The show features a core cast of five characters and a recurring cast of colorful side characters, including the Waitress, Cricket, the McPoyles, the Ponderosas, the Lawyer and various family members like Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Mac and Uncle Jack Kelly, who cross paths and interact with the gang in increasingly unhinged ways as the show progresses.
Main •
Charlie Day as
Charlie Kelly, co-owner and janitor of Paddy's Pub. Charlie is a childhood friend of Mac, and high school friend of Dennis and Dee. He lives in squalor with Frank, as his roommate and pseudo-father, in a run-down, vermin-infested apartment, where they share a bed. Charlie has deep-seated psychological problems, partly due to frequent substance abuse, and partly due to his complicated family background, possibly involving child abuse. He has an extensive history of
pica and regularly eats various items not meant for human consumption, such as cat food, stickers, paint, and crow eggs. Due to his general stupidity, ignorance of social norms and illiteracy, Charlie is generally regarded as the stupidest member of the gang. Despite this, Charlie can innately read
Irish Gaelic, is a naturally gifted musician, a self-proclaimed expert in "bird law" and possibly the only competent worker at Paddy's, besides Dennis, with his knack for unorthodox maintenance practices ("
Charlie Work"). He also has an unhealthy obsession with "
The Waitress", a recurring character who he stalks and harasses. •
Glenn Howerton as
Dennis Reynolds, co-owner and the main bartender of Paddy's Pub, in addition to being Dee's twin brother and Frank's son. Seemingly the most intelligent and normal of the three co-owners, Dennis is slowly revealed to be the most narcissistic and sociopathic of the gang. Dennis is extremely insecure, self-centered and vain and overly concerned with the people around him buying into an image of him as intelligent, cultured, attractive and of high status and class. At his most delusional, he refers to himself as a "Golden God" and flies into fits of rage when he fears he is being disrespected. Dennis' vanity is partly fed by his roommate and best friend Mac, who is in love with him, and is hinted to be a result of his mother preferring him to his twin sister Dee. Dennis' predatory nature is often depicted through numerous schemes to seduce women, typically much younger than him. It is strongly hinted at times that Dennis may secretly be a
serial killer, though this remains ambiguous as a running gag. In season 10, Dennis is diagnosed with
borderline personality disorder, though it is not clear if the diagnosis was definitive, according to the actor. In the season 12 finale, Dennis reveals to the rest of the gang that he has an infant son, and moves to North Dakota to raise him. He inexplicably returns to Philadelphia in season 13, seeming to have abandoned his son. In later seasons, Dennis becomes preoccupied with his age and loss of general fitness and attractiveness, something the rest of the gang is aware of and very much use to hurt him. •
Rob Mac as
Ronald "Mac" McDonald, co-owner and self-proclaimed "head of security" of Paddy's Pub. Mac is Charlie's childhood friend and Dennis's high school friend. The son of a convicted felon who has been in prison for much of Mac's life, he frequently attempts to demonstrate his toughness and refers to himself as the "sheriff of Paddy's". Deeply insecure about his masculinity and homosexuality, Mac constantly seeks the approval of those around him, especially his absent father, his apathetic mother, and his self-absorbed roommate Dennis. He has extreme bouts of
body dysmorphia, and has been depicted at various weights throughout the course of the series. Mac often brags about his hand-to-hand combat skills, but typically flees from physical confrontation and is usually depicted as the most cowardly of the gang. Mac is a
Roman Catholic, though he often espouses strong
Christian fundamentalist opinions, and his religion is regularly in conflict with his behavior and his homosexuality. It is insinuated for years that Mac is gay and harbors feelings for his best friend Dennis, though he remains in denial, much to the gang's annoyance, until he
comes out in season 12. •
Kaitlin Olson as
Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds, waitress and sometimes bartender at Paddy's Pub, as well as Dennis's twin sister and Frank's daughter. Though initially depicted as the gang's "voice of reason" in a couple of episodes in the debut season, Dee quickly loses any sense of moral fortitude that she once had, and is shown to be just as prejudiced and depraved as her male colleagues by the end of season 1. Dee is frequently the subject of the gang's casual misogyny, leading to nicknames like "bird" and "bitch", leading to her resenting them and plotting against them and others whom she deems more successful than herself. Like her brother, Dee too is deeply insecure, though unlike him, she was a disappointment to her parents and a social outcast since high school as a result of her back brace; so she craves approval from Dennis and Frank in any way. Though often the butt of the gang's jokes, she nevertheless stays involved with them because of her desperate need for attention. Unlike the men, Dee lives alone and does not hold any ownership stake in the bar – perhaps due to the gang's various prejudices against her — but also in part due to her desire to become a professional actress/comedian (an ambition she consistently fails to achieve because of her debilitating stage fright and her lack of any talent). Dennis and Dee are frequently shown to be two sides of the same coin, with later episodes depicting Dee engaging in predatory behavior towards young men. •
Danny DeVito as
Frank Reynolds (season 2–present), the legal father of Dennis and Dee Reynolds, and the majority owner of Paddy's Pub soon after his introduction onwards. Frank is a multi-millionaire who often funds and enables the gang's worst schemes and impulses, just to feel a sense of youthfulness and energy. He was once a successful businessman with a long history of illegal operations, including running sweatshops in Vietnam, and dealings with sordid characters, but chooses to abandon that life and redeem himself after leaving his "whore wife", Barbara Reynolds. He has since embraced his "feral" nature and describes himself as "fringe class". Despite his substantial financial resources, he chooses to share a decrepit one-bedroom apartment with Charlie, where they sleep together on a pullout couch and have a surprisingly affectionate pseudo-father/son relationship. The two have similar interests, such as playing Night Crawlers, collecting trash, boiling denim, eating garbage and foraging naked in the sewers for rings and coins. Frank often arms himself with at least one loaded handgun – usually a snub nose revolver – and does not hesitate to brandish or even discharge one when provoked, and has been known to snort cocaine as part of his daily routine. Whenever the gang gets into trouble, Frank is happy to embrace his status as a multi-millionaire and bail them out, ensuring they never need to go to prison. ==Production==