Although this third season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia isn’t quite as good as the previous volume, there’s plenty of bad behavior and craziness to go around.

Paddy’s Pub regulars Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), Mac (Kaitlin Olson), Charlie (Charlie Day), and Frank (Danny DeVito) all return along with some recurring characters like Charlie’s waitress (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), the McPoyles (Jimmi Simpson, Nate Mooney), Charlie’s Mom (Lynne Marie Stewart), Mac’s tranny girlfriend (Brittany Daniel) and father (Gregory Scott Cummins) and Rickety Cricket (David Hornsby).  New characters include an entire clan of McPoyles, Dee’s old high school friend Fatty McGoo (Judy Greer), and Charlie’s 12 year-old Asian fiance (Tania Gunadi).

The bad behavior and even worse choices are back as the gang gets on the bad side of the mob in “The Gang Gets Whacked,” play cops and vigilantes in “Bums: Making a Mess All Over the City,” and deal with the troubling fact that “Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender."

Perhaps the best episode of this season involves “Sweet Dee’s Dating a Retarded Person” where Dee begins dating an upcoming rapper that may, or may not, be retarded.  Unbelievably wrong?  In so many ways, but also damn funny!

As was the case with the first volume (read that review) once again the commentary tracks for selected episodes don’t add much to the experience.  The set also includes some featurettes, all of them tongue-in-cheek.  “Sunny Side Up Volume 2” goes into Season Three, the writing team, and the series choice of former teen actors (Fred Savage, Jerry Levine) who worked as directors for episodes this season.  It’s extremely short, but does have some moments (although the homo-erotic wrestling scenes inter-cut throughout aren’t nearly as funny or clever as they were intended to be).  Also included are a featurette on the McPoyles, a Dancing Guy compilation, a gag reel, and tv spots from this season.  It’s an okay inclusion of extras, but none of them are going to make you pick up the set on their own.

Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) are nerds.  The pair’s apartment is filled with all range of comic, fantasy and sci-fi merchandise.  They work as physicists and spend their spare time with fellow geeks Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard (Simon Helberg) in a variety of activities guaranteed to keep the ladies in galaxies far, far away.  Their universe is changed by the arrival of a beautiful new neighbor, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), to whom Leonard instantly develops a crush.

Their universe, much to Sheldon’s dismay, is changed by Penny’s arrival, but whether anything romantic will develop between Leonard and Penny will have to wait until season two.

The Big Bang Theory has a strong cast and many of the best scenes allow the foursome of geeks to interact together and Penny to play the straight man.  One of the best choices is to allow the Sheldon character to be extremely self-centered, yet still remain likable.  Sheldon’s logic, selfishness, and social retardation provide many opportunities for comedy.

There are also some nice themes interwoven into the plot for science geeks (my favorite is Sheldon’s choice for a Halloween costume).  There are also numerous comic and pop culture references including a disturbing physics problem from Superman, and Sheldon easily dismissing the ridiculous premise of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

The pilot is a bit shaky (although most pilots are), but the show slowly finds the right contrast and humor.  My favorite episodes from this first season include Leonard’s confusing logic over Penny’s reaction to his dating Leslie (Sarah Gilbert) in “The Hamburger Postulate,” how Howard’s new relationship develops “The Dumpling Pardox” (including Penny kicking some serious ass at Halo 3), how a simple lie spirals completely out of Leonard’s control in “The Loobenfeld Decay,” and the physic bowl challenge from “The Bat Jar Conjecture."

All 17 episodes from the strike shortened first season are collected here on three discs.  Sadly there’s not much in the way of extras.  We do get a short promotional featurette on the third disc, “Quantum Mechanics of The Big Bang Theory” A Behind-the-Scenes Look into Geek Chic,” which includes interview clips from the various cast members and series creators Chuck Lorre and Bil Prady.  It’s nice, but nothing special.