It's Always Sunny's Gang Is Totally Doing A Die Hard In Season 18 (Unless Rob Mac Is Pranking Us)

Dennis, Charlie and Mac holding drinks in Paddy's in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17
(Image credit: FX)

There’s something incredibly comforting about knowing that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is currently filming a new season, since it means fans likely won’t need to wait forever to see the Gang back at it and making life and the planet worse, one hilarious episode at a time. Details about Season 18’s subject matter are few and far between, but Rob Mac seemed to just reveal the next big action franchise the show will be parodying late in the 2026 TV schedule.

With the show likely done bringing out sporadic “sequels” to 1987’s Lethal Weapon, it only makes sense for the Gang to take another beloved blockbuster franchise to repugnant levels. And what better inspiration than an even more influential action movie from a year later, DIe Hard? While not coming right out and confirming it, Rob Mac laid the puzzle pieces out in a way where it’s easy to bring them all together. Check out his Instagram post below.

Let's directly lay out the clues here for easier understanding.


  1. That appears to be the Fox Executive building (a.k.a. Nakatomi Plaza) with fire Photoshopped onto it. That skyscraper is located behind the Fox lot where It's Always Sunny films.
  2. The building explosion seems like a clear nod to Die Hard, as does the person falling face-up the way that Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber does in that infamous shot.
  3. Rob Mac's caption of "There’s broken glass everywhere…" is a direct reference to the Season 3 episode "The Gang Gets Held Hostage," which also featured Die Hard nods.

I'd also like to throw the fact that Charlie Day and Danny DeVito appear to be wearing white T-shirts beneath the gray coveralls, but neither appears to be the kind of sleeveless shirt that Bruce Willis' John McClane wore . But I'm calling that the only strike against this assumption.

The alternate take would be if Rob Mac is just trying to pull a fast one on fans, and this is really just another reference to Lethal Weapon, with the falling body representing Riggs' suicidal tendencies. I doubt it, though.

Over the years, It’s Always Sunny has extended the Lethal Weapon franchise with a trio of installments that, while hilarious, did put the series in somewhat controversial waters when TV shows started removing eps from streaming for use of blackface. Most agree that the creative team’s abject self-awareness and satirical humor made it less of a flagrant offense than how some other projects handled things, but there's certainly something strange about seeing Emmy-winning actor and guest star Paul Walter Hauser going from Juggalo paint to blackface.

It sounds like It's Always Sunny may be taking a brief haitus later this month, as Rob Mac and his Welcome to Wrexham co-star Ryan Reynolds will soon be doing live commentary for a Wrexham match. As he put it on IG:

Ryan and I have talked about Wrexham nonstop for 5 years. What’s 90 more minutes? Join me and @vancityreynolds when we announce the Swansea match Live from Wrexham on March 13th.

Rob Mac

I suppose the Wrexham commentary could also be part of an Always Sunny episode, but that'd be too much art imitating life imitating art imitating li... Whoops, got carried away there.

So join me in hoping, wishing, praying and yippee-kiyaying for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Gang to pull a Die Hard in Season 18. Or else the German terrorists played by British actors win.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.



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