It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16 takes viewers through a rollercoaster of nostalgia, unhinged comedic moments, satire, and character development. The long-running sitcom premiered on FX back in August 2005, while season 16 aired on June 7, 2023.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16 sees Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito reprise their lead roles as "The Gang." This season features multiple unpredictable events like Frank's gun paranoia, a Chuck E. Cheese parody, and Denis' breakdown.
The official synopsis of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as per Disney+, reads:
"Five friends with big egos and small brains own and operate Paddy's Pub in Philadelphia."
The gang falls into money mishaps in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16

In It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16, the Gang dives head-first into economic lingo, mocking terms such as "inflation," "recession," and "your nut" with no comprehension. Their bid to appear intelligent immediately devolves into absurdity, however.
Mac blows up a sofa and stockpiles an industrial amount of Costco nuts to "secure his nut," ending up physically deformed by an allergic attack. Charlie introduces a strange money scheme based on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pies. In the meantime, Frank steals pennies from tenants, displaying his habitual unethicalness.
The outcome is inevitable as the crew finishes each venture in search of money penniless, battered, and no wiser. Dee gets frustrated with exclusional to the point of gluing herself to a door in protest, only for Charlie to use superglue on a pillow to stick it to the wall so she can at least sleep standing up. It's the ideal combination of fiscal stupidity, slapstick immaturity, and Dee's constant humiliation.
Cursed shenanigans that take place in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16
Frank's fixation on guns comes to the forefront in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16 when Dee and Dennis orchestrate a "perfect day" to manipulate him into relinquishing his weapon, a plan that exposes their true motive of inheritance. As is typical of the sitcom, emotional manipulation and money are intricately entwined. More introspectively, Charlie sets out to reclaim a family treasure, uncovering festering emotional wounds.
At the same time, Mac greets Uncle Donald and confronts suppressed emotions surrounding his dad, giving way to fleeting, untypical vulnerability. The actors subsequently pursue "curses" related to arbitrary fears before defaulting to dated callbacks. The payoff is a blend of inadvertent therapy, generational discomfort, and rehashed comedy.
What happens when the Gang meets real celebrities in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16?
In a masterful nod to pre-vintage cynicism, the Gang freaks when Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul come to Philly to tout their mezcal, Dos Hombres. Dennis inveighs against celebrity drink branding.
"Any moron can grab a bottle of liquor, put a celebrity's face on it, and make a fortune," he says as the gang rushes to do just that.
They mix up a Goldschläger-type liquor and a nickel-filled novelty spirit called "Nickelschläger," trying to enlist Cranston and Paul as investors. They also mock celebrity branding, not just in spirit but by inhabiting it. Cranston and Paul assume grotesque versions of Mac and Dennis, with Cranston being the timid sidekick and Paul portraying the controlling narcissist.
The self-consciousness and absurdity of the episode make it one of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16's funniest, lighting a highlighter on fame and opportunism through hyperbolic satire.
Dennis' meltdown in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16 finale
The final arc of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16 alternates between nostalgic frenzies and Dennis' frightening psychological disintegration. At Risk Rat's Pizza & Amusement Center, the Gang invades a children's destination cleansed of its natural mayhem. They destroy robots, dispute having fun, and set the joint aflame during showtime.
The episode titled The Gang Goes Bowling involves Dee, Artemis, and Gail the Snail against Dennis, Mac, Charlie, and Frank. Dennis mocks Dee with "gutterball" insults while Mac freaks out on a kid, Charlie is distracted by a birthday party, and Frank combines his affection for chili cheese fries into his bowling technique.
In the final episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16, a doctor's diagnosis propels Denis into a manic spiral, which includes locked car doors, absurd tea shop prices, the Gang's pressure cooker conspiracies, and a hallucinatory grape scene in which he tears out a CEO's heart.
As season 17 nears, viewers can look forward to the show perpetuating the Gang's classic combination of ridiculous schemes, ill-fated aspirations, and ever-more-bizarre interpersonal conflict.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16 is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+. Season 17 will premiere on July 9, 2025.