It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiawent from the little show that could, filmed by three friends on a camcorder, to one of the longest-running and most successful comedy shows of all time. For eighteen years, andover 150 episodes, the show continues to push the boundaries of what a cable comedy series can look like. Thanks in part to brilliant writing from creators Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton, as well as all-time hilarious performances by the same trio in addition to Danny DeVito, Kaitlin Olson, and a laundry list of supporting characters throughout thesixteen (and counting) seasons.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a Sitcom and Black Comedy created by Rob McElhenney. It stars Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, Glenn Howerton, and Danny DeVito. The series follows a group of friends that own and frequent the Irish bar, Paddy’s Pub, and get into all sorts of troubling adventures.
The leading quintet of unique and over-the-top characters consist of Mac, Charlie, Dee, Frank, and Dennis, and their total lack of regard for others and deep-seated selfishness create some truly hilarious andoftentimes, controversial momentsthroughout the series. No more so than Glenn Howeron’s Dennis Reynolds, a vain, self-serving man, and possible serial killer. Listening to Howerton during interviews, and you wouldn’t believe the transformation he can make into Dennis, spewing forth some of the most intense and memorable quotes of the entire series.
Stream on Hulu
10“I have the stride of a gazelle. A beautiful gazelle person. My body is achieving perfect symmetry right now.”
Season 3, Episode 2
Self-confidence is one thing the character of Dennis Reynolds does not lack, as will be evident through several of his all-time quotes throughout this list. He thinks highly of himself in every way, shape, and form and is not afraid to remind himself or anyone else of this perceived fact. Season three ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, finds the gang trying out for a position on the Philadelphia Eagles football team, ala Mark Wahlberg in the 2006 sports drama,Invincible.
When it comes time to run actual football drills, Dennis is bursting with confidence as he begins to run his wide receiver route. Remarking internally to himself about his stride and its remarkable resemblance to a galloping gazelle. Dennis is quickly grounded back to earth when he is blindsided by a tackle, putting an end to any self-affirmation he had built up.
9“Have you ever been in a storm, Wally?”
Season 11, Episode 5
What happens when you take two city boys and transplant them into the suburbs? Mac and Dennis find themselves in that very situation in season 11, when the two of them move into a community outside the mean streets of South Philadelphia in an attempt to prove Frank and Dee wrong and win a wager along the way.
In what is an all-timeDennis-centric episode of the show, the two quickly learn that quiet living may not be for them as they fall victim to the mundane life of suburban living, including repeated interactions with a neighbor, Wally. When Dennis finally has enough of Wally’s small talk, he unleashes a thunderous threat upon Wally in a way only Dennis Reynolds can.
8“My nose was chiseled by the Gods themselves, Frank. My body was sculpted to the proportions of Michelangelo’s David.”
Season 4, Episode 3
This season four episode finds the gang in search of a model to plaster onto a billboard for Paddy’s Pub. Together, Frank, Dennis, and Charlie bring in the best-looking people in Philadelphia, but Dennis has his eyes set on the prize of being Paddy’s next top billboard model. It has already been established that Dennis is oozing with vanity, and no more so than when describing himself to Frank as having a nose chiseled by God and a body sculpted after Michelangelo’s famous work of art, David.
7“I will come down on the hospital like the hammer of Thor. The thunder of my vengeance will echo through these corridors like the gust of a thousand winds!”
Season 6, Episode 12
Dennis has had some pretty epic tirades throughout the history ofSunny, andthey range from all manner of sources. In addition to his history of diatribes, is his history of belittling and demeaning his sister, Dee. The two things converge in season six when it comes time for Dee to deliver her baby. In an attempt to get his sister the best of care at the hospital, Dennis unleashes on an unsuspecting hospital worker that he will do whatever it takes to get Dee taken care of. He pulls from Norse mythology when describing just what will happen if things do not go the way he sees fit.
6“I do not like it with the skin, Dee. I’m not allowed to eat it with the skin. I’m not allowed!”
Season 5, Episode 9
Mac and Dennis have an extremely co-dependent relationship throughout the series, and perhaps no bigger example of this is when the two “break up” in season five. During the separation, Dennis finds himself at Dee’s house looking to hang out and watch a movie, all while she and Charlie are dealing with a classic cat in the wall problem.
When it comes time for a snack, Dennis has his eyes set on an apple but only if Dee peels it for him, something he states Mac does regularly as he believes the skin to be toxic. When Dee tells him to simply eat the apple as is, Dennis emphatically declared that he is not allowed to, lending more evidence to the co-dependence he and Mac share with one another and the influence they yield.
5“I have contained my rage for as long as possible, but I shall unleash my fury upon you like the crashing of a thousand waves.”
Season 10, Episode 6
Dennis’s Range Rover is his most coveted asset, second only to his appearance. When it comes time for him to sell the vehicle in season ten, he believes he has a perfect buyer lined up in a man named Tony. Unfortunately for Tony, he reveals that the purchase is for his daughter; a nice, safe starter car.
you’re able to see Dennis’s blood boil with each word Tony utters in reference to his precious Range Rover until the golden god can take no more. This particular incident has gone down as one of the great Dennis Reynolds tirades in the series' history.
4“If you say another word I swear to god I will dice you into a million little pieces. And, put those pieces in a box. A glass box that I’ll display”.
Season 10, Episode 3
A running theme throughout the series is the potential that Dennis may be anAmerican Psycho-esque serial killer. There are several allusions to this throughout the show, including this quote from season 10, when Dennis describes exactly what he will do to Dee if she says another word. It is a hilariously dark quote that adds yet another complex layer to an already complex character.
3“Here we are in a boat, out in the middle of nowhere. Nobody would ever hear our scream in this wind.”
Season 11, Episode 9
On more than one occasion, Dennis uses situations to offer sinister insinuations to women he is seducing. The gang finds themselves on a Christina cruise liner in season 11, and Dennis finds himself interested in a young lady named Christina. Using the dark and vast ocean as a veiled threat, Dennis reminds her ever so subtly that no one can hear screams out there through the whipping wind. While creepy, Howerton’s delivery makes the quote all the funnier.
Related:BossLogic Transforms the Cast of It’s Always Sunny into The Fantastic Four
2"Tools! Tools! Duct tape, zip ties and gloves! I have to have my tools!”
Season 7, Episode 13
Season seven provides us with even more evidence of what Dennis may do in his free time. When the gang finds themselves at their high school reunion, they learn that they may not be as cool as they once thought themselves to be and have repeated embarrassing interactions with their former classmates. When it comes time for them to inflict revenge on their peers, Dennis frantically declares that he needs his tools. A set of tools that consist of duct tape, zip ties, and gloves. An unusual array of things for a simple bar owner.
Related:It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Every Major Character, Ranked by Hilarity
1“I reign supreme over everyone in this school! I’m the golden god of this place! I reign supreme!”
We stay on the high school reunion episode for the next and ultimate Dennis Reynolds quote. It is within this quote that Dennis and his vanity are on full display as he declares himself a Golden God. Someone who reigns supreme over all others around him. The quote is hilariously delivered by Howerton and shows Dennis as the truly delusional soul that he is. He is a character audiences love to hate, and he gives plenty of reasons and quotes for this.
