FXX’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has impressively never fatigued to the point of cancellation, even extending beyond Season 12 to a record-setting 13 and 14. The cast has even managed to squeeze in additional projects without disrupting the series, but the Season 12 exit of Dennis may be more permanent for Glenn Howerton than we expected.

You’re warned of Always Sunny Season 12 spoilers from here on out (hey, anyone can have spoilers), though this past Wednesday’s finale saw the Paddy’s Pub fivesome down to four. The plot of “Dennis’ Double Life” saw the revelation that Dennis had actually fathered a child in North Dakota, after which the elaborate attempt to shirk responsibility led to an epiphany, and apparent exit for the character.

Normally, Always Sunny might easily undo such a dramatic exit in Season 13, though the hours before the finale saw word breaking that Howerton had been cast in NBC’s upcoming Seth Meyers-produced comedy pilot alongside Patton Oswalt. Questions of a balanced schedule also arose with Kaitlin Olson’s FOX comedy The Mick, though as UPROXX reports, Olson has a much easier time shuffling between siblings FOX and FXX, as opposed to NBC and FXX for Howerton.

It’s even possible Season 13 will take a longer time to return, as Howerton elaborates:

Just to be clear, to dispel any potential weirdness, it has nothing to do with my relationship to anyone on the show or Rob or Charlie or anyone like that. It’s partially a creative and personal decision. We may be taking an extended hiatus between season 12 and season 13. So I’m certainly staying open to the possibility of doing more, but there is a possibility that I will not.

NBC may not necessarily pick up said pilot, but stay tuned for further updates on whether Howerton will be back for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 13. Even with two more years ordered, might we finally see the end of Sunny?

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