‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Season 18 Episode 5 Release Date, Time, and Where to Watch
The Gang is back at Paddy’s Pub, and the fifth episode of the show’s landmark new season is nearly here. The eighteenth season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered simultaneously on FXX and FX on August 17, 2026, and consists of ten episodes. With four episodes already in the books, fans are now counting down to the next chapter of the Gang’s misadventures.
This latest outing, titled ‘The Gang Goes to the Ren Faire,’ sends Mac, Dennis, and Dee into an unfamiliar corner of Philadelphia culture. Here is everything currently known about when the episode drops, how to watch it, and what the story has in store.
Season 18 Episode 5 Release Date and Time
Episode 5, titled ‘The Gang Goes to the Ren Faire,’ is set to premiere on Monday, September 7 at 9pm ET. That scheduling keeps the series on the same weekly cadence it has followed since the season began in mid August.
According to the episode listing, the premiere date for this installment is confirmed as September 7, 2026. This marks the show’s fifth new episode in as many weeks, a pace that has held steady since launch.
Viewers outside the United States will see the episode a day later, with Canada, the UK, and Australia typically receiving new installments on Tuesdays rather than Mondays. That gap has applied to every episode of the season so far and is expected to continue through the remaining episodes.
The season is confirmed to run for ten episodes total, the first time it has reached that length since season 14 back in 2019. That extended episode count gives this fifth entry a comfortable spot near the season’s midpoint rather than its tail end.
Where to Watch the New Episode
New episodes have same night availability on the FXNOW website and on Hulu, mirroring the simulcast pattern FX and FXX have used for the series in recent years. That means subscribers to either service can stream the episode the moment it finishes airing.
Cable and satellite subscribers can also catch the episode through a traditional FX or FXX broadcast at its scheduled time. For those without a cable package, a Hulu subscription remains the most direct streaming route, since the platform carries new episodes the same night they debut.
International audiences generally rely on regional broadcasters rather than the domestic simulcast, which is part of why the episode lands a day later in markets like the UK and Australia. Viewers in those regions should check their local FX affiliate or streaming partner for the exact time the episode becomes available.
What the Ren Faire Preview Reveals
The official synopsis describes Mac, Dennis, and Dee striving to conquer their way onto the Quilt of Legends at the local Renaissance Faire, while Charlie discovers a love of luting and Frank tries to acquire the faire from old foes. The setup gives each member of the Gang a distinct, and predictably self serving, motivation once they arrive.
The season’s trailer teases the Gang battling nerds, LARPers, and a particularly petulant McPoyle clan at the Renaissance Faire. That McPoyle presence suggests the episode leans on one of the show’s longest running rivalries for its central conflict.
Guest stars for the episode reportedly include Jimmi Simpson as Liam McPoyle, Nate Mooney as Ryan McPoyle, and Guillermo Del Toro as Pappy McPoyle. That casting choice for the elder McPoyle role stands out given Del Toro’s stature outside the comedy world, and it signals the faire storyline is being treated as a notable set piece rather than a throwaway subplot.
Early critical reaction has singled out this particular episode for its tone. One review noted a scene in ‘The Gang Goes to the Ren Faire’ in which Dennis does something so unsettling in front of Charlie that Charlie can only respond that he does not know if the two of them can still be considered friends. That kind of reaction from within the show itself hints at just how far this storyline pushes the Gang’s usual dynamic.
How Season 18 Has Landed With Critics So Far
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season currently holds an approval rating of 100 percent based on nine reviews, with an average score of 7.3 out of 10. That is a strong showing for a series well into its second decade on the air.
One review singled out the Ren Faire episode specifically, noting that a McPoyle brothers cameo leads to a closing joke so distressing that it defied the critic’s own expectations for what the show could still pull off after so many seasons. The same piece pointed to a later episode, ‘Mac and Dennis Tear Their ACLs,’ as something of a tonal breather following a stretch of unsettling storylines, calling it a balm after so many shocking attacks. For a full breakdown of that critical take, IndieWire’s season review lays out how each episode escalates from the one before it.
Coverage elsewhere has focused on how far the writers have pushed the Gang’s behavior this year. One outlet described this as the worst behaved version of the Gang audiences have yet seen, while noting the series still maintains the morbidly codependent chemistry that has defined it since the beginning. Taken together, the reception suggests the show is leaning further into its darker instincts without losing the dynamic that built its audience in the first place.
Given how much the trailer and early reviews have teased about the Gang’s trip to the Renaissance Faire, it will be worth hearing how longtime fans react once Mac, Dennis, Dee, Charlie, and Frank actually collide with the McPoyles in full costume.
