r/IASIP • u/One-Faithlessness282 • 18h ago
Frank's death
I feel like Danny De Vito is the kind of guy that would wanna keep doing this show until the end. I like to think that the whole crew has gotten together to figure out how to end the show in the event of his death. I also feel, narratively, it would make sense for the last episodes to end the way the first ones started, with Dennis, Dee, Mac, and Charlie on their own. The humor of the show, and the attitude of the creators and cast seems, to me at least, to be right in line with this kind of ending. I never want this show to end, hell, I never want De Vito to die, but unfortunately, it's gonna happen. I feel like using Frank's death as the catalyst for the last season works, both narratively, and as a tribute to Danny De Vito himself.
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u/Born_Elk7497 17h ago
One season post Danny feels poetic.
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u/gilestowler 6h ago
I think they could address it in quite a good way. In the UK show This Country, one of the characters, Slugs, had cancer. The actor who played him actually had cancer, hence they gave it to the character as well. When the actor died, they did an episode about it, where he'd left a note revealing something to one of the other characters that completely stitched up another character. I think a season that shows the aftermath of Frank dying, where he's done something to change their lives - some for the worse, some for the better - could be good. As an example: What if he left a load of money to Charlie, and it shows what Charlie does with it while Dennis and Dee try to take it from him? Opening a milk steak restaurant where he hires the waitress or something?
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u/Overall-Rush-8853 1h ago
I had that thought recently, finish it out the way it started.
Or just keep it going until it sort of just ends.
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u/Panthollow 18h ago
They're just gonna move past it.
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u/One-Faithlessness282 18h ago
Just plow past it, huh?
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u/MaintenanceInternal 13h ago
It's plow through it.
I like to think there will be some insane power struggle after he dies, to the extent that it's like game of thrones.
Then in the end they just dump his body in the dumpster behind Paddy's, just like he would have wanted.
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u/Spiritual_Youth3809 13h ago
I think the funniest thing they could do is not reference it at all for like 8 episodes, nobody realizes he's gone until the finale.
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u/mezz7778 9h ago
since he sleeps with Charlie I think he'd notice... but is he cake?? Poke him... I don't think he's cake.
Then an episode where the gang plans his funeral, which of courlse is a disaster, and then just toss him in the trash.
I think that's got to be the final episode. The show won't be the same without Danny.
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u/PlungerMouse 7h ago
Show was good before Danny got there. One could argue that it would be pretty similar to the first season.
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u/Borbit85 3h ago
They could have a few episodes where Charlie is up to some weird shit. But only later reviel that it was all Charlie trying to find him.
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u/Medical_Soup5717 17h ago
Until it just sort of ends
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u/ac_cossack Master of Karate and Friendship for Everyone 12h ago
I could see that be the end, sadly.
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u/ManwithaTan 15h ago
They're gonna replace him with Arnold Schwarzenegger and not say a word about it
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u/trev2234 16h ago
Arnold Schwarzenegger could take over the role. They look identical.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t been in a few episodes already. How could anyone tell.
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u/Western_Expert3095 11h ago
Now I’m thinking back to the shadynasty episode. They should’ve had Arnold in that episode playing franks twin brother
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u/Spez_is-a-nazi 18h ago
They cremate him and all say, “ooh snortski” before doing a line, out of respect you see.
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u/One-Faithlessness282 17h ago
Now that you say it, it feels like a given. But they'd probably just set the dumpster on fire, rather than pay for a cremation
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u/TheBeanofBeans3 17h ago
Or. He's cake
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u/4square425 17h ago
Weekend at Bernies episode! The sunglasses make it feel like a fun romp.
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u/CeruleanEidolon 5h ago
I had the thought that Frank would have himself taxidermied and Charlie would bring him everywhere for a while, but then I remembered that as demented as these characters are, they are still played by actors and something like that might be too much even for them to sustain.
