If asked to list current TV shows that would probably be hardest for a network censor to make calls on, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia would earn at least three entries. The Gang’s action earned them a spot in our Best Sitcoms of All-Time rankings, where it’s arguably the most NSFW entry despite having to deal with (albeit loose) network censors. It’s Always Sunny Season 17 will be no exception either, as Rob McElhenney revealed issues arose over a planned plotline’s “graphic bestiality simulation.”
That’s not a description you’ll likely hear coming up in any upcoming Marvel TV shows or applied to any episodes of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. But that’s just how things go for It’s Always Sunny’s creative team. Before looking at the latest update shared by McElhenney, let’s take a look at the original message he’d shared via Instagram Stories in early October ahead of the start of Season 17 filming. Along with a caption that says "Sunny Standards & Practices are something else," here's what the actual letter to the writers said:
Caution on scene where Dennis shoots video footage of him masturbating a dog & when Dennis holds up a 'Tupperware container.' Any graphic bestiality simulation must be avoided for cuts airing on both FX linear channel & the Hulu platform. Given the nature of the scenes, always shoot alternate angles and positioning so that there are options to work with should they be needed during Post Production. Please keep the semen Tupperware as generic and nondescript as possible.
Now, without any further context, it would be very easy to form all kinds of hypothetical explanations for why the Always Sunny team wrote a scene in which Glenn Howerton's Dennis gives a dog a handjob, with "It's daytime," and "I'm bored," both potentially correct. But a smarter guess might be that the show will feature a story arc about the gang trying to make money through dog breeding. It'd help this argument if the note said "Dennis masturbating a pedigree purebred dog."
In any case, that note did a pretty good job of laying out that a scene of that variety would be necessarily cut in order to air without issue on FXX and to stream accordingly on Hulu. To say nothing about how this series also streams on Disney+. No crossovers with Bluey for you, Dennis! Just the upcoming crossover episode with Abbott Elementary, and no dogs in that episode, please.
Rob McElhenney's Latest Standards & Practices Update
Obviously McElhenney & Co. weren't going to take that denial letter lying down with their hind legs in the air. Judging by the language in the reply letter, which he shared on his Instagram Stories, it sounds like the writers' attempts to tone the scene down fell short of being successful.
Of all the terrible things The Gang has done to other characters across the previous 16 seasons, a dog breeding scheme doesn't sound quite so controversial on paper. But that's what I get for being naive enough to think that the show would actively avoid showing audiences exactly how Dennis would draw the semen out of the animal. I guess it's no longer just about...the implication.
Will Dennis jerk a dog off in Season 17? Considering Yellowstone showed Jimmy briefly masturbating a horse for the sake of breeding purposes. Though the western drama didn't have anyone nearby ready to collect using a dish that had leftovers in it hours prior.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is available to stream in full with a Hulu subscription or a Disney+ subscription.