For over fifteen seasons, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has followed the depraved antics of “The Gang,” a group of pure sociopaths whose lack of morality or understanding of the consequences of their actions is the engine of the show’s dark humor. While the five main characters — Mac, Dennis, Dee, Charlie, and Frank — are the core of Paddy’s Pub, the series’ brilliance lies in its unhinged recurring characters. These poor souls, frequently corrupted, exploited, or simply unfortunate enough to cross paths with the main cast, typically end up as tragic, hilarious disasters.
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From minor antagonists to occasional allies and long-suffering victims, these ten characters have elevated the chaos surrounding The Gang and cemented themselves as essential parts of the show’s legacy, proving that in Paddy’s Pub, misery truly loves company.
10) The Lawyer
The long-suffering legal counsel only appears when they have managed to find themselves in the deepest possible trouble, which is quite often, or when he actively seeks out and defends clients whom the Gang has wronged. His appearances typically involve him reacting with barely concealed fury and exasperation to their latest absurd and self-sabotaging scheme, usually somehow finding himself in the crosshairs.
He is the straight man in a courtroom of clowns, a constant professional who is clearly tormented by his responsibility to defend some of the most indefensible people in the city. As of the most recent season, the Lawyer lost an eye and was badly burned by scorching hot oil that Charlie used to fry food in the back of a moving ambulance.
9) Bill Ponderosa
Bill, Dee’s teenage crush turned on and off again fling, is a man whose life was pretty awful to begin with. He constantly cheated on his wife, did drugs (most frequently with Frank), and generally has zero shame. While Dee remembers him as a handsome teenage dreamboat, she finds that he is not even close to that man anymore, yet still engages in an affair with him.
His arc is one of the darkest and most hilarious examples of the show’s effect on outsiders. One episode focuses on how Bill plans to drink himself to death in Paddy’s, but the Gang couldn’t care less. He now serves as a cautionary tale and a willing party in the most degrading schemes, possibly reaching the same lows as Charlie, Mac, Dennis, Dee, and Frank.
8) Maureen Ponderosa
When Dennis decides he should be married by his age, he seeks out his former high school girlfriend, Maureen Ponderosa. The two tie the knot that very same day, with Maureen moving into Dennis and Mac’s apartment (but forcing Mac to leave). It’s only after the shotgun marriage that Dennis realizes just how odd she is and how her “dead tooth” seems to haunt him. Maureen’s slow and bizarre transformation into a cat is one of the most memorable recurring gags. She progressively changes, first through multiple cosmetic surgeries and then to identifying as a cat—a change that ultimately leads to her “accidental” and darkly hilarious death caused by running around rooftops (though everyone knows Dennis pushed her to her death).
Her constant attempts to torment Dennis, which usually involve her demanding alimony or embarrassing him with her increasingly strange lifestyle, always bring out his controlling, psychopathic tendencies. Even after her death, she wanted her ashes left to Dennis to bury in a pet cemetery, knowing very well it was something Dennis would never agree to do.
7) Gail the Snail
Gail, aka Gail the Snail, is Dee and Dennis’s cousin, a character designed to repel and disgust both The Gang and the viewer. Her recurring appearances always involve her being wildly inappropriate, trying to be “cool” to show how mature she is, and her absolute lack of shame.
She acts as a perfect foil to the Gang, who view her with obvious disgust, despite being equally terrible themselves. When they want her to leave, they “salt the snail” by throwing handfuls of salt at her until she retreats. Her existence forces them to confront someone whom they genuinely consider more disgusting and desperate than they are, which is no small comedic feat.
6) The Waitress
The Waitress is Charlie’s obsession and the object of his non-stop, intense stalking (something he considers to be a perfectly normal way to ensure her days go smoothly). She is in a constant cycle of misfortune, losing more than one job thanks to the Gang’s interference. Dee considers The Waitress to be her ultimate enemy, frequently forcing The Waitress to fall off the wagon and back into the depths of alcohol and drug abuse.
