The Verdict
Should a Latter-day Saint Watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?
Case No. 2005-IASIP | Docket of the First Quorum of Televised Discernment
I. The Question Before Us
We are gathered today, brothers and sisters — and also those of you who found this page through a Reddit thread — to consider a question of no small spiritual gravity:
Is it possible, in good conscience, for a faithful Latter-day Saint to watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia — a show featuring five morally bankrupt individuals who spend fifteen-plus seasons drinking, scheming, and committing what can only be described as a comprehensive catalog of poor choices?
This is not a trivial matter. We are stewards of what enters our minds. We are taught to seek after things that are "virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy" (Articles of Faith 1:13). The Gang from Paddy's Pub is, by any objective measure, none of these things.
And yet. Here we are. Some of us have already watched six seasons. The question before this court is not merely academic.
We hold this question seriously. We have reviewed the evidence. We have prayed about it — at least metaphorically, in the sense that we have thought very hard while sitting quietly. We are prepared to rule.
II. Findings of Fact
The following content facts about the program are entered into the record and are not in dispute:
- Language: Profanity is frequent, varied, and occasionally creative. The show uses strong language in essentially every episode. This court does not intend to reproduce examples here.
- Alcohol & Substances: The Gang drinks constantly. Charlie huffs paint and glue with a regularity that is played for laughs but is, on reflection, genuinely alarming. Beer is practically a main character.
- Sexual Content: There is significant discussion of, reference to, and occasional depiction of sexual behavior of many varieties. The show does not treat these matters with the dignity the Law of Chastity would suggest.
- Violence: Mostly comedic and consequence-light, though some episodes push further. Characters regularly harm each other and themselves. It is rarely depicted realistically, which is perhaps its own concern.
- Religious Sensitivity: God, faith, and organized religion are treated without particular reverence. The show is not overtly anti-religious so much as it is thoroughly secular. The Gang has no concept of the divine whatsoever.
- Moral Themes: Dishonesty, manipulation, selfishness, and pride are the defining traits of every main character. Repentance does not appear to be on anyone's horizon.
- Redemption Arc: There is not one. At least not yet. Fifteen seasons in, the Gang remains deeply, stubbornly, almost heroically unreformed.
- Comedic Quality: This court acknowledges, with some reluctance, that the show is genuinely funny. This fact complicates the proceedings considerably.
These facts are not presented to condemn but to inform. A Saint should always know what they are walking into. See also: The Survival Guide.
III. The Majority Opinion
Having reviewed the findings of fact, this court arrives at the following ruling: Yes. A thoughtful, mature Latter-day Saint may, in good conscience, watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia — provided they do so with intention, discernment, and a willingness to reflect on what they are watching and why.
The majority rests this opinion on a foundational distinction that has too often been lost in our cultural conversations about media: art that depicts sin is not the same as art that celebrates sin.
The scriptures themselves — the very texts we hold sacred — contain murder, adultery, betrayal, deception, and spectacular moral failure. Alma the Younger was not a pleasant young man. Korihor was given a platform for several chapters. David's sin with Bathsheba is not glossed over. We do not consider the inclusion of these things in scripture to be an endorsement of them. We understand that depicting darkness can illuminate light.
Always Sunny is not scripture. This court wishes to be very clear on that point.
But the show operates on a principle that is, in its own profane way, theologically coherent: the Gang is never rewarded for their wickedness. They scheme and they fail. They lie and they suffer. They hurt people and are, in turn, lonely and broken and unable to form meaningful relationships. Every season leaves them essentially worse off, more isolated, more trapped in the consequences of who they have chosen to be.
That is not glorification. That is something closer to a morality play — albeit one that opens with Dennis explaining a scheme to defraud the city of Philadelphia.
The majority holds that discerning viewers — those who have read their theological grounding and understand what they are looking for — can find genuine value in watching people suffer the natural consequences of a life lived without the Gospel. As a teaching tool, the Gang is almost unparalleled. They are a roadmap of exactly where selfishness leads.
