It’s Always Sunny renewed for season 15…here’s why!

FXX gives greenlight to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 15.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 15 is slated to officially surpass ABC’s The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet as the longest-running live-action sitcom on American television. The renewal news comes from TVLine.

Created by Rob McElhenney, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito, as a group of misanthropic pub owners in Philadelphia.

This news comes after McElhenney assured fans the series would not be sidelined by his other project, Apple TV’s Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, which itself has been renewed for a second season.  Still, 2 seasons isn’t quite the same as 15.  Why has this other show been so successful?

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 15:  What makes it different

In 2019, the BBC‘s Hannah Woodhead called It’s Always Sunny “the best US sitcom,” noting that it “unapologetically skewers hot-button subjects most shows dance around.”   It’s hard to argue otherwise.

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Though the series was on the brink of cancellation after season 1, Danny DeVito’s star power helped it stay alive. However, it’s continued growth should never be attributed to DeVito alone. All of the cast’s characters have become iconic over the years, and their odd personality flaws and hangups seem to be an endless well if convoluted possibilities.

More broadly, the show’s insistence on rarely playing it safe has paid huge dividends.

Frankly, It’s Always Sunny is not for the faint of heart, nor for the faint of mind. If you cannot grasp consistently dark, misanthropic humor, this show will not be for you.

Although other shows (like Comedy central’s South Park) also have dark themes throughout, this sitcom has unique situations often stemming more directly from its character’s beliefs/misunderstandings.  As they continually spin out of control, they rarely redeem themselves.

How it has stayed relevant

Want a good example of how the show works? There’s one episode that’s blatantly relevant right now: Season 9’s “The Gang Gets Quarantined.” In it, the gang learns of the heavy-duty flu going around and Frank (DeVito) tells everyone they had better quarantine.

Basically, the gang gets in over its head. Mac and Charlie (Day) end up getting their quarantine suits compromised. Dennis (Howerton) demonstrates his ego by insisting he cannot get as sick as the others. Dee (Olson) ends up eating and hiding pizza, which reflects how people under quarantine may resort to comforting themselves with junk food.

Frank has the biggest transformation, though, as he becomes increasingly paranoid of germs, to the point where he starts wanting to “purify” everything with hand sanitizer — ultimately revealing his primary concern for his own safety.

Some season 15 news

On that note, here’s an additional bit of interesting news: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 15 will apparently involve at least one episode about the coronavirus/COVID-19, according to a recent interview of McElhenney by IGN.

In that same interview, he is asked how much longer the show could last. His response: “How many years do I have on this planet? I’ll do it forever.”

While we don’t yet know when production will begin (due to this pesky pandemic), it’s nevertheless comforting to know that dark comedy still has a place in this world. Could we really look at the world accurately through any other lens?

For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.

What are your thoughts on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 15? Let us know in the comments!