With 15 seasons, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is one of the most popular television series, so is it time to make the leap to the big screen?
When It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FX on August 4, 2005, nobody could foresee how big the series would become. The series was picked up on a $200 pilot (or less, according to some) and focused on "The Gang," a group of narcissistic, sociopathic friends that consist of Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Charlie (Charlie Day), and Dee (Kaitlin Olson) with Dennis and Dee's father Frank (Danny DeVito) later joining the series.
This small little series eventually proved to be the most enduring and long-lasting series on FX, as it has gone on to span 15 seasons to become the longest-running live-action comedy. It has been a favorite of critics and audiences since it aired and has gained a passionate fanbase. They've run for 162 episodes, aired a Christmas special, and seem to not be slowing down. It feels like the only thing left for them to do is tackle the big screen, in their own movie. Sometimes popular television series get adapted into movies years after they have aired with a new cast in a big-budget reimagining like The Addams Family, Lost in Space, or Mission: Impossible. In others, the film serves as a reunion for the original cast of the series like both the original six Star Trek films focused on the original crew and the final four with the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew.
There are also cases when a series is so popular, that it gets a television show while it is still on the air. At the height of their popularity in the '90s, South Park and The X-Files got big-budget films in the form of South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut and The X-Files: Fight the Future. Even though some claimed The Simpsons was due to end with the release of The Simpsons Movie, 15 years later it is still going strong. Just recently this past summer, The Bob's Burger's Movie opened in theaters with the show set to return for season 13 later this fall. With all this in mind, should It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia get a movie?
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been on the air for 15 seasons, and is currently renewed for an additional three. It has already been on for almost two decades as a consistent part of the television landscape. As hard as it is to believe, people have grown up with this series and watching the gang get into crazy adventures. That sort of pedigree and pop culture omnipresence makes it more than worthy for a movie, as it feels like the natural evolution of the series.
It's worth noting that The Simpsons Movie arrived in theaters in 2007 between seasons 18 and 19 of the series, and with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia approaching that 18-season mark, it would be fitting for it to get a movie, making it the true successor to The Simpsons.
Arguably the most difficult aspect of crafting a movie based on a television series is making the stakes feel cinematic, so it does not come off as just an extended episode of television. In the case of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, throughout its run the series creators have already increased the stakes for the gang and put them in incredible situations so much that it would be challenging but not impossible to craft a story worthy of a film.
The most obvious story would be something having to do with the livelihood of Paddy's Pub, as it is the series' central location and unites the group. However, the concept of the bar being foreclosed on or demolished is a storyline that has been featured in The Bob's Burger Movie, Hey Arnold: The Movie, and The Muppets just to name a few. Now if the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia team were to go with this story, there is certainly reason to believe they could make it work despite being overdone by infusing it with the series' trademark cynicism and irreverent humor.
When It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered in 2005, the cast was primarily unknown. Now in 2022, they have grown into some of the biggest comedic stars in Hollywood. Charlie Day had held lead roles in films like Pacific Rim and Horrible Bosses as well as lending his voice to animated films like Monsters University, The Lego Movie, and the upcoming Mario movie as Luigi. While starring and writing It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Glenn Howerton also led the series A.P. Bio which ran for four seasons.
Rob McElhenney not only stars in, writes, and produces It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia but does the same for the AppleTV+ series Mythic Quest and owns the Welsh football team Wrexham Association Football Club with Ryan Reynolds. Kaitlin Olson (McElhenney's wife) starred on The Mick while also doing It's Always Sunny and recently received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Hacks. And of course, in season two, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia added acclaimed star Danny DeVito to the cast. DeVito's star power still endures even to this day among an entirely new generation of fans.
This is one of the most impressive casts for any comedy, and that alone could help draw in audiences even if they've never seen a single episode would want to see this variety of talent all together in one movie.
Disney's decision to pivot titles from the Fox library to streaming as opposed to theatrical releases, such as Prey, the upcoming Alien movie, and the recent Ice Age film, sure doesn't bode well for a hypothetical It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia movie making it to the big screen. It is likely that the only reason Disney released The Bob's Burger Movie in theaters was because it was in development when they purchased 20th Century Fox. However, an It's Always Sunny film should be released in theaters not just as a way to distinguish it as not merely a longer episode, but because movie theaters might need it.
While the box office has seen a healthy return since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has primarily been action and horror films doing a majority of driving the box office. Mainstream studio comedies, on the other hand, have been struggling and even before the pandemic, they did not look good. The last time a comedy film made the domestic Top 10 of the year was Ted in 2012.
While this isn't to say an It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia movie would gross a huge amount, with how popular the series has been for almost 20 years it is still likely the film could become a shared experience among many. One that makes them nostalgic for when the series first premiered, one they want to share with their friends by going out to the movies and having a good laugh. Comedies are a cinematic experience made for theaters that unites a group of people, and The Gang has been a constant source of laughter. If made right, an It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia movie could be just the big cinematic comedy audiences have been waiting for.
Richard Fink is a writer who graduated from Arizona State University in 2016 with a degree in Film and Media Production. He loves the finer things in life, like cold Diet Coke on a hot summer day. Richard is a fan of all things Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and Film History.
