The Birdwoman of Philadelphia: The Argument for Kaitlin Olson
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is going into its 15th season…and still no props for Sweet Dee and The Gang.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is going into its 15th season…and still no props for Sweet Dee and The Gang.
Thankfully, there another season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on deck. The ridiculous, selfish, and intellectually stunted mayhem from The Gang (Mac, Charlie, Dennis, Frank, and Sweet Dee) at Paddy’s Pub is a much-needed reprieve from the modern mayhem we find ourselves in.
Now, you may not know that IASIP, now at 14 seasons, is one of the longest-running scripted shows in history. There are a host of reasons for this:
the writing is always great
the situations are always insane
the performances are always on point
the show is great
If you’ve never seen it, what are you waiting for? Take the selfishness of the Seinfeld characters and combine it with the absurdity of Family Guy and shoot it through the lens of director Bobcat Goldthwait and you’ll get a rough idea.
If you have seen the show, you have to wonder why it’s been overlooked by the Hollywood awards mafioso for all these years. The only thing I can come up with is that the subject matter of the show is … well, it’s just not for everyone.
Now maybe I can forgive the awards diss on the directing and writing because the show isn’t for everybody, but the acting? That’s just inexcusable. Rob McElhenney (Mac), Glenn Howerton (Dennis), Charlie Day (Charlie) and Danny DeVito (Frank) are great (as are all the ancillary characters).
Despite the shows two Peoples Choice Awards (Favorite Cable TV Comedy), it’s shameful, pathetic and just plain criminal how the show is consistently overlooked by the awards cognoscenti.
For the guys, okay, maybe…it’s a pretty competitive playing field. However, Olson is the only main female character and she crushes every scene she’s in…in every episode.
Kaitlin Olson’s Dee Reynolds is a direct descendant of comedic bellwether’s Lucille Ball and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Tonally, the characters for which the three are best known — Lucy, Elaine, and Dee — are wildly different. But, all three are the stitching that holds the fabric of their respective shows together.
And Dee, like Lucy and Elaine before her, is not a fish out of the water — Sweet Dee is of the water. She’s unafraid to play by the same rules the boys play by. And in the right hands, and when the stars align, that makes for great (and historical) comedy.
The downside to playing such an iconic role, like Dee Reynolds, is that it can stymie an actor. Is Kaitlin Olson a good actor? Obviously. The level of consistency that she rises to on IASIP is not without great talent.
And it’s not like there haven’t been attempts at giving Olson her own vehicle, like the two seasons of The Mick on Fox or the upcoming Flipped for upstart Quibi. She can carry a show, but for some reason, The Mick never quite found its audience. As flawed as The Mick may have been, it wasn’t a result of Olson.
Here’s hoping Flipped finds another home for the uber-talented actor.
Hollywood is littered with talented people who were unable to find success after playing similar iconic roles. But there are plenty of actors who did. Kaitlin Olson is one of those actors.
In every performance, she is as close to comedic perfection as you can get. I’m just not exactly sure what it would take for her to get her the recognition she deserves.
Let’s get with it Emmy/Golden Globe!
A show like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia proves that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts but it’s only because the parts (Frank, Mac, Charlie, Dennis, Dee, the waitress, rickety cricket, the McPoyles, Artemis, Charlie’s Mom, Mrs. MacDonald, etc.) are so damn good.
Kaitlin Olson’s Sweet Dee and her ability to stand out in a pool of talent that deep is no easy task.
It’s high time Kaitlin Olson gets the recognition she deserves.