It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 Episode 5 almost recreates a Season 2 moment that fans may not have noticed

Created by Rob McElhenney, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, is a sitcom created for FX that premiered in 2005 and is airing even today. Starring Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito, and others, the cult classic series subverts all the tropes of a sitcom and focuses on a group of narcissistic and sociopathic friends, who run an Irish dive bar called paddy’s Pub, in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The show’s 17th season premiered recently on July 9, 2025 and the show has more seasons than any other live-action sitcom in the US. Lauded for its humor and performances, the show follows characters like Charlie Kelly, Mac, Frank Reynolds, and others, who while away their time plotting elaborate cons against each other or drinking and arguing with each other.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is loved by critics and viewers alike and even after all these seasons, it still has the ability to shock viewers with its subversive and depraved antics. In a recent episode from the new season of the show, an episode brings back similarities from a previous episode, which fans of the show might not have noticed.

The similarities between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 Episode 5 and a Season 2 moment

The 5th episode of the 17th season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is titled, “The Gang Goes to a Dog Track” and focuses on Frank (Danny) tricking the gang into thinking that they are going to a Kentucky Derby. However, they are going to a dog racetrack. Frank also makes Dennis and Dee get addicted to gambling and then tricks them into giving their winnings to him. However, as is always the case with the show, things get dark fast as the gambling forces Dennis and Dee to do terrible and demeaning things. Ultimately, Dee commits an atrocious act that involves a dog.

Elsewhere Charlie and Dee meet a man called Sparky, who lives in a trailer outside the dog tracks and eats raw food from the ground, spits in dog bowls, and is despicable, to say the least. However, all these instances from the new season’s episode, are reminiscent of an earlier episode from season 2 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

The show has had the same writers for two decades and therefore, the episodes and tones often repeat in nature. In the season 2 episode titled, “Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody’s A**”, there are notable comparisons between this episode and the one from the new season. In the season 2 episode, Dennis, Mac, and Frank decide to allow smoking in the bar and attract a large crowd. However, Frank’s men of Vietnamese gamblers also create a ruckus in the crowd. Even though this episode does not have Frank forcing his children to humiliate themselves, it is a callback to Frank’s gambling. Even in the older episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Frank bets on Russian Roulette and that also goes horribly wrong.

Both episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia have a dark ending

Once again, both episodes follow the classic tone of the show, with a rather dark ending. Charlie and Mac tell Sparky that the racetrack is shutting down and Sparky goes to the backroom of his trailer and shuts the door and the viewers hear a gunshot. Therefore, Sparky kills himself after feeling that his life has no purpose without the racetrack. Even in the older episode, Frank’s gambling also results in a tragic death. Both the episodes are therefore reminiscent of each other and fans of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will agree that the show still has the ability to shock its viewers.

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It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is available on Hulu.

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