FX
Having been on the air for a record-setting 16 seasons now, it should come as no surprise that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has a seemingly never-ending catalog of running jokes.
Of all the running gags in Always Sunny, one of the most famous is likely that Dennis Reynolds is likely a psychopathic serial killer. Not only is Dennis’ status as a psycho implied perhaps dozens of times throughout the course of the series but there’s literally a season 12 episode titled “Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer.”
Somewhat shockingly, though, Glenn Howerton — the actor who has hilariously played Dennis since the show began — actually doesn’t think his Always Sunny counterpart is a psychopath as he believes he does, in fact, experience emotion.
“He does have feelings; he has very deep and strong feelings, and he’s actually a very fragile person, so a lot of his psychopathic behavior comes from a deep-seated insecurity,” Howerton told Vice during an interview.
Now, Howerton gave this interview back in 2015, which means a lot about Dennis Reynolds has changed since then, particularly the brazenness in which the series depicts his psychopathic/potentially murderous traits and tendencies.
Earlier this month, the historic 16th season of It’s Always Sunny premiered on FXX, extending the show’s streak as the longest-running live-action comedy in the history of American television. Currently, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been renewed through its 18th season.
In addition to Howerton — who also co-created the show — as Dennis Reynolds, the beloved comedy also stars Rob McElhenney as Ronald “Mac” McDonald, Charlie Day as Charlie Kelly, Kaitlin Olson as Dee Reynolds, and Danny DeVito as Frank Reynolds.
All 16 seasons of the series are currently streaming on Hulu. You can also check out the official trailer for season 16, which featured Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul in its most recent episode, below.