WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17, episode 8!When It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s season 17 finale began, it felt a bit off, which can be explained by the episode missing one of the series’ most iconic trademarks. Similar to the season opener, which was part 2 of It’s Always Sunny’s crossover with Abbott Elementary, the season 17 finale takes on the format of another Disney-owned series, The Golden Bachelor.
In It’s Always Sunny season 17’s ending, Frank Reynolds is the titular Golden Bachelor on the reality show hosted by Jesse Palmer. For the most part, the appearances of It’s Always Sunny’s main cast, new characters, and Jesse Palmer operate under the typical guidelines of The Bachelor franchise, with talking heads, cuts to the host’s comments, and its own score and intro music. As such, the finale is missing some key Sunny elements.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Season 17 Finale Doesn’t Include The Show’s Iconic Opening Credits Sequence
One of the biggest trademarks of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is its theme song and opening credits sequence, in which “Temptation Sensation” plays over shots of locations in Philadelphia. However, while it’s always expected to play after the opening title card in each episode, that never happens in “The Golden Bachelor Live.”
Instead of the cast and crew’s credits appearing over shots of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s titular location, the opening credits in the season 17 finale occur in the Bachelor franchise’s format. While Jesse Palmer introduces Frank’s Golden Bachelor episode, the names of the actors like Rob Mac, Kaitlin Olson, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, and Danny DeVito appear in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Considering it’s the season finale, it was surprising that It’s Always Sunny season 17 wouldn’t go out using the show’s signature calling cards. With two of It’s Always Sunny season 17’s eight episodes consisting of TV crossovers, this year’s outing ended up being very different from previous installments from the past 20 years. As such, it’s curious to see what other changes season 18 and beyond will bring.
It’s Always Sunny Has Only Changed Its Opening Credits A Few Times Over 17 Seasons
While it still comes as a surprise when they’re changed, “The Golden Bachelor Live” isn’t the first time It’s Always Sunny has departed from its iconic opening credits. For instance, It’s Always Sunny season 17, episode 4 dropped “Temptation Sensation” for a Succession-like theme song just a few episodes ago.
Notably, the Gang’s trip to Ireland throughout It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 15 came with a different Irish theme song and visuals in the opening credits. Beginning with “The Gang Goes to Ireland,” the theme song was substituted with “Pot of Gold” by Christopher Beaty and was accompanied by shots of Ireland.
For the most part, if It’s Always Sunny changes its opening credits theme and visuals, it’s in association with a major shift in format and location. Considering It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia did so multiple times throughout season 17, some adjustments to the iconic opening credits and theme can be expected for a unique episode or two in season 18.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
10/10
- Release Date
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August 4, 2005
- Showrunner
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Rob McElhenney
- Directors
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Matt Shakman, Fred Savage, Todd Biermann, Daniel Attias, Richie Keen, Randall Einhorn, Heath Cullens, Pete Chatmon, Jerry Levine, Kat Coiro, Megan Ganz, Jamie Babbit, John Fortenberry, Maurice Marable, Kimberly McCullough, Imani Hakim, LP, Tim Roche
- Writers
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Scott Marder, Rob Rosell, Dave Chernin, John Chernin, Dannah Feinglass Phirman, Danielle Schneider, Conor Galvin, Becky Mann, Luvh Rakhe, Audra Sielaff, Eric Ledgin, Patrick Walsh, Lee Sung-jin, Mehar Sethi, Nina Pedrad, Keyonna Taylor, D. B. Weiss, David Benioff, Elijah Aron, Hunter Covington, Jordan Young, Adam Stein, Chris Romano, Eric Falconer
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Charlie Day
Charlie Kelly
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Glenn Howerton
Dennis Reynolds
