17th Season Of 'Always Sunny In Philadelphia' Premieres In July With Another 'Abbott Elementary' Crossover, Deals With The Saudis & More Dementia

(Deadline) - “They’ll “exploit cross-network promotion to increase market share; they’ll scapegoat one of their own to avoid a PR backlash; they’ll risk everything for a handshake with the Saudis; they’ll bend the laws with side hustles to pad their pockets; and they’ll change everything about themselves to appeal to a broader audience.

And sure, like any corporate goon, the Gang craves money and parasitic social privileges. That’s been plain since 2005. But they’re also human beings. They crave love.. respect… conditional freedom… constant adulation… histrionic amounts of attention… non-stop gratification… and unfiltered, slaphappy eroticism. In Season 17, they’ll chase down them all.”

The Gang is back on July 9th and sounds like it'll be another great dose of dark demented humor. Plus plenty of inner strife, endless yelling, and absolutely no character growth!

When it's boiled down like that I'm sure non-Sunny fans wonder how the hell this show made it to 17(!) seasons but it's hard to deny their brilliance with longevity like that. They became the longest running sitcom in history back in 2021 so now they're just running up the score. 

And to be pushing boundaries on TV since 2005 while somehow avoiding complete social cancellation is an accomplishment all its own. But I also give credit to Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton for evolving their writing even if their characters never evolved themselves. It's a tight rope to walk and they've done it masterfully. Not to mention the whole cast sticking around to still make new Always Sunny episodes at all. 

Mac has 'Mister Quest' & 'Welcome to Wrexham', Sweet Dee has 'Hacks' & 'High Potential', Charlie & Dennis are making movies (go watch Blackberry NOW), and Danny DeVito is fucking Danny DeVito. There is absolutely NO reason for these creators to keep coming together 20 years later just to dick around for a 22 minute niche comedy. 

Other than for love of the game. And clearly a love for each other. 

It's hard to find consistently authentic vibes like that in life, let alone Hollywood, so major salute to The Gang for sticking together and giving the world some laughs. It's too bad their podcast isn't going anymore because that was some incredible #content whether you're a Sunny fan or not. Incredible conversationalists. 

Also crazy seeing the Sunny Coaching Tree both for actors & directors, like Matt Shakman who directed 40+ episodes and now has the new 'Fantastic 4' coming out this summer. Or Randall Einhorn who came from early days of 'The Office' and currently doing 'Abbott Elementary'. Super interesting dude who fucking made his dreams HAPPEN, all while coloring outside the lines. 

I could keep glazing these guys for hours but mainly just wanted to show non-Sunny fans there's more than meets the eye to this show. If you give it a shot there's a good chance it'll become your new comfort watch immediately. 

Their twisted chemistry is so good I watch their outtakes almost as much as reruns. 

Lemme squeeze 1 more ounce of glaze out here though… I can also confirm this cast is exactly what you'd want them to be in real life. Thanks to the boys at KFC Radio I was lucky enough to meet a few Sunny alums and it sealed the deal making me a fan/glazer 4 LIFE…

Rob came on KFC Radio in February of 2020 right before pandemic and was the coolest human on earth. An actor/writer/director who's on the longest running sitcom of ALL-TIME and owns a soccer team with Ryan Reynolds greeting random people like this? And he didn't blink when I politely asked him to cover my hand with his hands, for the website? 

LEGEND.

Danny DeVito came on KFC Radio in September 2023 and showed that same graciousness & kindness as Rob. Was surreal to be in the same room as Frank Reynolds/The Penguin/Arnold's Twin/Matilda's Dad and feel like we'd been friends for years. 

I was pretty nervous to ask him if he'd hold an egg with me, like this is Hollywood royalty who's played infinitely iconic characters. I would have totally understood if Danny said uhhh that's not my thing pal. But folks when I opened up that bodega container and said "Mr. DeVito would you mind taking a picture with me? And can I offer you an egg in this trying time?" his face lit up with a giant beaming smile and said "…EGG!"

You can tell how professional he is simply from the egg hold alone. I'm barely showing off the egg like an amateur meanwhile he's got perfect framing to camera. Just a fucking awesome dude with stories for DAYS. 

And then December 2024 Jugglalo/future Oscar winner Paul Walter Hauser was hanging in our lobby after KFC Radio. I told him I've required myself to get pictures with any Sunny alums that roll through if he had a pose in mind. He ended up chatting with me & Feits for 15 minutes about making Sunny, working with Tim Robinson (fuck YOU Jamie Taco), playing Chris Farley soon AND being in the Fantastic 4. 

All while Paul is currently doing pro wrestling on the side just for fun? He's another guy I'll glaze & root 4 LIFE after experiencing how genuine of a human he is. And that's the running theme with 'Always Sunny In Philadelphia', it may have the worst characters in TV history but the people involved in making + watching the show are pretty goddamn great. 

The Gang will get you through some long tough days that is for fucking sure. Plenty of time to catch up before July 9th! 

Also Kaitlin, Charlie, Glenn please come to this office for S17 promo. I need to complete my Infinity Gang Gauntlet.