Charlie
After a two-year hiatus, Philadelphia’s most dysfunctional quintet is finally returning to our screens. The Season 17 trailer for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” dropped recently, and it’s promising all manner of insanity when the show premieres July 9th on FXX.
What to Expect: Cross-Network Chaos and Corporate Sellouts
The trailer opens with the gang embracing what they call their “core values” – which, knowing them, probably means finding new ways to exploit every opportunity for personal gain. This season will feature the highly anticipated crossover with “Abbott Elementary” from the gang’s perspective, picking up after the ABC show’s portion that aired in January.
But the real showstopper? Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) will be starring in a new season of “The Golden Bachelor”, and the trailer gives us our first taste of this reality TV train wreck. From the footage, we see Frank getting intimate with a contestant whose name is hilariously mispronounced, complete with her signature catchphrase. It’s exactly the kind of over-the-top absurdity that makes Sunny legendary.
The Gang Embraces Selling Out
The official synopsis reveals that the gang is “shameless[ly] shed[ding] their ‘niche’ label for grander aspirations”, which translates to exploiting cross-network promotion, scapegoating each other to avoid PR disasters, and bending every rule to pad their pockets. In true Sunny fashion, they’re not just selling out – they’re celebrating it.
The trailer showcases their usual brand of chaos: Charlie dealing with an overwhelming coffee situation, the gang attempting to be helpful volunteers (and failing spectacularly), and Dennis being his usual narcissistic self. There’s also a particularly memorable moment involving what appears to be testicular fluid and its supposed intimidation properties – because of course there is.
Fan Favorites Return
The season will also see the return of David Hornsby as fan-favorite Rickety Cricket, as well as Mary Elizabeth Ellis as The Waitress. Cricket’s return alone is worth the price of admission, considering the character’s increasingly deteriorating state throughout the series.
The Wait is Almost Over
Season 17 will premiere with two episodes on July 9, 2025, on FXX, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu. For international fans, the season will be available on Disney+ outside the US.
The trailer perfectly captures what makes Sunny endure after 17 seasons: the willingness to push boundaries, mock current trends, and never let the characters learn from their mistakes. Whether they’re botching CPR training, terrorizing volunteers, or trying to find love on reality TV, the gang remains as hilariously irredeemable as ever.
After nearly two decades on air, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” continues to prove that some things never change – and in Philadelphia, that’s exactly what we want. The gang’s return promises to be worth the wait, delivering the same unfiltered chaos that made them legends in the first place.
