Season of television series
| It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | |
|---|---|
| Season 15 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | FXX |
| Original release | December 1 (2021-12-01) – December 22, 2021 (2021-12-22) |
| Season chronology | |
| ← Previous Season 14Next → Season 16 | |
| List of episodes | |
The fifteenth season of the American television sitcom series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FXX on December 1 and concluded on December 22, 2021. This season had next day availability on FX on Hulu and FXNOW. The season consists of eight episodes and makes the series the longest-running live-action scripted comedy series in American television history, surpassing The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
Cast
See also: List of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia charactersMain cast
- Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly
- Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds
- Rob McElhenney as Ronald "Mac" McDonald
- Kaitlin Olson as Deandra "Dee" Reynolds
- Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds
Special guest star
- Colm Meaney as Shelley Kelly
Recurring cast
- Mary Elizabeth Ellis as The Waitress
Guest stars
- Artemis Pebdani as Artemis
- Sandy Martin as Mrs. Mac
- Brian Huskey as Gary
- Geoffrey Owens as "Don Cheadle"
Production
The series was renewed for a fifteenth season in May 2020, making it the longest-running live-action comedy series in American television history, replacing The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which ran for 14 seasons between 1952 and 1966. On April 9, 2020, Rob McElhenney announced that writing had begun for season 15. Filming for the season began in May 2021 and wrapped that October. Despite teases that the Ireland arc was shot in Dublin, Ireland, in August and September 2021, the final four episodes of the season were instead shot at Bodega Bay, California due to COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland.
The season is the first not to be distributed by 20th Television and instead is distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television due to the Disney-FOX merger in December 2017.
Episodes
See also: List of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 155 | 1 | "2020: A Year In Review" | Todd Biermann | Rob McElhenney & Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton | December 1, 2021 (2021-12-01) | XIP15001 | 0.285 |
| The Gang looks back on 2020 to justify their numerous PPP loans. In doing so, it is revealed that they contributed to the chaos of the past political year way more than anyone could have imagined. | |||||||
| 156 | 2 | "The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7" | Pete Chatmon | Keyonna Taylor & Katie McElhenney | December 1, 2021 (2021-12-01) | XIP15002 | 0.237 |
| Upon discovering that their self-made Lethal Weapon sequels have been pulled from the local library, the Gang decides to address their political incorrectness by making another film -- Lethal Weapon 7. | |||||||
| 157 | 3 | "The Gang Buys a Roller Rink" | Richie Keen | Rob Rosell & David Hornsby | December 8, 2021 (2021-12-08) | XIP15003 | 0.318 |
| When their favourite roller rink is being closed down, the Gang flashbacks to 1998 when Mac, Dennis and Charlie tried to buy the rink but instead end up buying Paddy's. | |||||||
| 158 | 4 | "The Gang Replaces Dee With a Monkey" | Todd Biermann | Glenn Howerton & Nina Pedrad | December 8, 2021 (2021-12-08) | XIP15004 | 0.235 |
| When the Gang suspects Dee is menopausal, they scramble to find a new employee for Paddy’s Pub. Meanwhile, Dee decides to put her acting career on hold in order to mentor young actors. | |||||||
| 159 | 5 | "The Gang Goes to Ireland" | Megan Ganz | Rob McElhenney & Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton | December 15, 2021 (2021-12-15) | XIP15005 | 0.285 |
| The Gang’s in Dublin! Dennis longs for a charming, authentic European experience, but ends up helping Frank with some of his business’s 'dirty work.' Mac and Charlie learn about their Irish heritage. | |||||||
| 160 | 6 | "The Gang's Still in Ireland" | Megan Ganz | Rob McElhenney & Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton | December 15, 2021 (2021-12-15) | XIP15006 | 0.232 |
| Dennis and Dee explore their new accommodations in the countryside; Frank accompanies Charlie to find the truth about Charlie’s Irish childhood pen pal; Mac has an identity crisis and decides to join the seminary. | |||||||
| 161 | 7 | "Dee Sinks in a Bog" | Pete Chatmon | David Hornsby & Rob Rosell | December 22, 2021 (2021-12-22) | XIP15007 | 0.293 |
| Guided by a young priest, Mac spends a day at the seminary to truly understand what it takes to become a priest. Dennis and Frank plan an elaborate trap at the castle to humiliate Charlie’s pen pal. Dee prepares for a date with an Irish doctor. | |||||||
| 162 | 8 | "The Gang Carries a Corpse Up a Mountain" | Richie Keen | Megan Ganz | December 22, 2021 (2021-12-22) | XIP15008 | 0.255 |
| The Gang attempts to ascend a mountain in order for Charlie to fulfill an old and mysterious Irish burial tradition. But one by one, the Gang backs out until Charlie is left to honor the dead body alone. | |||||||
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 100% with an average score of 9/10 based on 7 reviews, the highest rating since season 11.
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "2020: A Year In Review" | December 1, 2021 | 0.14 | 0.285 | 0.14 | 0.292 | 0.28 | 0.577 |
| 2 | "The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7" | December 1, 2021 | 0.11 | 0.237 | 0.14 | 0.278 | 0.25 | 0.515 |
| 3 | "The Gang Buys a Roller Rink" | December 8, 2021 | 0.18 | 0.318 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | "The Gang Replaces Dee With a Monkey" | December 8, 2021 | 0.14 | 0.235 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | "The Gang Goes to Ireland" | December 15, 2021 | 0.13 | 0.285 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | "The Gang's Still in Ireland" | December 15, 2021 | 0.12 | 0.232 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | "Dee Sinks in a Bog" | December 22, 2021 | 0.17 | 0.293 | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | "The Gang Carries a Corpse Up a Mountain" | December 22, 2021 | 0.14 | 0.255 | — | — | — | — |
References
- Cordero, Rosy (November 3, 2021). "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Gets Season 15 Premiere Date On FXX". Deadline. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- Andreeva, Nellie (May 26, 2020). "'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' Renewed For Record-Breaking Season 15 By FX". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- Tanenbaum, Michael (April 9, 2020). "New 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' episodes written in quarantine, Rob McElhenney says". Philly Voice. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- Hyland, Luke (May 26, 2021). "'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Season 15 Has Finally Started Filming, Confirms Set Image". Collider. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- Starkey, Adam (October 5, 2021). "'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' season 15 filming officially wraps". NME. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- Flannery, Amanda (September 24, 2021). "Alway Sunny in Philadelphia filming 'on location' in Ireland". Dublin's Q102. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- Holub, Christian (December 1, 2021). "Danny DeVito explains why he's really the kid in the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia family". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- Lawrence, Derek (November 30, 2021). "Kaitlin Olson will still do anything for a laugh on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 2, 2019). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Wednesday 12.1.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals (& Network Finals to Come)". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 9, 2019). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Wednesday 12.8.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 16, 2019). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Wednesday 12.15.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (December 23, 2019). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Wednesday 12.22.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
- "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 15 (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ Marc Berman (December 2, 2021). "Wednesday Ratings: Holiday Specials Lead NBC to Victory". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
