We fans of It’s always sunny in Philadelphia are used to waiting a while between seasons. But that doesn’t mean it ever gets easier. The FX sitcom about the probably dysfunctional group of friends is just that good. And we are always looking for more! Well, we may have just gotten the release window for Season 17 thanks to co-creator/actor Rob McElhenney.

As many of you fans know by now, the show is hosting a two-part crossover event Abbott Elementary School! The first part of the fourth season of the ABC comedy will air on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 (full details about the show can be found here). Part 2 of the crossover will be It’s always sunny Episode which will be the premiere episode of the 17th season. Based on McElhenney’s recent comments in an interview with Rolling Stone promoting the crossover, he revealed when we might see the series again. Here’s what the talent had to say:

“So we have the Abbott episode and then the same story, just told through the prism of Sunny, airing four or five months later. We thought, OK, this then gives us the opportunity to have our characters play in their tone and do an episode of Abbott and then have their characters play in our tone and do something that feels like an authentic episode of Sunny . The authenticity remains between both shows.

Did you hear that? Four or five months later! So that brings that It’s always sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 premieres at some point Late spring/summer 2025, i.e. May or June 2025. If I had to guess, I think June is more likely since Season 16 premieres on June 7, 2023.

That would be a year between the two seasons and almost exactly five months after Abbott Consequence. I really hope it’s early in the month so we don’t have to wait too long! But the great thing is that in the meantime we can see the gang on ABC in a few days to tide us over.

Although both sitcoms are set in Philly, some of us have wondered how the characters will interact and fit into their respective worlds because the tones are so different. Well, McElhenney and Abbot Elementary SchoolQuinta Brunson thought of that!

The ABC comedy is mockumentary-style and the characters are aware of the cameras. And that’s what that means Sunny The gang will act a little more reserved because they know they are being filmed and want to make a good impression. However, when we see the second part of the crossover from their perspective in Season 17, the cameras are off and that means they’re going back to who they really are, according to Rolling Stone. Ha!

The cool thing is that Abbott Staff will also not have cameras on them at this time, meaning we may see the group a little more authentic than they already are because they don’t have to be aware of the cameras. This is actually a really clever workaround. Especially for those who run Paddy’s Pub.

For those of us who are fans of both series, it might have easily felt like they were out of character. At a certain point, they can switch to ABC compared to FX, which is much more sophisticated. But I am confident that the essence of all the characters will be preserved and the episodes will be in good hands!

Stay tuned to Show Snob as we bring you updates It’s always sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 on FXand the crossover event with Abbott Elementary School. The first part of the Abbott And Sunny Crossover premieres on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 on ABC.