It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the best modern sitcom! A sentiment enthusiastically shared, as it’s become, as of its fifteenth season, the longest running live-action sitcom in history. An accomplishment that’s no easy feat considering it was born from a pilot shot on less than $200 by three friends with a camcorder. With sixteen released seasons and a seventeenth currently being filmed, the show’s longevity and continued relevance in the television industry is nothing short of remarkable. It’s a testament to its unique blend of dark humour, satirical social commentary, and sharp character dynamics. The core group—Charlie (Charlie Day), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), Mac (Rob McElhenney), and Frank (Danny DeVito)—are all dysfunctional, but their collective failure to evolve has kept the show fresh. In an era where many sitcoms falter after a few seasons, It’s Always Sunny has defied expectations, even going as far as to address topics like toxic masculinity, cancel culture, and political correctness, all while maintaining the crudeness and absurdity that has become its trademark. 

Despite many fans being open and excited for a Seventeenth Season, there’s an essence of discontentment stirring within the fandom. The fears of these fans are relatable, and I say this a cult-like fan myself. There’s a nervousness that the lesser quality of these later seasons, while still being decent in their own rights, are representative of a gradual decline, akin to The Simpsons. 

As with many long-running shows, especially sit-coms, fatigue eventually sets in after a while, leading to the writers becoming more strained to think of new ideas that continue to give the characters fresh material to chew on. The risk of becoming a relic of its former self is ever-present. With each season, the show treads a thin line between nostalgia and relevance, between daring humour and outdated jokes. The fifteenth season saw the series implement a season wide arc that involved them travelling to Ireland. While I was a supporter of the season overall, it was hard to remain oblivious to other fan’s well-reasoned objections. They considered the nature of the arc to be overly high concept in nature and doesn’t provide the backbone to many good jokes, betraying the shows robust humour and character dynamics to create something uncharacteristically aimless  

Not only is there a risk of becoming a relic of its former self, but there’s also the risk of losing the unique voice it possessed. The merits of the 4:4 aspect ratio it originally utilised will be debated, but it’s undeniable that it provided the show with a unique visual style that complimented its uniquely nihilistic outlook and malicious humour. It juxtaposed other television sitcoms with its dark, grungy lighting, low-production values, and scrappy camera work. Since the show’s switch after the fifth season to a more approachable 1:85:1, the show’s lighting has become more washed out and saturated. The character that lurked within the shows shabbiness has been drowned out, making it feel simply like another sitcom.  All shows must evolve to maintain the freshness that made it so exciting in the first place, but it’s often a detriment to the original vision for the show. This voice gradually being lost due to its own longevity is heartbreaking for a fan of any show.  Always Sunny seems to be stuck in a quandary where wants to continually push the limits of its characters and its storylines, risking its hhumour in the meantime. But if it continually just plays to its strengths, it becomes routine, losing the energy that made it spark.   

But even with all the fear surrounding the ambiguity as to the quality of the upcoming season, there is always hope. Many fans considered the sixteenth season an improvement over the previous three. Learning from the mistakes made regarding the increased reliance on outlandish, experimental concept episodes that substitute the shows signature humour for loopy parody. Season sixteen was more self-contained, bringing it back to the characters and relishing in their well-defined dynamics. But even then, in my opinion, it still lacked the anarchic spirit of the early seasons. The jokes, while funny, felt more standard and it never felt like it made the most of its concepts, losing that go-for- broke attitude that made the show so good originally.  

The Seventeenth Season may well be exceptional, but I doubt many fans would lament if it was announced as the last season. It may be Sunny as usual, but I think it’s about time the weather changed. 

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