Philadelphia, 90210

Granted, the gang from It's Always Sunny doesn't exactly have all the sparkle and drama that the gang that hung around the Peach Pit did, but once you peel back the superficial layers and make some minor adjustments in perspective, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia might just be the rightful East Coast successor to Beverly Hills, 90210.

Let's look at a few examples: Both 90210 and It's Always Sunny are topical; both shows have covered alcoholism, drug addiction, crime, and issues with not seeing eye-to-eye with one's parents. Yes, of course Dennis and Dee got addicted to crack sort of by accident, but the same could be said for Kelly's dark journey into cocaine addiction on Beverly Hills, 90210. On both shows, no one intended to end up needing to go to rehab; it just sort of happened. The differences are simply tonal.

Need more? Fancy cars? 90210 had them in spades, yes, but on It's Always Sunny, they only need Dennis's Land Rover (because no one's taking Dee's car anywhere). Philadelphia is a far less car-centric city anyway, but when the Paddy's gang needs a primary vehicle, they tend to prefer luxury. Romantic exploits? Sure you could have the whole cast quivering with sexual tension all the time like they did on Beverly Hills, 90210, or you could learn about the D.E.N.N.I.S. System and get pointers on how to write a musical for the woman you love in the hours that you're not stalking her. Think about how life would have been different for Brandon, Dylan, and even Steve if they had had a field-tested system for dealing with the ladies or sang about Nightman.

How about parental involvement? Here, clearly It's Always Sunny wins. While Jim and Cindy Walsh offered guidance during high school, they faded into the background when the kids went off to college in season five of 90210. At the advent of season five of It's Always Sunny, Frank Reynolds is still going strong with the gang. And heck, how more involved can a parent be when your son's friend tries to bang you for revenge?

Still not convinced? Let's look at the nature of friendship on these two shows. While highly attractive, motivated, somewhat successful people, the gang on Beverly Hills, 90210 had a lot of trouble expanding their social circle in meaningful ways. Outsiders often came into the group, but more often than not, they were plot devices used to introduce new topics, stir up trouble, and serve as romantic interests. At the end of the day, the gang hanging around the Peach Pit was an exclusive unit, even when it appeared that they didn't like each other very much. The same can be said for the gang at Paddy's Pub. While they've made friends with each other, they don't necessarily play well with others. If they did, they might not have been taken hostage by the McPoyles and Rickety Cricket might still be a priest.