‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Pays Homage to ‘Gilligan’s Island’ With Conspiracy Episode

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia paid homage to a TV classic in its latest Season 18 episode, aptly titled “Gilligan’s Island: A Conspiracy Theorist’s Paradise.” Warning: Spoilers for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 18, Episode 7!

In the episode, Mac (Rob Mac) and Charlie (Charlie Day) are tasked with boiling Frank’s (Danny DeVito) documents, during which conspiracies take center stage in their conversation.

Playing tongue-in-cheek with phrasing like “drinking the Kool-Aid,” Charlie and Mac are led to believe they’re experiencing paranoia as they destroy Frank’s documents. As they get on with the job, Mac gets hung up on the conspiracy around Gilligan’s Island, and why it didn’t make it to 100 episodes, which would have put it into syndication.

While Mac fills Charlie in on what he believes is a conspiracy to keep the former favorite from reaching a syndication milestone, he tries to pitch his idea for a one-hundredth episode, envisioning himself and the whole gang as beloved characters from the comedy. Eventually, Charlie and Mac uncover that in this scenario, they’re mere side characters, forcing them to investigate.

They realize they’re being tracked by bird cameras and fake rain. When they approach Paddy’s Pub, after leaving Charlie’s apartment where they’d been boiling the documents, they walk in to find Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and Frank sharing their own pitch for an episode to a man they believe is Gilligan’s Island and The Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz’s grandson. When the man announces he likes their pitch, he reveals that he’s not related to the creator of the former series, but shares the same name.

The joke? The man is actually Sherwood Schwartz’s grandson, Andy Schwartz, in real life and in the show. As Andy gets in a car, he calls an unseen family member to announce he’s found the perfect idea for a one-hundredth episode. Unfortunately, the conspiracy Mac is hung up on proves to be true when the driver turns around and shoots Andy in the head, essentially preventing the syndication possibility.

Needless to say, it’s a fun homage episode that pays respects to a TV classic, while also examining today’s current fascination with conspiracies. The inclusion of Andy Schwartz is a fun one as well, considering he’s followed in his grandfather’s footsteps by joining the family business, working behind the scenes on comedies like Scrubs.

So, what did you think of the sweet homage? Let us know in the comments section below, and don’t miss what other shenanigans the gang gets up to as Always Sunny continues.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 18, Mondays, 9/8, FXX