Danny DeVito was already a legend when he crawled out of a leather couch, naked and sweating, in front of a horrified holiday party. That single image basically defines the chaotic energy of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But if you look back at the first season, before the creator of the "Toe Knife" arrived, the show was a completely different animal. It was a cult hit, sure, but it was also on the verge of cancellation. FX told the creators they needed a "name." They got a force of nature.
The transformation of Always Sunny being Frank isn't just a fun piece of TV trivia. It's a case study in how a single character can fundamentally shift the DNA of a sitcom from a grounded "jerk-com" to a surrealist masterpiece of the grotesque.
The Degeneration of Frank Reynolds
When Frank first shows up at Paddy’s Pub, he’s relatively normal. He’s wearing suits. He wants to reconnect with his kids, Dennis and Dee. He’s the "successful" guy who made a fortune in business—specifically through his company, Atwater Capital—and he seems like he’s going to be the "straight man" to the Gang’s idiocy.
That lasted about five minutes.
What makes the arc of Always Sunny being Frank so compelling is the downward trajectory. Usually, characters in sitcoms get nicer or more fluffed up as the seasons go on. Not Frank. He didn't just join the Gang; he out-degenerated them. He abandoned the corporate world to live in squalor with Charlie Kelly. He started sharing a bed with a grown man, eating cat food to fall asleep, and using a trash can as a bathroom. It’s glorious. Honestly, the show stopped being about four people trying to get rich and started being about how much of a "fringe class" person a multi-millionaire could become.
DeVito has gone on record, including in interviews with Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter, saying he wanted to go as far as possible. He didn't want to be the "dad" figure. He wanted to be the catalyst for the absolute worst impulses of the human psyche.
Why the Dynamic Shifted the Show's Longevity
Without Frank, the show dies in 2006.
The chemistry between Charlie Day and Danny DeVito is arguably the greatest comedic pairing of the 21st century. They are "The Gruesome Twosome." This isn't just funny; it’s structural. By pairing the oldest character with the most illiterate, childlike character, the show unlocked a specific type of logic that allows for plots like "Who Pooped the Bed?" or hunting for bridge coins.
Think about the "Nightman Cometh." Frank plays the troll. It’s a small role, but his presence gives the play a weight of actual insanity. You’ve got a man who could be on a yacht in the Mediterranean, but instead, he’s painted yellow, trapped in a hole, and arguing about the "troll toll." That commitment to the bit is why Always Sunny being Frank works so well. He isn't just a guest star. He’s the engine.
The Business of Being Frank
Let's talk about the money. Frank Reynolds is the "money man" for the Gang, which is a brilliant writing device. How does a failing Irish bar in South Philly afford to buy a boat, or go to the Jersey Shore, or stage a full-scale wrestling match for the troops?
Frank.
His wealth—and his complete disregard for how he spends it—acts as a "get out of jail free" card for the writers. It bypasses the boring realism of financial constraints. If the Gang needs to buy a crack rock to get on welfare, Frank has the cash. If they need to start a shell company like "Wolf Cola" to launder money or "fight" a PR nightmare, Frank’s business background (and his shady past with "The Warthog") provides the backdrop.
The Cultural Impact of the Warthog
The internet loves Frank Reynolds. You see him in every meme. You see him "offering an egg in this trying time." You see him saying, "So anyway, I started blasting."
Why?
Because Frank represents the unfiltered, id-driven version of ourselves. He’s the billionaire who chooses to be trash. In a world where everyone is trying to curate a perfect online persona, Always Sunny being Frank is the ultimate antithesis. He’s honest about his depravity. He likes rum ham. He likes bangin' hores. He likes being "pure," which in his mind involves shaving his entire body and sliding around a floor covered in hand sanitizer.
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It’s a specific type of satire that targets the greed of the 80s (Frank’s backstory) and the aimlessness of the modern era. When he says, "I don't know how many years on this Earth I got left. I'm gonna get real weird with it," he's giving the audience a manifesto. It’s weirdly aspirational, in a very dark, Philadelphia-trash sort of way.
Addressing the "Jump the Shark" Concerns
Some critics felt that as the show entered its later seasons—like season 13 and 14—the "Frank-ness" got too extreme. There’s a valid argument there. When a character becomes a caricature of themselves, you lose the stakes.
However, Always Sunny manages to avoid this by grounding Frank in moments of genuine pathos. Look at the episode "Mac Finds His Pride." Frank spends the whole episode not "getting" it. He’s frustrated, he’s confused, and he’s being his usual abrasive self. But when he finally sees Mac dance, the look on Frank’s face—one of genuine, tearful understanding—reminds us that he is a human being under all that grime. That’s the nuance DeVito brings. He isn't just a cartoon. He’s a broken man who found a family in a group of sociopaths.
How to Appreciate the Frank Era
If you're rewatching the series, or if you're a newcomer wondering why people make such a big deal about a 70-something-year-old man in a "Man-Cheetah" costume, pay attention to the silence.
DeVito’s physical comedy is top-tier. It’s the way he eats a sandwich. It’s the way he struggles to get out of a car. It’s the "donkey brained" certificate.
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Next Steps for the Superfan:
- Watch "Reynolds vs. Reynolds: The Cereal Defense" (Season 8, Episode 10): This is the peak of Frank's integration into the Gang’s legalistic insanity. Watch how he navigates the "donkey brains" argument.
- Analyze the "Wolf Cola" Arc: See how the show uses Frank’s corporate past to satirize actual global tragedies and PR crises. It’s some of the sharpest writing in the series.
- The "Being Frank" Episode (Season 11, Episode 6): This is a literal POV episode. You see the world through his eyes. It’s disorienting, loud, and filled with a constant internal monologue about food and survival. It explains everything you need to know about his psyche.
Frank Reynolds didn't just join It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He completed it. He took a show that was a witty comedy about bad people and turned it into an institution of American satire. He is the Warthog, the Trashman, and the Dr. Mantis Toboggan we didn't know we needed.