What happens when you mix a 4th-grade classroom, a reality dating show, and a sketchy bar in Philly? I’m honestly not sure, but I can tell you that all of these things are featured in the 17th season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. You read that correctly, Always Sunny has hit season 17, which is impressive enough. But when you consider the fact that it’s been on the air for 20 years and somehow continues to get further unhinged? You should be more impressed.
The show that everyone loves to watch at the end of a truly ratchet night, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia follows the lives of five sociopaths who run a bar in Philadelphia. Charlie, Mac, Dennis, Dee, and Frank—who is played by Danny DeVito, official national treasure. The premise hasn’t changed much in the 20 years the cameras have been rolling, and that’s the beauty of the thing. It’s chaos that’s aged like a fine wine, but fair warning: you don’t want the wine at this pub. Promise.
It’s rare for a show to hit the 20-year mark and still be going strong—doubly so when the show is built around chaos. Always Sunny is only just now hitting season 17 despite being in production for 20 years, because when things are that deranged, sometimes they need more time. The cast and production team film when they feel like it (which is very Frank Reynolds coded), and Danny DeVito and Charlie Day continue to act like chaotic roommates in real life. Yes, even during Zoom interviews.
In season 17 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the gang gets a little wild with crossover episodes. Abbott Elementary got a visit from the gang when they decided it was time to mess up a Philly public school, which is par for the course behavior with this group. No morals were learned, and the chaos was the real star. There was also a… Golden Bachelor spoof? Idk, Frank’s on a dating show, and it’s… unpleasant. Hilarious! But unpleasant. There are also at least two additional guest appearances in the 17th season, with both Jesse Palmer and Carol Kane popping in to see what’s up. There is not a single episode in the latest season that doesn’t sound like your favorite uncle got drunk and tried to be funny, but that’s the weird beauty of the whole thing.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia isn’t just a show, it’s a 20-year-long inside joke between chosen family members. Day and DeVito have a very close real-life friendship (seriously, they finish each other’s sentences sometimes), and McElhenney actually changed his legal name to “Rob Mac” and everyone just kind of… went with it. The chemistry between the cast members is the secret sauce that holds the whole thing together. The gang is horrible onscreen, but they make a point of having each other’s back as soon as the cameras stop rolling.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia may not be old enough to rent a car just yet, but it’s still somehow one of the wildest things on TV. So no matter if you’re here for the burgers, dog track, or watching Frank debase himself on national television, welcome to Paddy’s. Here there are no morals. There’s no growth. There are only the chaos goblins, and the unhinged vibes they revel in.
