It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiastar Glenn Howerton clears up why he nearly quit the show. Premiering in 2005 FX, now on FXX, the series is the longest-running live-action sitcom in history withIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiaseason 17debuting on July 9. Howerton co-developed the series with Rob McElhenney and also serves as a writer and executive producer.
ScreenRantwas in attendance for a 20th anniversary celebration and season 17 premiere. The cast ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiatook the stage at the Paley Center where Howerton explains why he almost quit the show.The actor was afraid the show had peakedafter season 11 and was concerned about it staying on the air too long, and that he felt boxed in.
When he brought up potentially leaving, McElhenney and Charlie Day both said they wanted to continue. Hedenies that he wanted to leave the show to filmA.P. Bio,which ran from 2018-2021. However, he was not a part of the writers room for seasons 13-14. McElhenney adds that they kept writing Howerton into the show and believed he would want to return, which is ultimately what happened.
Howerton: I wanted to quit, but it wasn’t because I had other things going on. There’s a misconception that I went off to do AP Bio or something. I told the guys, I mean, after, it was actually before we started working on season 12, I was like, Look, I just don’t want to wear out our welcome. I was worried that maybe we had sort of peaked or something. And I just was like, you know, we’ve been doing this for a long time. And I think I was also anxious.
I had not figured out yet how to stretch myself and be able to do other things that I wanted to do with my career outside of the show. I just hadn’t figured out how to do that yet, and I was aching to do other things, and so I was starting to feel a little boxed in. Frankly, it wasn’t that I didn’t think the show, you know, I never lost any appreciation for the show, but I just thought, like, maybe we should, yeah.
And then they were like, We don’t want to end it. And I was like, oh, okay, well, I can’t stop you. And then after that, I booked AP Bio. And then seasons 13 and 14, I came back as an actor, but I wasn’t in the writers room for 13 and 14.
McElhenney: Well, we just kept going, and we knew it would be a war of attrition, where if we just continued to do it, then eventually the gravity of Sunny would pull him back in. And that is exactly what happened. We just kept writing it and kept writing him in it, and we’re like, he’s just gonna eventually say he’s coming back. And that’s what happened.
Howerton: If any one of us left, it would just f*ck with the dynamic. I mean, it’s like a fine-tuned machine. you’re able to’t just pull a component out and expect it to work the same. And that’s not a testament to me as a component, or any one of us as a component. It’s just you need all the components for it to work the way, you know, for that magic to really be there.
What This Means For It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
The Show Doesn’t Show Signs Of Slowing Down
As the show is hitting an important milestone with its 20th anniversary, it’s still wildly popular with audiences. The show has grown from a relatively small series with limited viewership to an important part of pop culture. It also raised the profiles of theIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiacast, who have all worked on other successful projects while still moving forward with the sitcom.
The show always had a similar release model to what is now considered the norm. When the show premiered two decades ago, the majority of series ran for around 22 episodes a season. Season 1 had the lowest episode count with seven, and season 6 had the highest with 14.Since season 15, each installment has had eight episodes.
While every season of television takes a significant amount of time to produce, every actor has worked on other successful movies and shows, especially in the latter half of the series' run. As the episodes are still witty, cutting, and even emotional at times, hopefully, the show continues to be fulfilling for those involved. As the show’s popularity has only grown, it’s likely not coming to an end soon.
Our Take On Howerton Almost Quitting
It’s Understandable To Want To Go Out On Top
Howerton is right thatthe show would not work without Dennis, or any of the other characters. Adding Danny Devito to the cast in season 2 drastically changed the show for the better, and it’s now impossible to imagine it without any of its key ensemble characters.
His almost quitting as he was afraid the series may have peaked also speaks to his mindset about wanting to maintain the quality of the program. All too often, shows either stay on the air too long and have a drop in quality, or are outright cancelled. Howerton wanting the show to go out on a high note on their own terms does speak to his dedication to the quality ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Cast
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a television series that premiered in 2005, chronicling the chaotic lives of four self-involved friends running an Irish pub in Philadelphia. Their misguided decisions and skewed perspectives often result in amusing and uncomfortable situations, complicating their professional and personal relationships.