Her character is a painful, though darkly comedic, window into the cruelty of the main cast, as they constantly ruin her relationships, career, and mental stability. The worst part about it is that none of them register the fact that they are actively ruining her life with each encounter. Her rare moments of success or happiness are inevitably and swiftly ruined by something Charlie cooks up.
5) Artemis Dubois
Artemis is Dee’s slightly more stable, though still completely kooky, acting friend. She is a powerhouse of chaotic energy, known for her flamboyant delivery, uninhibited sexual appetites, and creativity with a Wendy’s hamburger bun. But what sets Artemis apart from the other recurring characters is that she is the only one who is unaffected by the Gang’s general depravity. In fact, she often acts as a voice of reason (although “reason” is a relative term when it comes to the crew at Paddy’s Pub), and is fiercely confident.
She is a welcome addition to any scene and typically dominates it with whatever antics she’s currently up to, whether it’s creating a character in the middle of a bowling tournament or poisoning a plane full of women. Artemis is an unpredictable wildcard—a perfect match for Frank—who is sometimes an ally and sometimes an adversary to The Gang. Her commitment to performing and her various odd jobs add a strange, theatrical flair to the world of the show.
4) Liam & Ryan McPoyle
Liam and Ryan McPoyle are outright disgusting. The brothers are the pale, unsettling leaders of the McPoyle family, a clan known for their incestuous behavior, milk addiction, and bizarre, longstanding vendettas against The Gang. Liam is the slightly more menacing leader, while Ryan is his equally creepy, silent accomplice.
Every time they show up, they genuinely make your skin crawl with their appearance and actions. The McPoyles are hilarious frenemies, perpetually demanding justice for various slights—such as poisoning the milk at Liam and Maureen Ponderosa’s wedding or shooting their would-be football star cousin in the leg. These beefs usually end in a kidnapping, hostage situation, or a trial.
3) Mrs. Mac
Mac’s mother, known only as “Mrs. Mac,” is a perpetually chain-smoking woman who speaks mostly in guttural grunts, disdainful sighs, and occasional coughs. Her silence and clear disappointment in her son and his friends is often louder and funnier than any dialogue could be, especially since Mac consistently tries to convince everyone how much she loves him.
Unlike Frank or Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Mac represents a more passive form of neglectful parenthood, offering Mac nothing but cold indifference and serving as a mirror of Mac’s own arrested development and lack of emotional (and general) intelligence. Her relationship with Bonnie Kelly (Charlie’s mom) provides some of the most memorable scenes, as the two become unwilling roommates.
2) Cricket
Rickety Cricket, whose real name is Matthew Mara, is without a doubt the most tragic and extreme example of a character whose life was totally upended by crossing paths with Dee and the rest of the Gang. Originally a well-meaning priest harboring, Dee exploits the knowledge that Cricket had a longtime crush on her, dangling her affection over his head to get what she (or the rest of the Gang) wants. After his first encounter with Dee, he leaves the priesthood to be with her, as she promised, only for her to rebuke him and completely ignore how she and the guys set Cricket on a slow and terrible descent into a homeless, substance-addicted, scarred, and constantly-injured beggar.
His desperation leads him to accept any degrading offer from the Gang, such as eating lemons or emceeing a strip show hosted at the pub. They constantly use him for their own sick entertainment, showing their utter lack of empathy. His relentless misfortune which is glaringly worse each time he appears on screen is a core running gag of the series’ dark, cynical comedic worldview.
1. Rum Ham
This is a literal ham soaked in rum that Frank brought on a trip to the Jersey Shore as a way to sneak alcohol onto the beach for him and Mac. Mac and Frank form a strange bond with the Rum Ham as if it is one of their human friends.
The first Rum Ham’s shocking fate, being thrown overboard in a moment of panic, is treated with the same emotional weight as a true loss, with Frank screaming, “Rum Ham! I’m sorry!” Luckily, after a party boat full of guidos rescues Frank and Mac from the middle of the ocean, they also fish out the Rum Ham, much to Frank and Mac’s joy. Rum Ham is a perfect example of the absurd humor that makes It’s Always Sunny so memorable.
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