It's Officially The End Of An Era For It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Despite Rare RT Score

Published Sep 14, 2026, 9:19 AM EDT

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

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It's officially the end of an era for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Despite the sitcom's rare Rotten Tomatoes score for its newest season, the show has found itself narrowly missing a massive streaming milestone as its newest season continues to air. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18 began on August 17, 2026, seeing the gang return for a new batch of adventures across 10 new episodes. This season is significant due to its rare Rotten Tomatoes score, earning a 100% critic rating ahead of its premiere.

But that positive reception can only carry the show's success so far. According to data from September 14, 2026, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has officially dropped out of Hulu's Top 10 TV shows in the United States, despite new episodes airing weekly on the platform. The show's sudden dip in viewership comes just shy of it hitting 100 days in streaming's Top 10, having hit 98 days on September 12 before getting knocked off the Top 10. It's a rather sudden occurrence, considering the show's popularity and consistent stream of new episodes.

It's Always Sunny Will Forever Be A Streaming Hit

Despite its sharp drop off, the show has been performing well on Hulu whenever a new episode airs. The latest episode was released on September 7, 2026, and saw the show climb up to Number 9 on the platform by September 9. Despite the slightly delayed viewership success, the show has still managed to consistently find an audience on streaming as season 18 has aired. The next episode, "The War on Alcohol," arrives tonight, September 14, 2026, meaning its current drop from the Top 10 may not last for very long.

Because the show still has five episodes left, the series is bound to find its way back onto Hulu's Top 10 despite not being there as of writing. The series' popularity is important, of course, but the show's overall quality and the critical response reveals just how well it's been performing for critics too. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's characters have become modern classics of the sitcom world, something that carries over into the wild adventures they get up to in the series' latest episodes.

The Show's Future Isn't Set (But Is Sure To Move Ahead)

As of writing, there's no word yet on what to expect from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's future. The show's latest batch of renewals came in December 2020, one year after season 14 ended, confirming the show would be sticking around for another four seasons. That renewal is now reaching its end with season 18, though the series doesn't show any signs of stopping just yet. Season 18 is also the longest since season 14, with 10 episodes instead of the 8-episode seasons that aired prior. It's a good sign that Hulu and FX see a future for the show.

Although there's no way of knowing if It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will actually get renewed for season 19, the series' continued streaming success appears to be a good indicator. While the show hasn't reached its 100-day goal yet, the consistent, weekly releases of new episodes signal there will be plenty of additional opportunities for the series to achieve more in the coming weeks.