“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has been going on for 16 seasons now, and the show still feels like it’s got a good 16 seasons left to go.
Of all the live-action sitcoms today, only “Curb Your Enthusiasm” can match up to the show’s longevity, and “Curb” takes way longer breaks between seasons.For a show to go on as long as “Always Sunny” has, there needs to be a strong creative code the writers abide by.
That includes certain “jump the shark” roads the writers are fully aware of from the get-go, which they promise through sheer force of will to never go down.
That’s why “Always Sunny” has never done the much-maligned straightforward clip show episode, nor has it given any of its characters a child to take care of long-term.
“Always Sunny” has learned from the mistakes of all the sitcoms before it, and it’s managed to avoid those mistakes for nearly two decades.
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