“It was a way to see them in a completely recognizable way but also lean into the ridiculous, so we dyed all their hair that crazy blonde and we started to really get into that realm of seeing them in different landscapes in scenarios where you still know the character so well,” Gibbons said. “But you’re like, ‘If I was at a medieval fair, which person would be the jester?’ You start playing with those characters and start having fun.”
Seasons 9, 10 and 11
In Seasons 9 and 10, Always Sunny brought parody to sincerity.
Season 9 emulated Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, showcasing “gravitas and cinematic art direction” along with “a ridiculous element that acted as the mitigating factor” in the form of a banana, Gibbons explained. Meanwhile, Season 10 parodied glam rock bands, who likely thought their looks were just fine… in the ’80s.
“In retrospect, you’re like, ‘Holy crap. How did they walk out of the house and not crumble under the shame?’” Gibbons said.
The Children of the Corn-like poster for Season 11 also played off the Always Sunny color palette and foreshadowed the now-iconic Season 11 episode Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs.
“I would venture to guess that it would be just as frightening if all the people from Sunny just moved into your town as your neighbors as it would be with the [Children of the Corn] kids,” Gibbons said.
Season 12
