There’s something to be said for a comedy series that continues to defy expectations, one that gleefully unites its cast to deliver laughs and memorable moments with little apprehension. FX’sIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiais one such series, and going on 16 seasons now, the show has arguably maintained a level of consistency unparalleled by any long-running comedy. Now, on the cusp of season 16, we finally have an idea of what to expect with a recently released trailer. While season fifteen took the gang on a lengthy trip to Ireland on top of poking fun at how chaotic 2020 was, season 16 looks to be just as exciting.
The trailer alone promises many new ideas coming to the series following a two-year gap between seasons. Celebrity guests, new locations, and unintentionally hilarious discoveries are already a guarantee when it comes to what we can expect. However, looking at the trailer itself, you may be surprised at what’s in store for everyone’s favorite gang of bartending sociopaths. Let’s break downwhat’s in season 16’s trailerand what we can expect from the season.
Potential Celebrity Guests
Firstly, we must address the biggest elephant in the room: a scene featuring Charlie Day chauffeuring Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston has no doubt turned some heads and raised some eyebrows. Charlie Day, in a recent appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live!, has shareddetails surrounding theBreaking Badduo’s appearancein the middle of Philadelphia.
While the two will be playing comedic versions of themselves, the gang believes that Bryan Cranston is actually Hal Wilkerson fromMalcolm in the Middle, along with confusing Aaron Paul for a grown-up Malcolm Wilkerson. While the episode will focus specifically on celebrity-branded booze, seeing these two subjected to the gang’s mayhem will be hilarious.
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Speculation about who else will appear in the series has also gone berserk. A few hints in the trailer suggest that Paddy’s Pub will be showcased in some sort of television show, with the gang joking about how they’ll be depicted as terrible people.
Some have immediately suggested that the bar be featured on Jon Taffer’s reality series,Bar Rescue,or some sort of equivalent that exists in-universe. Ryan Reynolds, whocurrently stars inWelcome to Wrexhamalongside Rob McElhenny, has also joked about appearing in the series at some point. Given the duo’s history, it’s practically a shoo-in.
Other than big names that will likelyremain as one-off appearances, we get a few brief glimpses at the show’s extended cast littered throughout. At a bowling alley, the malicious McPoyle brothers make their first reappearance since season nine – a full decade since “The Gang Squashes Their Beefs.”
Mac and Charlie’s hilarious mothers make a brief appearance, Gail the Snail returns alongside The Waitress and Artemis, and other characters from the gang’s past may come back throughout the season. It’s a noticeable shift from season 15, which strangely omitted a large portion of the show’s extended cast.
The Gang Going on Adventures
Other than individual characters, we can expect season 16 to return towhat the gang does best: idiotic adventures. Whether they’re simply trying to make money, making complete fools of themselves, or hilariously antagonizing their “villains,“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiahas always made it a point to laugh at the gang instead of siding with them.
The first scene of the trailer promises exactly that. Something that has never been previously addressed in the series is a room in Charlie’s apartment that has never been opened. Upon Frank’s opening of the door, they discover that it’s actually a bathroom, along with the revelation that they’ve been urinating in cans for no reason ever since Frank moved in. It’s a hilarious moment that reflects the same kind of humor we’ve come to expect from the series.
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Other moments in the trailer give us an idea of what to expect from the gang’s adventures. We’ll likely see a bowling competition between the guys of the gang and whoever Dee assembled for her own pink-laden team, along with Frank drinking water out of a nacho carton. In addition, Dee can be briefly seen choking out a costumed mascot.
Charlie is revealed to have eaten a bunch of nickels before being scanned by a bodyguard at a club, shortly before “going America all over everybody” again. To conclude the trailer, Dennis shows off his ego at an arcade punch machine before promptly announcing that he has shattered every bone in his hand.
What We’ve Come to Love
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiahas always managed to stay true to its original formula, even through multiple experiments with it. We’ve seen the gang tackle contemporary issues, meta-commentary, globetrotting, and even going on without a key member of the cast for a brief time. It’s important for any long-running series to avoid getting stale, and these experiments have thankfully kept the show fresh for better and, occasionally, for worse.
After all, some of the series' funniest episodes areblatantly steeped in current events,likeThe Gang Solves the Gas CrisisandTime’s Up For the Gang. Anyone in touch with what’s going on in the world today can likely predict which issues will show up throughout the season: inflation, gun control, mental health, and more will be horribly misunderstood and mangled by the gang for our amusement.
All-in-all, it looks like it’ll be more of the same fromIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiain the best way possible. It’s a series that shows no signs of slowing down, and given the cast’s continued enthusiasm for participating in it, we can expect season 16 to knock expectations out of the park.
