Milk. Lukewarm, slightly curdled, and served in a glass that probably hasn't been washed since the Reagan administration. That is the calling card of Liam McPoyle. For most actors, playing a character who wears a sweat-stained bathrobe and obsesses over "pure" bloodlines would be a career-ender. For Jimmi Simpson Always Sunny was the ultimate playground. It’s been decades since we first saw those uncomfortably wet nips, yet the legend of the McPoyles remains the gold standard for recurring sitcom weirdness.
Honestly, it’s hard to reconcile the Jimmi Simpson we see now—the sleek, Emmy-nominated star of Westworld and Pachinko—with the man who once licked his own brother’s hand to assert dominance. But that’s the magic of it. Simpson didn't just play a guest role; he built a sub-culture.
The Milk-Drunk Origin of Liam McPoyle
How do you even audition for a role like this? You don’t. You just show up and be weird. Simpson was already friends with the show’s creators, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Rob McElhenney. Back in the early 2000s, they were just a bunch of guys making a pilot on a shoestring budget. When the role of Liam McPoyle came up in Season 1, Episode 7 ("Charlie Got Molested"), nobody knew it would become a multi-decade saga.
Liam was supposed to be a one-off creep. Instead, he became a catalyst for some of the show's most legendary chaos.
Think about the first time we see him. He's standing in a dimly lit apartment, clutching a glass of milk like it’s a fine scotch. There's a specific, unsettling energy Simpson brings to the screen. It’s not just "funny weird." It’s "I might actually be in danger" weird. He has this way of whispering his lines—a low, raspy mumble—that suddenly explodes into a high-pitched scream.
"YOU WILL CALL HER!"
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That line wasn't just a bit; it was a cultural shift for the show. It proved that Always Sunny could go darker and stranger than any other sitcom on TV.
Why the McPoyles Worked (and Why They Disappeared)
The McPoyles—Liam, Ryan, and the mute, uni-browed Margaret—functioned as a dark mirror to the Gang. While Mac, Dennis, Dee, Charlie, and Frank are selfish and toxic, the McPoyles are intensely loyal. To a fault. To an incestuous, "keep the bloodline pure for a thousand years" fault.
The Dynamic of the Duo
The chemistry between Jimmi Simpson and Nate Mooney (who plays Ryan) is a masterclass in physical comedy. They move in sync. They sweat in sync. In the episode "The Gang Gets Held Hostage," they managed to turn a bottle episode into a Die Hard parody that felt genuinely claustrophobic. Simpson’s performance in that episode is peak Liam. He’s lording over the Gang, demanding they "bump it," while Ryan just stares blankly at the wall.
It’s iconic.
But then, Jimmi Simpson got famous. Like, really famous.
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Between 2013 and 2023, Simpson was busy with House of Cards, Westworld, and Black Mirror. He wasn't just "that guy from Sunny" anymore. He was a prestige TV heavyweight. Because of his schedule, the McPoyles largely vanished from Paddy’s Pub. The show tried to fill the void with other creeps like Pappy McPoyle (played by Guillermo del Toro, because why not?), but it wasn't the same. Fans felt the absence.
The Eye, the Wedding, and the 2023 Return
The last time we saw Liam in the "prime" era was during the disastrous wedding to Maureen Ponderosa. It was a bloodbath. Or a milk-bath. By the end of it, a bird (Royal) had pecked out Liam's eye.
For years, the "Eye Patch Liam" era was a fever dream. Then, 2023 happened. Season 16 brought the McPoyles back in "The Gang Goes Bowling." Seeing Simpson back in that environment felt like a homecoming. He didn't lose a step. Even with the prosthetic eye—which he claims he lost because of Bill Ponderosa spiking the milk with bath salts—he was as twitchy and terrifying as ever.
Real Talk: The "Milk at the Bar" Problem
One of the funniest, yet slightly tragic, side effects of Simpson’s success is his real-life relationship with dairy. In multiple interviews, including a notable chat on the Always Sunny podcast, Simpson revealed that fans constantly send him glasses of milk at bars.
Imagine you're out at a nice lounge in LA, trying to enjoy a cocktail, and a waiter brings over a glass of 2% milk from "the guy in the corner." It’s a testament to how deeply he inhabited the role. People don't see Jimmi Simpson; they see a man who probably hasn't showered since 2005.
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Breaking Down the McPoyle Legacy
If you’re looking to revisit the best of Jimmi Simpson Always Sunny performances, you have to hit these specific episodes:
- Charlie Got Molested (S1, E7): The debut. The foundation of the creepiness.
- The Gang Gets Held Hostage (S3, E4): This is the definitive McPoyle episode. The "wet nips" and the roof standoff are mandatory viewing.
- The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre (S8, E3): A horror-comedy masterpiece where the incestuous lore hits its peak.
- The Gang Squashes Their Beefs (S9, E10): Liam trying to act "normal" is somehow scarier than him being a psycho.
- The Gang Goes Bowling (S16, E7): The triumphant return of the eye patch.
Simpson’s ability to play Liam with such conviction is actually what makes his other roles work so well. If you can convince an audience you're a milk-chugging degenerate who lives in a trailer with 30 relatives, you can convince them you're a billionaire tech mogul or a tragic scientist.
What’s Next for the McPoyle Bloodline?
Is Liam done? Probably not. The beauty of Always Sunny is that it’s essentially the Law & Order of comedy; it will likely run until the sun actually burns out. Rob McElhenney has always left the door open for Simpson to return whenever his schedule allows.
The McPoyles represent the "old" Sunny—the gritty, low-budget version of the show that wasn't afraid to be truly repellent. Every time Simpson pops up, he brings that energy back. He reminds the Gang (and the audience) that as bad as Paddy's Pub gets, there's always something weirder waiting in the vents.
If you want to dive deeper into the McPoyle lore, start by re-watching the "The Gang Gets Held Hostage." Pay close attention to Simpson's physical choices—the way he stands, the way he holds the "rubber" gun, and that weird, percussive tongue-clicking thing he does. It’s a masterclass in character acting that often gets overlooked because it's so gross.
Keep an eye out for any news on Season 17 production schedules. With Simpson's recent projects like Dark Matter wrapping up, there's a high probability we’ll see another "peace treaty" or perhaps a lawsuit involving a missing eye in the near future. Until then, maybe just stick to drinking beer when you're at the bar. For Jimmi's sake.
Actionable Insight: If you're a creator or actor, study Simpson's Liam McPoyle for "Specific Character Choices." He took a role that was written as a generic weirdo and added sensory details—the sweat, the whisper-to-scream vocal range, the "limp" fist bump—to make it unforgettable. Detail is the difference between a background extra and a legend.