| Deandra "Dee" Reynolds | |
|---|---|
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia character | |
| First appearance | "The Gang Gets Racist" (2005) |
| Created by | Charlie Day Glenn Howerton Rob McElhenney |
| Portrayed by | Kaitlin Olson |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Susie |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Bartender at Paddy's Pub |
| Family | Bruce Mathis (biological father) Barbara Reynolds (mother) Dennis Reynolds (twin brother) Frank Reynolds (legal father) Heinrich "Pop-Pop" Landgraf (maternal grandfather) Gail the Snail (cousin) |
| Alma Mater | Tufts University |
Deandra "Dee" Reynolds (known as Sweet Dee) is a fictional character and one of the five main characters on the American sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Portrayed by Kaitlin Olson, the character debuted in the pilot episode, The Gang Gets Racist. Dee is a bartender at Paddy's Pub alongside Mac and Charlie, the fraternal twin sister of Dennis, and supposed daughter of Frank. Together, the group are often collectively known as the "Gang".
Throughout the series, Dee is often the "punching bag" of the group, and referred to as a "bird". She is equally cruel as the rest of the gang, although initially was more of a level-headed character.
Creation and development
The character of Sweet Dee was created as the "straight man" of the group, being a more level-headed presence to the gang's shenanigans. Dee was initially portrayed by Jordan Reid in the pilot episode, who was the current girlfriend of Rob McElhenney, one of the show's main stars and creators. Due to the pair breaking up, Reid was no longer set to portray Dee in the now greenlit show.[1][2]
Olson was brought on to the show, but she only accepted the role after discussing with McElhenney that the character could evolve to be funnier as the show progressed.[3][4] Kristen Wiig also auditioned for the role.[5]
Character development
Background
Deandra and her twin brother Dennis Reynolds were born to Barbara Reynolds and led a rich, entitled life believing Frank Reynolds was their father. The actual father of the twins was revealed to be philanthropist Bruce Mathis.[6] Dee often faced abuse from her mother, causing her to resent her later in life.[7]
During school, Dee wore a back brace due to her scoliosis and was often teased for the fact, being known as the Aluminium Monster. She attended physical therapy, where she met Matthew Mara, the man known to the gang as Rickety Cricket. She was initially a sweet, good-natured person, but an accident shown in the episode "The Gang Buys a Roller Rink" made her the crude, morally bankrupt person shown in the show.[8][9] Dee and Dennis both pursued psychology majors at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dee aspired to be an actress and comedian, but has no real creative talent or strange presence, often resorting to racist stereotypes and having negative reactions to being on stage, including dry heaving.[10]
During the series
Dee is a bartender at Paddy's Pub, alongside the rest of the gang. She is often the punching bag of the group, often referred to as a "bird" due to her supposedly unattractive, bird-like features.[11]
She finds out throughout the series that her grandfather was a Nazi officer[12], and that her real father is Bruce Mathis[6]. Barbara Reynolds dies in season three and leaves Dee nothing, while leaving Dennis her home and the majority of her wealth.[13]
She often manipulates Matthew Mara, whose unrelenting crush on Dee causes him to leave the priesthood, a choice which would later leave him homeless, destitute, and in poor physical health.[9]
Reception
The character of Dee Reynolds has been positively received, with Olson's comedic timing and performance considered a high point of the series.[14][15][16]
Certain episodes with the character donning blackface have proved controversial.[17]
References
- McCormick, Colin; Pitman, Robert. "Why Always Sunny's Original Dee Actress Was Replaced After The Pilot". screenrant.com. Screen Rant. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- Spencer, Ashley. "It's Always Sunny With Rob McElhenney". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- Schneider, Michael. "Why 'It's Always Sunny' for Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson: A Power Couple Who Juggle Four Hit TV Shows, a Winning Soccer Team and Ryan Reynolds". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
Instead of the rude, deliciously inappropriate character she was excited to play, that early version of Dee was more of a nag — while the three guys got to do all the fun, offensive stuff.
- Silman, Anna. "Kaitlin Olson Never Wanted to Be Just the 'Girl Character". thecut.com. The Cut. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- "Here's why you should be watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". digitalspy.com. Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
The cast was then rounded out by Olson – winning the role over a then-relatively unknown Kristen Wiig.
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 2.10 "Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad"
- Beard, Mike. "The Sad Truth About Sweet Dee From It's Always Sunny". looper.com. Looper. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- Goodwillie, Ian. "It's Always Sunny: Sweet Dee's Origin Involves a Traumatic Injury". cbr.com. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- Jessey, Ben. "It's Always Sunny: 10 Worst Things Dee Has Done". screenrant.com. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- Pitman, Robert. "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Must Fix Its Dee Problem In Season 16". screenrant.com. Screen Rant. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- Avina, Alyssa. "It's Always Sunny: 10 Worst Things The Gang Did To Dee". screenrant.com. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 1.6 "The Gang Finds a Dead Guy"
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 3.3 "Dennis and Dee's Mom Is Dead"
- Starner, Nina. "It's time to accept that Kaitlin Olson is the funniest of them all in 'It's Always Sunny'". inquirer.com. Inquirer. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- Shaw, Paxton. "Dee Reynolds' 10 Funniest Quotes from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". movieweb.com. MovieWeb. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- Hathaway, Ben. "The 10 Best Sweet Dee Episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". comicbook.com. Comicbook.com. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- Edwards, Chris. "Netflix removes It's Always Sunny episode over blackface scenes". digitalspy.com. Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
'Dee Reynolds: Shaping America's Youth' is no longer available.
Category:American female characters in sitcoms Category:Female characters in television Category:Fictional bartenders Category:Fictional characters from Philadelphia Category:Fictional twins Category:Television characters introduced in 1990