Is Glenn Howerton truly It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s wildcard, as season 16 arrives on Netflix soon?

Our favourite degenerates from Philadelphia are making a welcome return to Netflix here in the UK, as the sixteenth season of FXX’s cult classic ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ finally makes its way to the streaming platform - perhaps a fair(ish) trade-off for ‘Peep Show’ being removed from the network?

For those of us who have had the luxury of watching Season 16 already, we can attest that it once again cements the show as one of the best long-running comedies on television in recent years, and the chemistry between the actors, including Wrexham AFC co-owner Rob McElheney and Kaitlin Olson, is on par with another classic in television comedy; the hallowed ‘Arrested Development.’

But it’s interesting to see how the creators of the show are manoeuvring Dennis Reynolds, played by Glenn Howerton, into less of the straight-man role and more unhinged. It would appear that long-term storytelling is now part of the IASIP cannon, with callbacks to moments even us ardent ‘It’s Always Sunny’ fans only just recall, leading to revisits of previous episodes to see if indeed Charlie Day, Rob McElheney and Glenn Howerton took a page out of Mitch Hurwtiz’s book and foreshadowed storylines for the future

Howerton himself is having a little bit of a purple patch in terms of acclaim too; the television and film gods have been slightly unkind to him with shows being cancelled ahead of their time or having to take over slots that were occupied by future classics that went too soon themselves. 

So what are some of the more memorable roles that Glenn Howerton has performed in throughout his career, and what is the film that has generated Oscar-buzz around him already?

What are some of Glenn Howerton’s most memorable roles?

Blackberry

It’s the role that has led to early Oscar calls for Howerton; in ‘Blackberry,’ a historical ‘biopic’ about the rise and fall of the Blackberry mobile phone, Howerton takes on the role of Jim Balsillie, the former chair and co-chief executive officer of the Canadian technology company Research In Motion (BlackBerry), which at its prime made over $20 billion in sales annually.

In his role, Howerton shaved part of his head to recreate Balsillie’s male pattern baldness, striking quite the different figure to that of Dennis in ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ and reviews for his portrayal have been universally acclaimed, with Rotten Tomatoes stating the film has an approval rating of 98% based on 171 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.

A.P Bio

Howerton’s foray into sitcoms after the success of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Phiadelphia’ saw him team up with former ‘SNL’ writer Mike O’Brien in the NBC comedy ‘A.P Bio.’ Howerton plays once again a morally duplicitous character, Jack Griffin, a philosophy professor who, after being fired from his Harvard position, returns to his hometown and picks up teaching Advanced Placement Biology all while trying to find opportunities to move out.

Though the series was cancelled by NBC after two seasons, the show saw a renewed lease of life away from network television and instead had two further seasons on NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock. Despite mixed reviews, critics still found Howerton’s character engaging, especially as Griffin’s heart of ice slowly begins to melt while working with the students he has reluctantly taken on.

That 80’s Show

But before ‘A.P Bio’ and even before ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,’ Howerton was the lead actor in Fox’s ‘That 80’s Show,’ their successor to the incredibly popular ‘That 70’s Show’ which helped launch the careers of Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace. Sadly though, the show did not achieve the same level of pop cultural success as its previous decade’s work.

It had very big shoes to fill, as it took over the slot on Fox once inhabited by the cult classic ‘Freaks and Geeks’ which starred up-and-comers Seth Rogen, Linda Cardellini and James Franco - and as the humour fell flat, so did the TV studio’s interest in the show. We still got to see a glimpse of the softer side of Howerton, as he played Corey Howard, a struggling musician who lives at home with his sister Katie and his father R. T. Howard, who works at Permanent Record, a record store.

Crank/Crank: High Voltage

Though not a big role in the Jason Statham high-octane action flick (and really a great hour or two out of your day for mindless fun), Howerton still had two memorable cameos in ‘Crank’ and its sequel ‘Crank: High Voltage.’ In the first film, Howerton played a junior doctor that Statham’s character, Chev Chelios, harasses to get the paraphernalia required to get him out of the jam he is in.

In the second film, he is spotted once again only this time in a therapist's office detailing his progress after his run-in with Chelios in the first film; sadly, it doesn’t end well for him in the sequel as much as it did for him in the first film.

Fargo

Howerton's role in ‘Fargo’ was relatively brief, spanning five episodes in the second season, it left a lasting impact on viewers. His portrayal of Don Chumph showcased his versatility as an actor, as he transitioned from his more well-known comedic roles to deliver a compelling performance in a dark and dramatic setting. 

The second season of "Fargo" received critical acclaim for its storytelling and character development, and Howerton's contribution to the series added to its overall success, further establishing his reputation as a talented actor capable of taking on a wide range of roles across different genres.

When is Season 16 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Netflix in the UK?

The sixteenth season of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ arrives on Netflix in the United Kingdom on September 15 2023. The entire series will be available for ‘binge-watching’ rather than the series being released episodically by the streaming giant.