Leaked ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Script Shows Original Vision for Mac’s Dance

It may always be sunny in Philadelphia, but fans recently caught a behind-the-scenes glimpse at one of the show’s rainier moments, uncovering the blueprint for the iconic interpretive dance punctuating Season 13’s “Mac Finds His Pride.” 

On Wednesday, Redditor Turbulent-Plate-2058 headed to the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia subreddit with several screenshots allegedly showing the final pages of the 2018 script, ones offering a beat-by-beat breakdown of all the tricks, cues and special effects initially intended to comprise Rob McElhenney and ballerina Kylie Shea’s now-legendary routine. 

“The LIGHTS snap to BLACK. Shafts of MOONLIGHT illuminate the stage creating a quiet, ethereal scene,” the passage begins. “The first thing we HEAR is rain beginning to drip down from the sky. Then with increasing intensity — a storm. THUNDER cracks in the distance. Then MAC, looking lonely and afraid, steps into the moonlight and kneels.” 

With the scene set, the script then details the nuances of the contemporary duet, a performance described as “quiet, tragic, rife with raw emotion.” 

“The WOMAN IS AMAZING,” it reads in all caps. “Mac, miraculously, is able to keep up. Eventually, it builds to the midpoint — a point of anguish and angst, yet undeniable beauty.” 

Though his father’s absence still takes a toll — “Mac hangs his head, heartbroken, devastated” — the show must go on. 

“The song changes from forlorn and haunting to powerful and uplifting,” the script continues. “Mac lifts the woman and throws her into the sky. He twirls her around in the rain, each move more impressive and as the music crescendos — he lifts her high into the air, their bodies in perfect form.”

As a whole, the final product largely stayed true to this original vision, offering only a few tweaks throughout the five-minute performance, ones including hearing Mac’s sobs during the musical break, the rain effect continuing, albeit slowly, throughout the entire dance, and watching Mac’s Dad stand up and walk out as opposed to simply seeing a shot of his empty seat. 

As Cheeseguy43 so aptly observed, though, Frank was right: “The dance didn’t say anything about the anal beads…”