After 20 years of running Paddy’s Pub with the gang, Glenn Howerton has had his share of anxiety about being part of the longest-running live-action comedy series in the US.
The actor, who plays toxic narcissist Dennis Reynolds, admitted he was worried It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia would “wear out our welcome” around the time Season 12 of the FXX comedy went into production in 2016.
“I was worried that maybe, we had sort of peaked or something, and I just was like, we’ve been doing this for a long time and I think I was also anxious,” he said at PaleyLive’s 20th anniversary celebration for the show, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“I had not figured out yet how to stretch myself and be able to do other things that I wanted to do with my career outside of the show,” added Howerton. “I just hadn’t figured out how to do that yet, and I was aching to do other things and so I was starting to feel a little boxed in, frankly.”
Howerton emphasized that he “never lost any appreciation for the show,” adding, “I just thought like maybe we should—and then they were like, ‘We don’t want to end it,’ and I was like, ‘Oh okay, well I can’t stop you.’ And then after that, I booked A.P. Bio.”
He previously caused speculation he was leaving the show when Dennis deserted the gang after finding out he fathered a child at the end of Season 12, returning for Seasons 13 and 14 as an actor, but not as part of the writers’ room.
Although the cliffhanger came around the time he began filming his NBC sitcom A.P. Bio (2018-’21), Howerton clarified on Twitter at the time that “whether Dennis comes back or not has nothing to do” with his other show.
Howerton co-created It’s Always Sunny with co-star Rob McElhenney, reuniting in Season 17, which premieres July 9 with ‘The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary’, the second half of the show’s two-part crossover event with ABC’s Abbott Elementary.
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