It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 18 Review: The LOLs Are Fewer, But The Mischief Is Still Fun

Warning: Mild SPOILERS lie ahead for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18!The Gang is back for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18, and the proceedings are still mostly enjoyable.

The latest chapter of the long-running FXX sitcom picks up shortly after the season 17 ending, in which Danny DeVito's Frank elected to reverse his original Golden Bachelor decision and profess his love to Pam, played by Oscar nominee Carol Kane. Season 18 sets out to explore the duo's next chapter of their romance, as well as having new encounters with the ever-troublesome McPoyle clan and confronting major social changes.

There's no denying that, after 21 years, Rob Mac, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton have gotten the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia formula down pat, as season 18 is full of the same irreverence, mischief and misanthropic goofs that made the show a fan-favorite in the first place. That being said, it's hard to deny that some of the stories are starting to lose the same zest that they once had that made them stand out in the first place.

The Gang's Stories Are Less Organic And Inspired

Though it certainly wasn't perfect, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 did feature some of the better modern episodes in recent seasons. The formula-shifting Abbott Elementary crossover, in particular, proved to be one of the show's all-time best, as Day, Mac and Keyonna Taylor remarkably found a way to merge the differing tones and characters into a seamless two-part storyline that made for some true moments of hilarity, while the Golden Bachelor nicely set up Kane to be a great new player for the show's future.

Coming in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18, Day takes charge with penning the first few episodes of the season, and while he kicks things off with a shocker, it also feels as though he also can't quite land on what he ultimately wants from the episodes. Following a beautiful tribute to the late star in the season 17 finale, the first two episodes of season 18 do try to provide a meaningful sendoff for Lynne Marie Stewart's Bonnie, resulting in a simultaneously chaotic-yet-emotional series of plans from Charlie.

However, in also looking to expand on the introduction of Pam from the season 17 finale, and still incorporate Mac, Dennis, and Dee's separate schemes into the mix, it feels as though it detracts from Day's ultimate goal for Stewart's tribute, and makes every subplot feel rushed. Even more notable, as revealed in the trailer, is the near-immediate killing of Kane's character in the season, which kneecaps the show's possibilities to experiment with Paddy's likely-to-fail efforts to grow beyond the Philly city limits.

As It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18 progresses, the group's stories start to feel even more contrived than in some of the earliest seasons. One episode, in particular, features so many references to the Rodney Dangerfield classic Back to School as the group all head to college for varying reasons that it feels less like they organically came up with the idea for showcasing The Gang's lack of intelligence, and more like someone caught the movie on TV and thought twisting its formula with Danny DeVito's Frank seemed like a good idea.

One of the other more frustrating examples of how It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's stories fail to resonate as well as they used to is the recurring return of David Hornsby's Cricket in season 18. After season 17 saw him leaning into bizarre cultural stereotypes in living on the street, season 18 not only continues this trend, but pretty much only brings him around to make a buck off of The Gang as they need his help with whatever scheme they're up to. His destitute lifestyle no longer feels shocking to the point of humor, but also just generally underwhelming.

The Gang's Antics Are More Chuckleworthy Than Outright Hysterical This Season

While the stories themselves may prove a mixed bag, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has always been known to take a seemingly simple concept and turn it into a nonstop laugh riot. From season 5's road trip to the Grand Canyon turning into constant failures to actually leave Philadelphia, to Mac and Dennis' bet with Frank to live in the suburbs for a month in season 11's "Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs" becoming one of the show's all-time greats, the creative group usually get just as much comedic juice out of the mundane as they do something high-concept like season 10's "Charlie Work."

For It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18, however, the writing doesn't often bring with it the same gut-bursting laughs as previous seasons. The first two episodes, in particular, feel like they rely too much on the classically outrageous behavior of everyone from Mary Lynn Rajskub's Gail to Andrew Friedman's Uncle Jack to amp up the energy, along with The Gang's traditional incessant bickering, making for generally predictable chuckles and smiles instead of full-on guffaws.

That being said, if there is one stand-out episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18, it would be “Gilligan’s Island: A Conspiracy Theorist’s Paradise." Penned by Hornsby, the episode begins as a solid bait-and-switch for if The Gang actually cared about the infamous stories regarding Jeffrey Epstein's island, only for Charlie and Mac to unpack their own conspiracy theories as to why the iconic sitcom didn't make it to 100 episodes, and why Russell Johnson's The Professor never properly sought to fix the S.S. Minnow.

In one of their most innovative episodes in years, Hornsby and director Heath Cullens not only brilliantly pay tribute to Gilligan's Island by putting the main cast of characters into the respective costumes and set of the classic series, but also find uniquely clever ways to poke fun at various "real-world" conspiracy theories through Charlie and Mac's reflections. A joke involving the existence of birds, in particular, did provide a good laugh-out-loud from me.

Though it ultimately may not sing quite as well as its immediate predecessors, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18 certainly still stands above many comedies on the air to date. Between some still-clever gags, the hilarious returns of Guillermo del Toro's Pappy and the rest of the McPoyle clan, and subtle social commentary, it's not clear how much longer the show ultimately has in its lifetime, but Howerton, Day, Mac and Kaitlin Olson are still keeping things fun enough to stick around for more.

New episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18 air Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on FXX, FX and Hulu, and streaming on Disney+ internationally.