“The Gang” is ramping up the satire for the historic 14th season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
With this latest season, the FX series has officially tied the record with “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” as the longest running live-action sitcom of all time. For a show that’s been on air for so long and has covered so many hot topic issues, what more could they possibly lampoon? “Even more satire,” Kaitlin Olson (who plays Dee) told Variety at the show’s red carpet premiere at the TCL Chinese Theater on Tuesday night.
One subject taking center stage this season is global warming; in fact, an entire episode is devoted to it, titled “The Gang Solves Global Warming.” Charlie Day (Charlie) described the impetus for taking on the topic, telling Variety, “At the beginning of the writer’s room year we’ll look at what’s going on in the world and we’ll say, ‘Do we have anything to say about this?’ [Global warming] seemed like fertile ground so we went about it this year.”
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“It’s clear that we’re barreling towards a global catastrophe and we thought that we would satirize that with late night basic cable dick jokes,” Rob McElhenney (Mac) quipped.
“We are a microcosm of basically of what you see everyday in the news,” Danny DeVito (Frank) told Variety, before simplifying the sentiment: “You’re f—ed.” While the Gang may not be able to solve global warming, DeVito suggested a real life solution. “Get rid of Exxon for crying out loud.”
“I was watching Greta Thunberg today — she’s a cool little kid from Sweden. There were a lot of people supporting her out there in the world. Is it going to make a difference? Only if the bozos in office get off their asses and do something about it,” DeVito continued. “Why don’t they give a s—? I just can’t figure it out. Rob and Charlie and Kaitlin and I — we all love it when we do MeToo episodes and global warming episodes and xenophobic things and all the things we’re experiencing today.”
The actor is notably outspoken politically, endorsing Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders in both 2016 and 2020. But is his character also “feeling the Bern?” “Frank would vote for Bernie for sure,” he said, explaining that the vote wouldn’t be cast because of any of Frank’s political convictions (of which the character has very few, unless they’re in service of his own personal gain), but at the behest of the actor who plays him. “I would make him.”
Olson shared she’s particularly fond of another upcoming satirical episode: “There’s an episode about a woman’s right to cut her hair. The guys really weigh in because they have to look at the hair. They feel they should have an opinion on whether or not that’s something women should do.”
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While four out of five of the Gang spoke openly, Glenn Howerton (Dennis) was conspicuously cagey. In fact, he said nothing at all because he appeared only in effigy. His co-stars wheeled around a life-size dummy, complete with realistic, wavy Dennis hair and an unflatteringly agape mouth, allowing the absentee actor to walk — or roll — the carpet in spirit.
After the cast made their way into the screening, McElhenney thanked the 500 fans in attendance. He then gave a mock recap for the friends and family of the show, joking that they probably haven’t seen an episode in 10 years. “The characters haven’t grown, changed, learned anything, evolved in any way, so you’re not going to be lost,” he said. “Yeah, Mac is gay now. He’s still the same degenerate sociopath piece of garbage just like the rest of the cast of characters that for some reason you people seem to love.”
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” season 14 premieres Wednesday on FX.