Last Updated: April 28, 2020
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 14 presented another round of chaos, romance, and hard drinking, and fans are already looking forward to season 15 of the long-running FXX sitcom. Created by Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton, the series kicked off in 2005 and has steadily acquired a loyal fanbase.
Starring McElhenney and Howerton alongside series regulars Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia follows the owners and proprietors of South Philly dive bar Paddy’s Pub. All varying degrees of pathetic, sociopathic and morally depraved, the gang spend very little time actually running their bar, and a great deal of time getting into various antics, schemes, and rivalries.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has seen a decline in ratings over recent years, with season 14 averaging a 0.17 in the 18-49 demographic, but is still FXX’s highest-rated scripted series (above Archer, which was renewed for season 11 earlier this year). Here’s what we know so far about It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 15.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 15 Hasn’t Been Greenlit (Yet)
Seasons 13 and 14 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia were greenlit at the same time, but FX has yet to give the show the go-ahead for season 15. Indeed, the season 14 finale, “Waiting For Big Mo,” featured some none-too-subtle meta-musing about whether or not it’s time for the gang to say goodbye. However, the ending of that episode suggested that the gang isn’t going anywhere just yet. In January 2020, FX executives confirmed that active talks were taking place about season 15, and that they hoped the show would continue. For his part, Rob McElhenny said just a few weeks later that he and the rest of the cast wanted to keep the show going “forever.” If and when the Coronavirus-imposed shutdown of Hollywood ends, it seems likely It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 15 will be announced officially.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 15 Release Date
At this point, a 2020 premiere for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 15 seems highly improbable. McElhenny has said each season of the show takes about five months to produce, and it’s already spring 2020. Assuming season 15 is greenlit and begins filming by at least sometime this summer, it’s feasible that the new episodes could debut sometime in January or February 2021. However, new seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia often premiere in the fall, so they may wait until later in 2021 to launch.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 15 Story Details
The season 14 finale of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “Waiting For Big Mo,” was a spin on Samuel Beckett’s existentialist play Waiting For Godot. In it, the gang continue a long-running tradition of playing laser tag and reflect on how winning the game is pointless if they’re not having fun. It seems like they’re ready to finally hang up their guns and retire… only for the legendary Big Mo (a small child who is good at laser tag) to show up at their base and get viciously ambushed by the gang, who declare triumphantly that they are never going to leave.
Since It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is about a group of underachievers who hate leaving their comfort zone, the gang’s overall story has progressed very little in the 15 years since the show debuted. Mac came out as gay, Dennis revealed that he has a secret family, and their old friend Rickety Cricket has deteriorated considerably, but otherwise the status quo of the five friends hanging out in the bar waiting for the next scheme to come along has remained much the same. Hopefully future episodes will bring back more recurring characters like Artemis, Gail the Snail, and the McPoyle clan – but as always with the Paddy’s gang, we never know exactly what to expect.
