Hello dear reader: if you are not up to date with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, whose 12th season finished up in March last year, you don’t want to read this. This is just spoiler central. So go catch up and we’ll see you later, yeah?
Alright, let’s do this properly: At the end of the most recent season of It’s Always Sunny, Dennis Reynolds – the most repulsive character of a truly awful lot – as played by Glenn Howerton, left Paddy’s Pub to give fatherhood a red hot go, after he found out he had unwittingly sired a son with a woman he met in a North Dakota Applebee’s following the events of season 10’s cross-country beer challenge odyssey ‘The Gang Beats Boggs‘.
Dennis’ shock exit led to a lot of speculation about whether or not the character would be returning for the show’s commissioned 13th and 14th seasons, and from what we can gather he’s probably not (???).
Care of Variety, US network FXX have released the synopsis for the upcoming season – which is set to kick off on September 5 – and it’s certainly looking like a Golden God-free zone:
The Gang Returns – mostly – in the 13th season of the FXX original comedy series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Mac (Rob McElhenney), Charlie (Charlie Day), Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Frank (Danny DeVito) return to their duplicitous, scheming ways at Paddy’s Pub, while Dennis (Glenn Howerton) takes on the new role of father in North Dakota. Last season, the Gang experienced new highs – Mac acknowledged his sexuality and Charlie convinced the Waitress, his longtime target of affection, to move in with him – and the lowest of lows – Frank became the official beverage sponsor of a terrorist group, Dee helped a man reach rock bottom, and Dennis was investigated for murder.
Even without Dennis Reynolds, the Gang has its hands full as Charlie hopes to have a child with The Waitress, Mac sets out to understand his newfound sexuality, Dee takes feminism to new heights, and Frank goes to great lengths for the Gang to experience the greatest moment in Philadelphia sports history – an Eagles Super Bowl victory.
Howerton himself may have simply been too busy to reprise the role – he’s currently the lead in NBC comedy A.P. Bio, as a disgraced philosophy scholar forced to return to his hometown to teach high school biology. The series was renewed for a second season in May.
While Dennis’ sister Dee, Kaitlin Olson told The Wrap in April that he’d be “coming back for some episodes” – “I don’t know the specifics, but I do know how he’s being introduced back in, and it is absolutely hilarious” – Howerton took to Twitter within days to dispel the rumour.
Sorry, guys but, that stupid dumb flightless bird doesn’t know what she’s saying. Dennis is NOT confirmed for season 13. We are writing now. Stay tuned.
— Glenn Howerton (@GlennHowerton) April 8, 2018
Even earlier this year, Howerton, who is still on board It’s Always Sunny as a writer and executive producer, started a Twitter thread to lay speculation about Dennis’ future to rest with the very conclusive “We don’t know yet.”
THREAD: 1) I don’t know why people are putting out articles saying that I confirmed that Dennis is coming back. I never said that. What I said is that it is POSSIBLE that he’ll come back.
— Glenn Howerton (@GlennHowerton) January 27, 2018
2) What I also said is that whether Dennis comes back or not has nothing to do with AP Bio. They are 2 separate projects. It is a creative decision that Rob, Charlie and I have to make once the writing process starts, which it hasn’t yet.
— Glenn Howerton (@GlennHowerton) January 27, 2018
3) Telling you whether or not Dennis is coming back would be giving away the plot of the next season. So… to clarify once and for all. I don’t know if Dennis is coming back. He left the bar. We take that plot choice seriously.
— Glenn Howerton (@GlennHowerton) January 27, 2018
4) I don’t know why the narrative continues to be centered around whether “I’m” coming back. I’m here. It’s whether or not “Dennis” is coming back. Dennis could be gone forever.
— Glenn Howerton (@GlennHowerton) January 27, 2018
5) Please don’t think that AP Bio is taking me away from Sunny. It isn’t. That’s like saying that Jumanji is taking The Rock away from Fast and Furious. They are different projects. Thanks guys. I can’t wait for you all to see AP Bio. END THREAD
— Glenn Howerton (@GlennHowerton) January 27, 2018
It doesn’t help that all the pictures from set so far have been sans Dennis (but with buff Mac, Rob McElhenney – although we’re pretty much certain to score a Mindy Kaling cameo.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkSu8BMH6Pz/?taken-by=charliedayofficial
Can’t say we’re not still holding out hope we’ll see at least a few episodes of Dennis slowly driven mad by his return to a domestic lifestyle ‘Mac & Dennis Move to the Suburbs‘-style. A girl can dream.