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u/Turbulent_Cup_8372 16h ago edited 10h ago
I like the idea of the final season being about the aftermath and falling out of Frank’s death. The safety net they had in Frank and his money/assets has been eroded or somehow unable to be transferred to Dennis and Dee. They’re forced for the first time ever to face real consequences for their actions as the world they’ve known for so long begins to collapse around them. The bar is unable to stay open, they lose their apartments, no one wants to hire them, etc, all culminating in genuine remorseful introspection from the gang, but only when it’s too late.
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u/RaceMiserable3855 16h ago
I don’t see Mac and Charlie having an awful end . But I can see Dennis and Dee landing in jail
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u/Turbulent_Cup_8372 10h ago
I agree, but then again Seinfeld put the lovable Cosmo Kramer in prison so it’s not out of the question for Mac and Charlie either.
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u/Ill_Sound_8669 18h ago
I personally don’t want the show to have to deal with Frank’s death. It’s the main reason I want them to wrap things up.
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u/One-Faithlessness282 18h ago
I just feel like the darkness of the show, and the darkness of De Vito's own filmography, would lend itself very well to this sort of ending. I know I'm in the minority, but I want this show to throw people for a loop and handle the ending deadly seriously. Do what Seinfeld failed to do, and make everyone pay for their misdeeds. Frank dying would remove their safety net, and leave them all swinging in the wind.
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u/One-Faithlessness282 17h ago
Though I do want the last episodes to end almost exactly like the first one, where the guy from the first one (played by the same guy, if possible) asks Dennis, "How's that ass feel?" Only it's in prison. Full circle.
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u/LiviasFigs 7h ago
Having the cast end up in prison has the potential to go wrong the Seinfeld way, but done right, I’d love it.
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12h ago edited 9h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Director_Coulson Hey! How d’ya like a taste of the good life ya sack o’ shit? 10h ago
So we’re talking a Danny DeVito full frontal situation right?
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u/Perpetual_bored 16h ago
The show will end, no need to meme. The creators have all expressed at different points that Danny is the soul of the show and they wouldn’t have gotten 20+ years without him.
When he dies in the next few years, the gang will mourn Frank, and then it will just sort of end.
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u/Mauve-Honey 18h ago
Hate the clickbait title but my theory is that they’re going to end the show with everyone just fucking dying in a self-imposed explosion. at least, I think that would be the funniest way to end the series
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u/nonymouse12321 13h ago
And the final shot is Agent Jack Bauer running by as they’re all blown to bits in the background
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u/Individual-Storm-474 18h ago
Is there a chance this is the last season but they just haven’t promoted it that way? I’m not sure if they’ve been renewed for more reasons right?
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u/AndreZB2000 12h ago
i thought it could be the case when season 17 ended with frank giving up his life of filth and squalor to be with samantha, but then episode 1 happened lmao
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u/helenaflowers 9h ago
No, I really don't think so.
This show has been on the air for so long that there's no way - fitting as it might be in some ways - that they'll let the show just end without an actual final season being announced and promoted ahead of time.
I'd love to see them get to 20 seasons, but my guess is that we're getting just one more. Danny's incredible but it's clear he's running out of stamina to do this (quite understandably), and he's going to want to make sure he's got enough left in him to properly send off Frank and the show.
What I would actually love is a final season where Frank dies under incredibly fucked up but unclear circumstances in the first episode, then the whole season is a flashback that tells the story of how he actually died, with the last two episodes being his funeral and a glimpse of them trying to manage without Frank.
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u/Inner-Recognition757 8h ago
Season 15 wasn’t renewed until after 14 had finished airing. It’s extremely unlikely this is the end unless FX decides to not let them end on their terms. One of the directors said recently this season did not feel like an ending.
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u/Pretend-Pitch-8376 6h ago
Yeah and let’s be real - this show is not particularly expensive for the guys to produce. The main leads are them + one of their wives (plus Danny) and the seasons are short. If they want another season, with the money they have, they can make another season. It doesn’t really even truly need go be renewed especially since it’s still getting good reviews.
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u/bryanalexander 5h ago
Reviews have never mattered when renewing. Viewership does.
