November 20, 2017
With Netflix set to lose "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" in less than a month, easy access to the life and times of Dennis Reynolds may be coming to an end.
For months now, the big question hanging over the long-running sitcom has been the status of Glenn Howerton, whose character left Philly on ambiguous terms at the end of last season.
The implication was that Howerton's commitment to NBC's upcoming "AP Bio" — and a possible role in Fox's "Cool Kids" pilot — might keep him out of the FXX series' 13th season.
The gang was on hand at the Vulture Festival in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon to answer some questions about the future of the show, according to IndieWire.
What Howerton had to say didn't sound too promising, despite Kaitlin Olson's confident lobbying effort in recent months.
"Eh, damn it," Howerton said in response to a question about his plans. "I will say this: All joking aside, I love these guys and we have an absolute blast working together. We’ll see.”
Series co-creator Rob McElhenney promised "all sorts of surprises" regardless of whether Dennis Reynolds is part of the picture when writing for next season begins in the coming months. It's hard to imagine Dennis' ghost, in one way or another, won't become a factor.
As lukewarm as Howerton's response sounds, it should be noted that he's the cast member who once gave some credence to the idea of "Always Sunny" movie happening someday. If Dennis Reynolds is departing from the TV series, either for now or for good, confronting his absence for some godforsaken reason would make for a fun film.
Production for Season 13 is expected to start in April with a release date in fall 2018.
