It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 cast and characters: Meet the stars behind the show and the roles they play

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 began airing on July 9, 2025, and will wrap up its eight-episode season on August 20, 2025, on FXX / FX. The satirical series is created and showrun by Rob McElhenney, who developed it alongside Glenn Howerton. It is produced by Fred Savage, Matt Shakman, Hunter Covington, Scott Draper, Conor Galvin, and John Chernin, among others.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is centered around the crazy antics of the owners of Paddy's Pub in Philadelphia. It revolves around the main characters' exploitative nature and manipulative ways that often go unpunished. The long-running series has gained popularity for its raunchy tone, crude humor, and its ability to tackle taboo subject matter.

Who plays who in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17?

1) Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly

Charlie and Frank as seen in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 (Image via Instagram/@alwayssunnyfxx)

Charlie Kelly is the co-owner of Paddy's Pub, where he also works as a janitor. Considered the most stupid member of the group, Charlie is illiterate and tends to eat things that are unsafe for human consumption.

Charlie Day is an actor, writer, and producer who played Michael Boscorelli in the crime drama series Third Watch, and Richie in the sitcom Luis. He also co-created the comedy series Mythic Quest (2020-2025) and The Cool Kids (2018-2019). His film roles include Horrible Bosses, its sequel Horrible Bosses 2, Pacific Rim, its sequel Pacific Rim Uprising, and Summer of 69, among others.

2) Rob McElhenney as Ronald 'Mac' McDonald

Rob McElhenney plays Ronald McDonald in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 (Image via Instagram/@alwayssunnyfxx)

Ronald "Mac" McDonald is Charlie's best friend and fellow co-owner of the pub. He overcompensates for his insecurities by acting tough and calling himself the 'sheriff of Paddy's.' Mac suffers from body dysmorphia, which is reflected in his fluctuating weight throughout the series. He also harbors feelings for Dennis, the pub's other co-owner, which he finally accepts in season 12 of the satirical series.

Rob McElhenney has appeared in shows like Law & Order, ER, Lost, The Mindy Project, Fargo, and All My Children. He played the leading role of Ian Grimm in the comedy series Mythic Quest and its spin-off series, Side Quest. In 2019, he had an uncredited role in an episode of Game of Thrones.

He transitioned to the big screen with roles in films like A Civil Action, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, Latter Days, and The Tollbooth.

3) Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds

Danny DeVito plays Frank Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 (Image via Instagram/@alwayssunnyfxx)

Frank Reynolds is the major owner of Paddy's Pub and the legal father of twins, Dennis and Dee Reynolds. Despite being a multi-millionaire, he prefers to live in squalor with Charlie. He is deeply amoral, loves chaos, and has an unmatched penchant for trouble that leads him to support the gang's various antics.

Danny DeVito rose to prominence playing the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in ABC's 1970s sitcom Taxi. He went on to star in classic films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, L.A. Confidential, Terms of Endearment, Batman Returns, Erin Brockovich, etc. He has had guest starring roles in Friends, Karen Sisco, The Kominsky Method, and Ed.

4) Kaitlin Olson as Dee Reynolds

Dee Reynolds as seen with the gang from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 (Image via Instagram/@alwayssunnyfxx)

The only female member of the group, Dee Reynolds, is Frank's daughter and Dennis' twin sister in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17. As the gang constantly dismisses her for being a woman, she seeks to prove herself and earn the validation of her father and brother while also craving attention from younger men. Dee dreams of becoming an actress and comedian, but lacks the discipline to commit to her passion long-term.

Kaitlin Olson has starred in films such as Coyote Ugly, Leap Year, The Heat, Champions, Weather Girl, Incoming, etc. She has played main roles in shows like Brickleberry, The Mick, Flipped, High Potential, and the animated series Agent Elvis. Olson has recently played DJ Vance in HBO's award-winning series Hacks.

5) Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds / Glenn / Wendell Albright

Dennis Reynolds seen with the rest of the gang from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 (Image via Instagram/@alwayssunnyfxx)

Dennis Reynolds is one of the co-owners of Paddy's Pub and is Dee's twin brother. His narcissistic and sociopathic tendencies are in full display when he's chasing younger women. He was also hinted at as being a serial killer in the earlier seasons of the show. His self-absorbed persona and preoccupation with his physical appearance often makes him the target of his friends' jokes.

