Glenn Howerton says he came close to walking away from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia after season 12, fearing the long-running FX comedy had “peaked” and that he was “boxed in creatively.” Speaking during a 20th-anniversary panel, the actor-writer recalled feeling pressure to try new roles—an impulse that coincided with NBC’s A.P. Bio, where he played a disgraced philosophy professor. Media reports at the time tied his apparent exit to that series, but Howerton now calls that a “misconception,” insisting the frustration pre-dated the Peacock sitcom.
His uncertainty leaked onto screen in 2017, when Dennis Reynolds left Philadelphia for North Dakota in the season-twelve finale, fuelling speculation the character was being written out permanently. Co-creator Rob McElhenney joked the writers “just kept putting Dennis in every draft until Glenn showed up,” a strategy that worked: Howerton returned full-time in season 13, though he initially stepped back from the writers’ room.
The creative restlessness did not slow the series. FX renewed Sunny through season 18 in 2020, cementing its status as the longest-running live-action U.S. sitcom. Season 17 premieres 9 July with back-to-back episodes on FXX and next-day streaming on Hulu, followed by international availability on Disney+. A trailer released last month teases ambulance crashes, a possible corpse and a crossover gag with The Bear, signalling that the gang’s signature chaos remains intact.
Industry observers note that Howerton’s flirtation with departure mirrors anxieties common to long-running shows: sustaining originality while retaining a loyal fanbase. IMDb News points out that the actor’s dalliance with other work, including voicing a tech titan in 2023’s BlackBerry, ultimately broadened his range without ending his sitcom tenure. Meanwhile, A.P. Bio itself closed after four seasons, freeing Howerton to recommit to Sunny.
FX executives have signalled openness to seasons beyond the current order should the ensemble wish to continue, citing the show’s low production cost and steady ratings. For now, Howerton says the lure of reuniting with McElhenney, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito—and the freedom to “play the world’s worst people” without network interference—keeps him in Paddy’s Pub.
