They said sitcoms can’t last forever, but then the Paddy’s Pub gang laughed in their face. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 is just around the corner, and the long-running comedy series has already broken its own record.
Season 16 saw Charlie (Charlie Day) confronting long-buried family issues, Dennis (Glenn Howerton) going full psycho, and Mac (Rob McElhenney) trying (again) to find meaning – all while the gang continued their absurd, dysfunctional antics.
There’s plenty more where that came from in Season 17, as well as crossovers with Abbott Elementary and The Golden Bachelor (Danny DeVito’s Frank and Jesse Palmer is surely going to be comedy gold).
A lot has been going down off-screen too, with Rob McElhenney officially filing to have his name changed to Rob Mac. But that’s not the only milestone the binge-worthy TV show has achieved.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 beats its own record
By introducing Season 17, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has officially beaten its own record as the longest-running live‑action sitcom in US history.
It already held the crown with Season 15, passing the 14-season 1952 sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet back in 2021, but each new chapter just continues to cement its claim.
What’s more, Season 17 won’t be the last. In 2020, FXX renewed the show for another four runs, meaning it will have at least one more. Earlier this year, Day confirmed on the No Bad Lies podcast, “I was just on the phone with the guys driving up here, talking about when to do Season 18.”
Until then, Season 17 premieres with two episodes on FXX on July 9, 2025, followed by weekly single episode drops, which will also be available to stream on Hulu. And judging by the description of what to expect, the gang are ready for plenty of chaos.
“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,” says the official synopsis.
“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.”
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