered some hot and interesting facts about the entire series.
People adore the episode because, in it, it is difficult to tell the actors’ personas apart from their real selves.
Another great episode on the podcast and one of our favorites “Everybody Browns Out”, demonstrates the podcast’s prowess.
Apart from being an episode that takes the audience’s breath away with laughter alone, it also illustrates how being honest about one’s insecurities can allow others to feel safe in their vulnerability.
The episode involves the trio, along with Megan Ganz – (the writer and the executive producer on the sitcom and one of the co-hosts on the podcast); and Kaitlin Olson – (one of the co-stars on the sitcom and wife to Rob McElhenney) taking shots of liquor next to a fireplace.
At one moment, McElhenney claims to be the closest one to Ganz, jokingly telling Howerton that it is due to his sociopathy that he needs to keep her at arm’s length.
To this, Howerton gives a quick and earnest reply that what appears as sociopathy is merely the memory of the childhood spent growing up in an Air Force family where one had to move around a lot and keep oneself safe considering threats even from the near and dear ones.
In support of Howerton, Charlie Day shares that
“Comedy specifically helps us process our wounds.
Like, we all are wounded people. We want to feel infallible, we want to feel great, but we’re wounded.
We have our childhood insecurities and they create these wounds.” (source)
On the other hand, Kaitlin discusses how she gradually and profoundly came to the realization that being funny had less to do with appearance and more to do with one’s dedication to the role.
Such conversations are hard to find in average day-to-day real life communication and even in fictional series and shows that can create a safe space for unbridled expression of emotions.
Reception and Conclusion
Whether the entire narration of the podcast is related to the show or not, it is amusing and engaging.
And the podcast’s real magic lies in portraying how people try to cope up with significant and complex issues through a satirical interpretation of a traditional sitcom.
The podcast does not always have a happy ending to these real life problems. In fact, many episodes end with the characters describing just how unsolvable the current problems genuinely are.
The three hosts are a wonderful fit for the podcast and provide nearly flawless entertainment, sometimes arguing, pushing, and bolstering, and also fantastically offsetting each other.
Although it’s not always sunny, it is true and honest, which makes it attractive.
Tune in to find fresh new episodes of “The always sunny podcast” every monday on Spotify, Youtube, Apple, and Google.
You can find more updates and snippets of the hosts’ lives on Instagram as well.For information on other popular podcasts, check out our page here.
