'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Is Officially Starting To Show Signs of Aging in Season 18 | Review

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Charlie (Charlie Day) in costume hugging Frank (Danny DeVito) in 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Season 18.

Published Aug 17, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Meredith Loftus is a TV Lists Editor at Collider. As part of the Lists team, she creates both trending and evergreen list topics in order to engage Collider's active audience. Prior to this, she was a Features Author focused on both movie and TV topics. In addition to her editing role, she has covered major events for Collider, including San Diego Comic-Con and D23. Meredith has also conducted interviews with creatives across the entertainment industry. Some of her favorites include Margot Robbie, Luke Thompson, Yerin Ha, Gilmore Girls' Scott Patterson, Jon M. Chu, and the cast of Superman & Lois.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been on the air for over 20 years. It crossed that threshold in 2025 with one of its best seasons in recent years, featuring a crossover with Abbott Elementary and parodying a variety of TV shows like The Bear and The Golden Bachelor. Considering the major changes that have happened since the series debuted in 2005, it's an achievement that it's remained on the air this long.

It's Always Sunny has already proven it can adapt while remaining true to the show's DNA, yet Season 18 proves that it can be hard to keep a good thing going. As the longest-running live-action comedy series, it runs the risk of becoming repetitive, coasting on the goodwill of audiences. Rather than building on previous momentum, the show's return is a step back, delivering a season that, while still hilarious, hits many familiar beats.

'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Season 18 Is a Reminder of the Glory Days

Season 18 picks up from where the previous season ended. After Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) chose Sam (Carol Kane) at the end of The Golden Bachelor in the Season 17 finale, the time has come for the two to tie the knot. With an episode title like "Frank Marries a Corpse," you already know what lies ahead. Still, the premiere kicks off a season that features all-too-recognizable plots from years past.

In the third episode of the season, "The Gang Gets Tested," Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson) are diagnosed with ADHD, which prompts them to go back to college for a do-over. As they struggle to pay attention in class, they slip back into their cocaine addiction. Meanwhile, Charlie (Charlie Day) is asked back in for more questioning to determine his diagnosis. Both of these plots borrow from previous episodes — Season 2's "Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare" and Season 9's "Flowers for Charlie." That doesn't mean Season 18's version isn't entertaining, but it's treading familiar water that only serves as a reminder of great episodes throughout the series' run to date.

Continuing the trend from last season, Season 18 features another parody episode of the classic CBS sitcom Gilligan's Island. In Episode 7's "Gilligan's Island: A Conspiracy Theorist's Paradise," Charlie and Mac (Rob Mac) go down a rabbit hole trying to uncover why the series never made it to 100 episodes and thus missed out on syndication. What follows is a fusion between the multi-cam format and the conspiracy chaos previously found in one of It's Always Sunny's best episodes, Season 4's "Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack." While the conspiracy doesn't descend into full Pepe Silvia madness, it gets pretty close, which helps differentiate it just enough.

'It's Always Sunny' Season 18 Brings Back Fan-Favorites in Clever Ways

Part of the reason why Season 18 feels familiar has to do with the return of fan-favorite characters who get caught up in the Gang's schemes. Where Season 17 kept their appearances to a minimum, Season 18 marks the return of faces like Mac’s dad, Luthor (Gregory Scott Cummins), and the McPoyle clan, the latter of which marks a high point in the season. The McPoyles have been at odds with the Gang over the years, with Liam (Jimmi Simpson) and Ryan's (Nate Mooney) last appearing in Season 16's "The Gang Goes Bowling." It's been even longer since audiences have seen Academy Award-winning Guillermo del Toro as the McPoyle patriarch, Pappy, in Season 11's "McPoyle vs. Ponderosa: The Trial of the Century." The trio returns midway through the season, where it's revealed they own the local Ren Faire. In a season that feels familiar, the McPoyles' comeback is a welcome one that resurrects a classic rivalry.

It should also be mentioned that this season features a loving tribute to Lynne Marie Stewart, who passed away in February 2025. While Season 17 included a montage for her, the Season 18 premiere acknowledges that the show didn't properly mourn her passing, so Charlie sets out to honor his mom, Bonnie, in epic fashion. From a new song by Charlie to a memorial during the annual Mummers Parade, It's Always Sunny Season 18 succeeds in honoring Stewart's memory.

The Gang's Chemistry Remains as Strong as Ever in Season 18

The Gang at the Ren Fair in 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Season 18

Despite the echoes of previous episodes, It's Always Sunny still has something to say in Season 18. In Episode 6's "The War on Alcohol," the series tackles workplace automation and the growing trend against America's favorite pastime — drinking. With recent cultural shifts as a result of remote work, the Gang finds a way to engage with this change while ultimately remaining true to who they've always been and will always be. It's that tension between trying to revive blue-collar roots and embracing the current norms where the comedy of the series is at its best.

What remains the best part of It's Always Sunny is the Gang themselves. After two decades, the chemistry between the core cast remains as great as ever. Even as the actors expand into bigger roles — with Olson starring in her own procedural, High Potential, and Day returning as Luigi in one of 2026's biggest movies, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — every time they come back for a new season of It's Always Sunny, it's comedy gold. There’s no joke too ridiculous or a storyline too much for them to embrace the chaos that we've come to expect from the Gang.

Longtime fans of the series will find it comforting to meet up with the Gang year after year for a new scheme in Paddy's Pub, so the familiarity of Season 18 isn't necessarily a turn-off. Rather, it stands as a tribute to how far the characters have come even while some things still remain the same. The Gang will always be the worst group of people, but that's exactly why we’ve kept watching after all this time. Where last season hit new highs, Season 18 is overall another hilarious installment of TV that reminds you why you've loved the show this long. Nods to previous episodes and the return of familiar faces only reinforce that there's something in the water (or in Paddy's Pub's case, beer) that keeps bringing us back.

Season 18 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres August 17 on FXX.