'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' writer Charlie Day hints at a 15th season for show and Glenn Howerton's possible return
Since initially airing on FX in 2005, 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' has garnered a sort of cult following and been going strong for 12 straight seasons, with a 13th and a 14th one in the works as well. It seems that the show is not going away any time soon either, with actor, producer, and writer Charlie Day telling The Wrap that he hopes it's given a record-breaking 15th season as well.
Day confirmed the upcoming two seasons and said fans should be hopeful for a 15th, hinting at a return for Glenn Howerton as well. He said: "You definitely get Season 13, which we’re making right now, and Season 14, which we’re contracted to do, and then beyond that, it’ll be up to FX."
"But I think 15 is the record for a comedy, so I imagine we’ll all want to hold the record for the longest-running comedy in America. Fifteen would be the record for the longest live-action comedy, so we’ll probably try and break that record if we can."
The series follows 'The Gang,' a group of five fictional misfit friends: twins Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and 'Sweet' Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson), their friends Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) and Ronald 'Mac' McDonald (Rob McElhenney), and Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito). At the end of season 12, Dennis left the gang to focus on fatherhood and it has been unclear whether he will be returning for subsequent seasons.
Howerton currently plays a leading role in NBC's comedy series 'A.P Bio,' which has recently been renewed for a second season, but Day insists that it will not have a bearing on him continuing to write for the black comedy series.
Asked whether his compatriot would return, he answered: "It’s top secret, I can’t say anything,” Day said. “But I can say that the fans should feel hopeful. The fans should feel hopeful that they’ll see some more Dennis … There’s been discussions."
On a similar vein, he wrote on Twitter: "Telling you whether or not Dennis is coming back would be giving away the plot of the next season. So … to clarify once and for all. I don’t know if Dennis is coming back. He left the bar. We take that plot choice seriously."
'It's Always Sunny...' was renewed for its 13th and 14th seasons in April 2016, soon after the season finale of the 12th, and is currently tied with 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet' as the longest-running (in number of seasons) live-action sitcom in American TV history. However, it still has a long way to go if it wants to be the longest-running scripted series, with 'The Simpsons' holding that record with its 29 seasons.