It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (season 12)

The twelfth season of the American comedy television series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered on FXX on January 4, 2017.[1] The season consists of 10 episodes and concluded on March 8, 2017.[2]

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Season 12
Promotional poster
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	10
Release
Original network	FXX
Original release	January 4 – March 8, 2017
Season chronology

Cast

Main cast

• Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly
• Glenn Howerton as Dennis Reynolds
• Rob McElhenney as Mac
• Kaitlin Olson as Dee Reynolds
• Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds

Recurring cast

• David Hornsby as Cricket

Guest stars

• Scott Bakula as himself
• Chad L. Coleman as Z
• David Benioff as Bored Lifeguard #1
• D. B. Weiss as Bored Lifeguard #2
• Lynne Marie Stewart as Mrs. Kelly
• Dana White as himself
• Megan Olivi as herself
• Donald Cerrone as himself
• Paul Felder as himself
• Mary Elizabeth Ellis as The Waitress
• Lance Barber as Bill Ponderosa
• Renée Felice Smith as Belle
• Burnie Burns (uncredited) as Man at Bar

Production

The series was renewed for an eleventh and twelfth season on April 4, 2014, each to consist of 10 episodes.[2] On December 15, 2016, Glenn Howerton revealed the season premiere would be a musical episode.[3]

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
125	1	"The Gang Turns Black"	Matt Shakman	Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney	January 4, 2017	XIP12008	0.730[4]
In this musical episode, an accident involving an electric blanket and a VCR playing The Wiz causes the Gang to appear African-American in the mirror and in everyone else's eyes while the old man who appeared at the end of "Dennis and Mac Move to the Suburbs" vanishes. Now they must find a way to reverse the spell while facing the prejudice and discrimination that comes with being black in America.
126	2	"The Gang Goes to a Water Park"	Matt Shakman	Eric Ledgin	January 11, 2017	XIP12007	0.574[5]
The Gang spends a day at a water park: Dennis teaches a 12-year-old girl the ways of a manipulative sociopath; Mac and Dee get stuck on a waterslide (Dee is paranoid about the amount of urine in water-park water); and Frank and Charlie try to go on every ride, including one that's not open yet.
127	3	"Old Lady House: A Situation Comedy"	Maurice Marable	Dannah Phirman & Danielle Schneider	January 18, 2017	XIP12005	0.602[6]
Charlie thinks Mac's mom is holding his mom hostage so the Gang installs spy cameras in their house to monitor what's going on...and Dennis turns their videotaped antics into a sitcom.
128	4	"Wolf Cola: A Public Relations Nightmare"	Matt Shakman	David Hornsby & Scott Marder	January 25, 2017	XIP12006	0.629[7]
Frank's Fluids, LLC is in big trouble after a news segment reports that Wolf Cola has become the official drink of Boko Haram instead of Boca Raton. Meanwhile, Mac and Charlie try to promote Fight Milk (the drink they tried to promote near the end of "Frank's Back in Business") which leads to more trouble.
129	5	"Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer"	Maurice Marable	Conor Galvin	February 1, 2017	XIP12004	0.602[8]
In this send-up of murderer documentaries like Making a Murderer and The Jinx, Maureen Ponderosa—now almost finished transitioning into an anthropomorphic cat—is found dead in an alley, and Dennis is the prime suspect, based on his short-lived marriage to her and the growing evidence that he's a sexual predator who targets women.
130	6	"Hero or Hate Crime?"	Jamie Babbit	Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney	February 8, 2017	XIP12002	0.551[9]
The Gang consults three different arbitrators to determine the rightful owner of a lost scratch-off lottery ticket and prove whether Frank using a homophobic slur against Mac to save him from getting crushed by a piano is considered a heroic act or a hate crime.
131	7	"PTSDee"	Jamie Babbit	Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney	February 15, 2017	XIP12003	0.572[10]
Dee helps a male stripper who feels that he's hit rock-bottom after sleeping with her. Meanwhile, Dennis becomes a male stripper with Charlie as his assistant, and Mac's and Frank's mental health deteriorates while playing a virtual-reality war game.
132	8	"The Gang Tends Bar"	Matt Shakman	Megan Ganz	February 22, 2017	XIP12009	0.587[11]
It's Valentine's Day, and Paddy's is packed with customers. Dennis demands that the Gang actually put in a day's worth of work, but everyone else would rather try to open a crate in the alley. Elsewhere, Dee is furious when she gives Charlie a valentine and he doesn't return the favor.
133	9	"A Cricket's Tale"	Jamie Babbit	David Hornsby & Scott Marder	March 1, 2017	XIP12001	0.523[12]
In this episode that takes place between "PTSDee" and "The Gang Tends Bar," Rickety Cricket is offered a chance to escape the Gang's toxic influence and recover some of his former life when his estranged father suddenly shows up to offer his a job with his company, but a strange young woman complicates things.
134	10	"Dennis' Double Life"	Matt Shakman	Charlie Day & Glenn Howerton & Rob McElhenney	March 8, 2017	XIP12010	0.640[13]
Dennis discovers that the woman he had sex with during his North Dakota layover on "The Gang Beats Boggs" has a child, and he must decide whether to leave her a single mother or move in with her and raise the kid; meanwhile, Charlie finally has sex with The Waitress.

Reception

The twelfth season received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 93% with an average score of 8.76 out of 10 based on 15 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Twelve seasons in and It's Always Sunny still shines bright thanks to its willingness to trod into new comedic territory and push the limits of its already limitless characters."[14]

References

1. Pedersen, Erik (November 7, 2016). "'It's Always Sunny' & 'Man Seeking Woman' Get Return Dates On FXX". Deadline. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
2. Fienberg, Dan (April 4, 2014). "FX renews 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,' extends deal with stars". HitFix. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
3. Howerton, Glenn (December 15, 2016). "Almost time for Season 12. First ep. is a musical. Jan. 4. #sunnyfxx". Twitter. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
4. Welch, Alex (January 5, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Vikings' rises as NBA lands on top". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
5. Welch, Alex (January 12, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Teen Mom 2' scores high, 'Vikings' holds steady". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
6. Welch, Alex (January 19, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: NBA lands on top, 'Six' makes it premiere". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 20, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
7. Welch, Alex (January 26, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'The New Edition Story' wins second night, 'The Magicians' hits series high". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
8. Welch, Alex (February 2, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Vikings' holds steady, 'The Magicians' dips". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
9. Welch, Alex (February 9, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Legion' premiere brings in strong numbers, 'The Magicians' holds steady". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
10. Welch, Alex (February 16, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Black Ink Crew' wins the night, 'Legion' dips". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
11. Welch, Alex (February 23, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Alaskan Bush People' ticks up, 'Legion' ticks up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
12. Metcalf, Mitch (March 2, 2017). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.1.2017". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
13. Welch, Alex (March 9, 2017). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'Underground' scores strong premiere, 'Legion' holds steady". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
14. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 12 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 12, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia – list of episodes at IMDb