When Will It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia End?
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is about to kick off its record-tying 14th season, which, to some, may seem like the end is nigh. As It's Always Sunny approaches season 14, is it also approaching its ultimate end?
Throughout its extraordinarily long tenure on FX, this little show that could (one only needs to look at the story of the original pilot to see how far it's come) has improbably surged ahead to tie with The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet for the record for longest-running, live-action sitcom of all time. Fans love it, critics love it, and it's become a subversive part of the pop culture canon since its premiere in August 2015. And according to its stars, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia isn't slowing down any time soon.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly in advance of the Always Sunny season 14 premiere (scheduled for Wednesday, September 25), cast members Rob McElhenney (who stars as Mac and created the show), Glenn Howerton (Dennis), Charlie Day (Charlie), Kaitlin Olson (Dee), and the legendary Danny DeVito (the show's patriarch, Frank), sat down to discuss the series' future. In their own words, it's pretty bright.
When asked how long they'd ideally like to continue It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a few cast members had some differing ideas, but in the end, they all seemed to be on the same page: the series will keep kicking so long as its devoted fanbase continues to tune in, and the cast and creatives are still fulfilled by working on the show.
McElhenney kicked things off by saying, "For us, we just have a short checklist: Do we still enjoy it, are we still having fun, are we still stretching ourselves creatively, and is the audience still there? It seems like all those boxes keep getting checked, so we keep coming back."
Added Day, "It's whether we can put out a good season of television. So it's always making sure everyone has the time and desire to put in the hard work we put in to make the show what we think it is."
DeVito chimed in as well, saying, "There's no rumblings about stopping. Next year we'll come back and do another season and just keep going [...] Our fanbase is growing; we have older guys, women, 11-year-old kids." He then proposed with a laugh, "If we can be like Warner Bros. cartoons, let's do it. Throw on a Looney Tunes once and a while and see what Frank and the gang are doing. Maybe we'll expand in the next couple years to some really specific special-effects things, because don't you think we should all be able to fly? No skydiving, though!"
How has It's Always Sunny kept up its streak for so long?
Throughout the years, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has relied on one very important facet that's helped it maintain its longevity: its constant drive and willingness to adapt. Though it might seem like the characters, who basically never grow or develop, live in a sort of stasis, the show itself has never been afraid to take risks.
Ever since the beginning, Sunny has tackled social issues like gun control and same-sex marriage, but recently, it's gone even further — from Mac's emotional dance performance during which he comes out to his father to a bathroom sign debate gone horribly (and hilariously) awry. In recent seasons, the show has played with its style and storylines, including a Being John Malkovich-inspired episode from Frank's point of view, an accidental Birdman homage, an '80s-style jaunt to a ski resort, and even an episode where "the Gang" seemingly all die on a cruise ship and go to hell (though they were all alive and well by the next season's premiere).
Thanks to its utter fearlessness, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is here to stay, as long as the cast remains involved and the fans remain, well, fans. McElhenney, Olson, and DeVito have shown no signs of leaving, and though Charlie Day is working on a burgeoning film career and Glenn Howerton seemed to have left the show for good to lead A.P. Bio (though he did end up returning), it definitely appears that this talented, bold cast is in Philly for the long haul.