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Guillermo del Toro thinks "full-on comedy," is very difficult to do, but there is one Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode he wishes he'd directed

Del Toro, AKA Pappy McPoyle to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans, might have a favorite season 5 episode with some... er, body horror?

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Tue Sep 15 2026

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Don't let anyone ever tell you that Guillermo del Toro doesn't have an incredible sense of humor. Look no further than his recurring role as Pappy McPoyle, the freaky patriarch of an even freakier family that appear on the long-running comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. That said, though del Toro's been doing a great job since he debuted the character in season 8, he's not looking to get into the comedy world in the long term.

We know as much thanks to a Reddit AMA del Toro did in the weeks leading up to the 20th anniversary rerelease of his seminal dark fantasy, Pan's Labyrinth. What reddit user u/MuptonBossman wanted to know about, though, was about a hypothetical movie that hasn't been made - that is, a del Toro-directed Always Sunny feature. If given the chance, asked the fan, would the Hellboy icon direct it?

"I would not even try," the Frankenstein director answered, "Because comedy is really hard, number one. I have toyed with that tone in the Hellboy movies and a little bit on Blade 2—even in Shape of Water, there's a little bit—but a full-on comedy is really hard."

Having said that, though, del Toro admited that there is one season 5 episode that he wishes he could've been behind the director's chair on. Or should I say - behind the couch.

"The one I wish I had directed," he wrote, "Is the one where Frank Reynolds comes out of the sofa, entirely naked and lubricated. That is the one I would have loved to do to direct. Or the one where Charlie vomits in the limo."

Some great pics, Guillermo. Now, how do we get Doug Jones to play a different McPoyle?

Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth returns to theaters for its 20th anniversary October 9. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is streaming now on Disney+.

In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." Join Popverse's freaky forays into frightful filmology with:

And much gore. Er, more. Much more.

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.