We encourage viewers to know their own spiritual constitution. Some nights you are not in a place to laugh at moral catastrophe, and that is wisdom, not weakness. But for those who can hold it with some distance and a fair bit of humor, the show is not spiritually corrosive. It is spiritually instructive — if you are paying attention.
Ruling: Permissible, with discernment. Proceed thoughtfully.
IV. The Dissent
With respect to my colleagues in the majority, I must dissent.
The majority's reasoning is sound as far as it goes, and I do not question the good faith behind it. But I believe it underweights a simple truth: a faithful member's time and spiritual energy are finite, and there are better uses of both.
We can acknowledge that the show does not celebrate sin while also acknowledging that spending hours immersed in it — the language, the imagery, the relentless selfishness presented as entertainment — leaves a residue. We would not say a person was harmed by spending that same time in the scriptures, in service, in strengthening family relationships. The opportunity cost of this show is not zero.
The dissent does not believe that members who watch Always Sunny are wicked or spiritually compromised. The dissent simply believes that the majority is working very hard to justify something that is, at its core, a lot of content that doesn't build us up. The "natural consequences" argument is true, but we do not need fifteen seasons to understand that selfishness leads to loneliness. Section 1 of the Doctrine and Covenants covers it more efficiently.
The dissent also notes, gently, that the show is very funny, which makes it more dangerous to the undiscerning, not less. Humor lowers our defenses. That which makes us laugh has more access to our hearts than that which merely argues.
The dissent would rule: time better spent elsewhere. This view is presented fairly, because it is fair.
V. The Concurrence
I concur with the majority's ruling and write separately only to add one practical note that I feel the majority has not sufficiently emphasized:
Do not binge this show on Fast Sunday.
You have been fasting since Saturday night. You have attended a deeply spiritual Sacrament meeting. You are in a tender state, open and seeking. This is not the moment to watch five episodes of Dennis explaining the D.E.N.N.I.S. System while Charlie eats cat food.
The concurrence finds that the show, enjoyed in measured doses during regular weekday evenings with a full stomach and a settled spirit, is basically fine. The same content, consumed in a vulnerable or spiritually depleted state, is likely to land differently. Know thyself. Know thy season of life. Know that there is a time and a season for all things, and the season for Always Sunny is probably a Wednesday at 9 PM, not the Sabbath day or the morning before temple attendance.
The concurrence otherwise joins the majority in full. Proceed. But maybe not today.
VI. Final Ruling
Summary of the Ruling
- ✅ Permissible for mature, grounded, thoughtful viewers
- ✅ The show's treatment of sin is instructive, not celebratory
- ✅ Significant comedic and cultural merit acknowledged
- ⚠️ Content is genuinely heavy — know your limits
- ⚠️ Not recommended for spiritual tender moments or Fast Sundays
- ⚠️ Bingeing is inadvisable — pace yourself
- ❌ Not a substitute for scripture. Obviously.
For further guidance, see: A Guide to the Characters, The Episode Guide, and The Survival Guide for the Latter-day Viewer.
VII. Closing Testimony
I want to close with something sincere, if you'll allow it.
I believe that difficult art can be spiritually valuable — not because difficulty is good in itself, but because it is honest about the human condition, and the Gospel is addressed to that same condition. We were not sent here to live inside a beautiful story where no one struggles. We were sent here precisely because we would struggle, and because we would need to choose, again and again, who we wanted to become.
The Gang is a mirror. Not a flattering one. But a mirror. And sometimes, watching people make every wrong turn with inexhaustible creative energy, we recognize something — a temptation we've indulged, a selfishness we've excused, a friendship we've taken for granted — and we feel, just briefly, the gentle pressure of the Spirit saying: you can do better than this. You are meant to do better than this.
That, brothers and sisters, is not nothing. That is art doing what art is supposed to do. And I believe that a God who created human beings with the capacity for tragedy and comedy alike is not offended by our honest engagement with both.
Watch it wisely. Feel what you feel. Come home to the light.
These things I say in the name of good television and personal discernment. Amen.