Glenn Howerton is an actor, producer, and co-developer of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He starred in the 2023 comedy drama film BlackBerry, in addition to Fool's Paradise, Archenemy, The Thief Collector, and Everything Must Go.

Among his most prominent television roles are Cliff Gilbert from The Mindy Project, Don Chumph from Fargo, Jerry from The Fugitive, and Jack Griffin from A.P. Bio. In 2025, he starred as Ethan Corbin III in Netflix's dark comedy series, Sirens.

Other cast members of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 are:

Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Waitress / Manager
Brian Unger as The Attorney / The Lawyer
Robert Adamson as Trey
Grayson Berry as Sparky
Cory Havis as Rodney
Jaimie Alexander as Tammy
Audrey Corsa as Cock Chewa
Alex Wolff as Simon
Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues
Marlon Young as Louis
Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard
Audrey Wasilewski as Nurse
Shantell Yasmine Abeydeera as Woman Reporter
Dior Allen as Jim (EMT Instructor)
Caitlin Reilly as Sofia (Injured Woman)
Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie
Jim Cody Williams as Owner
Jim Garrity as Businessman
Janelle James as Ava Coleman
Hugh B. Holub as Judge
Chopper Bernet as Gentleman
William Guirola as Man
Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti
Asher Krohn as EMT #1
Coby Larinde as EMT #2
Bries Vannon as Phil (Tweaker)
Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill
William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson
Jayden Robertson as Steven
Carol Kane as Sam
Amanda Rea as Fake Dee
David Anthony Hinton as Amazon Delivery Guy
Heidi Pascoe as Gruff Woman #2 (uncredited)
Arline Loux as Drug Addict (uncredited)

What is It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 all about?

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 features the day-to-day exploits of the main characters as they run the local pub in Philadelphia. Like previous seasons, each episode features a self-contained narrative, without any overarching themes or character growth for the gang of misfits.

This season includes two crossover episodes - Abbott Elementary in the season premiere, and The Golden Bachelor in the season finale.

The main cast of the award-winning series Abbott Elementary - Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walter, and William Stanford Davis - are seen in guest starring roles. Other guest stars in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 include Alex Wolff, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Jamie Alexander, and Robert Adamson.

Moreover, David Hornsby, the show's writer and producer, reprises his role as the defrocked priest Matthew "Rickety Cricket" Mara, while Brian Unger returns to play the fan-favorite character of The Lawyer from season 11 for the latest installment of the long-running series.

The official synopsis of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 reveals what to expect from the core gang:

"They’ll exploit cross-network promotion to increase market share; they’ll scapegoat one of their own to avoid a PR backlash; they’ll risk everything for a handshake with the Saudis; they’ll bend the laws with side hustles to pad their pockets and they’ll change everything about themselves to appeal to a broader audience."

It continues:

"And sure, like any corporate goon, the Gang craves money and parasitic social privileges. That’s been plain since 2005. But they’re also human beings. They crave love.. respect… conditional freedom… constant adulation… histrionic amounts of attention… non-stop gratification… and unfiltered, slaphappy eroticism."

And concludes with:

"In Season 17, they’ll chase down them all. And the money. Obviously, the money. They don’t want to spend the rest of their lives working like dogs."

Also read: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 episode 6 ending explained: What happens to the gang at the end?

Where to watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17?

A still taken from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 (Image via Instagram/@alwayssunnyfxx)

The episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 air weekly on Wednesdays on the FXX network and debut on Hulu the next day. The basic Hulu plan starts at $9.99 per month and is available for $99.99 per year. Viewers can also opt for the Hulu Bundles that include Disney+, Max, ESPN+, and Live TV channels, as it offers a wide range of content for a fraction of its total price.

Fans outside the United States can watch the comedy series via VPN on Disney+, based on its release dates overseas.

Stay tuned for the latest news and updates on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by Meghna