One of The Gang from the FXX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has confirmed that the 13th season of the series is being delayed a year. Making its debut on FX in 2005 (it moved to FXX in Season 9), Always Sunny has developed an extremely loyal fan base over years. Using an Irish bar in Philly as its home base, the show followed the exploits of five eccentrics in the City of Brotherly Love, including Dennis (Glenn Howerton), his sister Dee (Kaitlin Olson), their father Frank (Danny DeVito), and their friends Charlie (Charlie Day) and Mac (show creator Rob McElhenney).

Not afraid to offend anyone or broach any subject, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia raised the stakes probably more than ever in Season 12. Despite being picked up for Seasons 13 and 14 a year ago, Season 12 ended with uncertainty with the apparent departure of Howertown to work on an NBC pilot.

And while she didn't address Howerton's fate, Olsen in a new interview with TV Guide confirms Always Sunny is indeed coming back, but after taking off a year. Olsen says:

"We ended up pushing our next season a year because we were all busy with separate projects this year. So at the end of this coming shooting season of The Mick I'll step right into Sunny after that."

The Its Always Sunny Gang Squashes Their Beefs Gang Screenshot

While the reports about Howertown's possible departure from Always Sunny could be construed as one of the reasons for the delay, Olsen isn't blowing smoke about the cast members' busy schedule. She's already completed one season of The Mick for Fox, and Day has carved out a nice career in feature films (in addition to the Horrible Bosses movies, he mostly recently starred in Fist Fight). McElhenney, meanwhile, is set to direct direct the live-action adaptation of the video game Minecraft, while DeVito is busy starring in The Prince on Broadway.

With any luck, perhaps another reason for the yearlong delay for Season 13 of Always Sunny is The Gang's efforts to get Howerton back onboard. True, Season 12 ended on somewhat of a downer when Glenn exited the bar, a la Sam Malone in Cheers, to grow up and be a dad. Before that, though, the show hit high marks with episodes about The Gang going to a water park; and in what may have been its most politically incorrect episode yet, the show about their arbitration over a $2 scratch-off lottery ticket. It proves that the stars certainly aren't taking time of to recharge their creative batteries; they're clearly already at the top of their game.

We'll bring you more details on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 13 as they become available.

Source: TV Guide