Who is Frank Reynolds in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

Show

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Played by

Danny DeVito

First episode

“Charlie Gets Crippled”Season 2, Episode 1, aired June 29, 2006

Role

Main cast

Network

FX

Occupation

Majority owner of Paddy's Pub, ex-businessman

Show run

2005 to presentMoved from FX to FXX in 2013.

Also known as

Franklin Reynolds, Trash Man, Dr. Mantis Toboggan

Frank Reynolds arrives in season two as a wealthy businessman who abandons his marriage and his manners to join his grown children's gang at Paddy's Pub. Played by Danny DeVito, he is the group's money, its eldest member, and usually the one pushing a bad plan even further.

On It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Frank Reynolds's story runs through Charlie Kelly (Roommate), Dennis Reynolds (Legal Son), Dee Reynolds (Legal Daughter), Mac (Adopted Son), and The Waitress (Fling).

Who is Frank Reynolds?

Frank is the legal father of twins Dennis and Dee, though not their biological one. When he first appears he is a buttoned-up executive in the middle of a divorce from their mother, Barbara. Fed up with the life he has, he decides to give away his money, spend time with his kids, and find out what living without rules feels like.

He soon buys a majority stake in Paddy's Pub and moves into Charlie's grim apartment, where the two share a fold-out bed. Frank keeps plenty of money stashed away, but he prefers to live in squalor, eat out of cans, and treat the gang's schemes as his entertainment.

Personality and comedy

Frank is the show's id with a checkbook. He gambles on anything, is rarely without a loaded revolver, owns a toe knife, and has a history of shady businesses that includes running sweatshops in Vietnam. He calls himself fringe class and seems to enjoy each new low more than the last.

What makes Frank funny is how gleefully he commits. While the younger members of the gang worry about how they look, Frank will strip down, forage naked in the sewer, or eat garbage without a second thought. Underneath it there is a strange tenderness for Charlie, the one person Frank seems to genuinely love.

Key storylines

In "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad" Frank learns that the twins are not biologically his, which sets off a rivalry with their real father, Bruce Mathis. Over the years he decides to marry a woman from his seedy nightlife in "Frank's Pretty Woman," falls out a window and wakes up convinced it is 2006, and announces his retirement, handing the bar's money decisions to the gang with disastrous results.

For much of the series the show teases that Frank could be Charlie's father, since he once dated Charlie's mother, Bonnie. Season fifteen finally settles it when Charlie meets his real father in Ireland. Frank also legally adopts Mac in "The Gang Goes on Family Fight" so the team can qualify for a game show, and the season seventeen finale makes him the star of a Golden Bachelor finale.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Frank did not exist in the first season. After season one drew small ratings, FX asked the creators to add a recognizable name to help promote the show, and Danny DeVito joined for season two. His arrival is often credited with helping the series survive and find a bigger audience.

DeVito has played Frank for two decades, and the role brought the veteran star a whole new generation of fans. Clips of Frank, from his rants to his alter ego Dr. Mantis Toboggan, are among the most shared moments from the show.

Frank Reynolds: frequently asked questions

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