August 17, 2026
Provided Image/FXX
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ will return on Monday night for the first two episodes of Season 18.
The Gang from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" will return to TV screens Monday night with a new batch of alcohol-fueled, irreverent and occasionally nauseating escapades for the first two episodes of the show's 18th season, and the early reviews have been mostly positive.
The 10-episode installment — the show’s longest since 2019 — has received a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from the first six critics listed on the platform. The longest-running live-action American sitcom was praised for tackling recent societal trends, bringing back inane returning characters and staying true to its sordid roots.
"This series could go on forever and if Mac, Day, Howerton, Olson, and DeVito are able to have fun with it, we will continue to enjoy it from our side," said Grant Hermanns, TV news editor and reviewer for ScreenRant. “This eighteenth season feels as fresh as the first and I hope this show never goes off the air."
Season 18 follows Mac (Rob Mac), Charlie (Charlie Day), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Frank (Danny DeVito) as they broach topics of sobriety, workplace automation, neurodivergence and conspiracy rabbit holes against the backdrop of the fictional Philly Irish bar, Paddy’s Pub.
"The Gang may be in their 50s and 80s now, but their behavior is more out of control than ever," the season’s logline says. “Who said with age comes wisdom? That person sure is a jabroni.”
Warning: potential spoilers ahead
The season premiere picks up where Season 17 left off with a wedding in Paddy's Pub between Frank and Sam (Carol Kane), the billionaire poultry heiress who he chose as his bride-to-be after competing on a version of "The Golden Bachelor." But, if the title of the episode — “Frank Marries a Corpse” — is any indication, newlywed bliss is a highly unlikely plot point for DeVito’s character.
The rest of the season promises to be just as bizarre. One episode follows Dennis and Dee as they are diagnosed with ADHD, causing them to return to college and subsequently relapse on cocaine, according to Collider. The Gang also sponsors a local little league baseball team, grapples with a dwindling clientele at their bar due to the growing trend in sober living and attempts to uncover why the classic sitcom "Gilligan's Island" never made it to 100 episodes.
Other episodes reportedly feature a failed attempt at a road trip, Dennis and Dee trying to sever a corpse’s thumb and Mac and Dennis tearing their ACLs.
This season will also bring back beloved side characters including the incestuous, unibrow-rocking Liam (Jimmi Simpson), Ryan (Nate Mooney) and Pappy (Guillermo del Toro) McPoyle, who the Gang encounters during a trip to the Renaissance Faire. The McPoyles, who haven’t been featured in the show since its 16th season, should be a welcome surprise for "Sunny" fans.
Audiences can also keep a lookout for appearances from Mac’s parents, played by Gregory Scott Cummins and Sandy Martin; Rickety Cricket, played by the show’s writer and producer David Hornsby; Uncle Jack (Andrew Friedman) and "loads" of other star cameos, according to FX.
While boundary-pushing comedy has been a staple of the show since 2005, the new season will not be without its earnest moments. An episode early in the season reportedly follows Charlie as he performs a song dedicated to his mother, Bonnie, at the Mummers Parade. Lynne Marie Stewart, the actor who played Charlie’s mom, died last year. The final episode of Season 17 featured a montage in her honor.
While some early reviews have critiqued the new episodes' tendency to fall back on gags reminiscent of earlier episodes, Season 18 is still being hailed as "another hilarious installment of TV that reminds you why you've loved the show for so long," wrote Meredith Loftus, TV lists editor at Collider.
"More than 20 years into its run, 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' is still the funniest show on TV," Jamie Parker, editor at CBR, wrote in a review of the season. "Season 18 is one of the strongest seasons in recent years and maybe even of all time, with only a handful of minor issues holding it back. The Gang is as funny as ever, and it's a continued delight to see the owners of Paddy’s Pub terrorizing each other and the people of Philadelphia."
The first two episodes will air at 9 p.m. on FX and FXX and will stream the next day on Hulu and Disney+. Episodes will be released weekly through the finale on Oct. 12.
