It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia May Have Spoiled Its Ending With One Line

Contains spoilers for "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" Season 18, Episode 2, "Dennis and Dee Don't Get Rich"

Now in its 18th season, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is by far the longest running live-action sitcom in history. However, an ending could be in the near future — as of this writing, there's been no news of a further renewal, while cast members have voiced skepticism over whether they'll get more seasons.

Series creators Charlie Day, Rob Mac, and Glenn Howerton wrote an ending back in Season 9. Fans have been divided if the show should end on either a low-key finale or the fulfillment of Frank Reynolds' (DeVito) dying wish of being thrown in the trash. Season 18, Episode 2, "Dennis and Dee Don't Get Rich," might put the kibosh on the latter. Centering on the dual funerals of Frank's fiancée Samantha (Carol Kane) and Charlie's (Day) mom Bonnie (Lynne Marie Stewart), the episode emphasizes that you can't just throw a dead body in the trash ... though you can shoot one out of a circus canon.

It also introduces the possibility of a different big death worthy of a series finale: Mac McDonald (Mac). At the end of the episode, when he asks his newly escaped-from-prison dad Luther (Gregory Scott Cummins) if they'll ever see each other again, Luther answers, "I'll probably come back to kill you someday." Ever naive, Mac assumes his dad will "come around," but what if he doesn't? "Luther Kills Mac" sure has a nice ring for a chaotic series finale.

So when exactly is Luther's "someday?" Is it far in the future to build to an ending down the line, or could it be sooner? Unlike Seasons 15-17, which had shorter runs of eight episodes each, Season 18 has 10 episodes, but it seems only eight of those episodes were sent to critics for reviews. The titles of the final two episodes have yet to be revealed, so there is indeed the chance for a potentially murderous series finale this year.

On the other hand, without an announcement of this being the final season, the crew may very well be counting on doing at least a few more years of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," so that "someday" may be saved for later. Also, Luther's "probably" gives plenty of leeway for this theory to never happen at all — or for it to come true much more loosely, the way Mac "killed" Luther by making him into a rat back in the Season 10 episode "Mac Kills His Dad." Regardless, even if the show has been spending too much time on Mac as is, in a season starting with two episodes preoccupied with death, we're increasingly on guard about how this show could end.

New episodes of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" air Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on FXX and stream on Hulu the next day.