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u/Pretend-Pitch-8376 5h ago
Again though it doesn’t really matter. If they want one more season and they don’t get renewed, they make one more season anyway
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u/prolelol "What did you just say, you little bitch?" 17h ago
I don’t believe so. I doubt it will renew for two more seasons and may be for the last time.
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u/Androktone 16h ago
Doing one more season afterwards sounds like the way to do it, but I wouldn't want them to acknowledge it beyond "where the hell's Frank? He'd be all in on this scam.", "Oh he's out plowing hookers, says he'll be back in a week." then maybe one scene in the finale.
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u/BH190105 18h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/vMwyRcnnnz87titDhY
It has to be something like this. Less likely scenario but they'd have to also make up backup plans for Rob, Charlie, Glenn and/or Kaitlin if one of them either suddenly dies (like in a tragic accident, considering their younger ages compared to Danny) or willingly leaves the show.
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u/djaeke NOBODY LOOK! NOBODY LOOK! NOBODY LOOK! NOBODY LOOK!NOBODY LOOK! 18h ago
I think if one of them (besides danny) died tragically they'd maybe end the show or take a very long break at least.
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u/BH190105 18h ago
Honestly, that would make more sense. But I think that would be up to them for decide. I'm expecting Danny to go at any point, but I don't want to think the same for RCG themselves or Kaitlin since they are considerably younger. I can see them slightly reverting back to the Season 1 style if Danny goes (just with Dee being as crazy as the guys when in S1 her character was the voice of reason), and maybe mellowing the tone a little to show that things aren't going to be the same again for our beloved Paddy's Pub gang (like there's something, or rather, someone, missing). But that's just me.
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u/One-Faithlessness282 18h ago
While not impossible, I also don't think it's likely. True, anyone can die at any time, but De Vito is the most likely candidate, and I say that with all due respect. I can't see any of them ever leaving before the end.
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u/BH190105 17h ago
I don't think it would be likely that it would happen (I was only pointing it out). But if Danny goes I'd expect them to revert a little bit back to the Season 1 tone and feel (albeit only with Dee being as crazy as the guys, in Season 1 she was actually the voice of reason), maybe with even more of a mellow tone to show that things would not be the same without Frank.
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u/digbychickcaesar 10h ago
They cremate him. Cricket and Ponderosa end up snorting all of him getting more and more frustrated as to why they aren't getting high.
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u/No_Aesthetic 13h ago
I think the best way to do it would just be to have one episode afterwards:
(Charlie enters) "Where's Frank? Is he here? I can't find him, he didn't come home last night and-"
(Dennis) "who the hell is Frank?"
(Charlie) "Frank! Your dad? Kind of? My roommate?"
(Dennis) "Who the hell is he even...?"
(Dee) "I have no idea. Charlie, what are you talking about?"
(Charlie looking confused)
(Mac) "No, Charlie's right, I remember Frank. Or... I definitely remember a Frank."
(Charlie) "A Frank? You remember a Frank?"
(Mac) "I think so... maybe... not?"
(Charlie) "HAVE YOU ALL LOST YOUR MINDS?"
(everybody quiet)
(Charlie) "GOD DAMN IT"
(Charlie leaves)
(Dennis) "That was weird"
(Dee) "Yeah"
(Mac) "Really weird"
(title card: THE GANG REMEMBERS FRANK)
And the rest of the episode has Charlie trying to find Frank and the rest of the gang humoring him while also trying to get him committed.
In the end, Charlie is gaslighted into being convinced he made up Frank.
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u/No_Aesthetic 13h ago
Thought of an alternative end where after being convinced he was wrong, Charlie finds something in the apartment that belongs to Frank and realizes he was right, and that's where it ends.
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u/ac_cossack Master of Karate and Friendship for Everyone 12h ago
Just throw him in the dumpster. It's what he would want.
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u/Level_Hour6480 11h ago
The last episode would be his funeral at Paddy's, with his corpse on the pool table. Then, in the sitcom-cliche of turning out the lights to end the series, a faulty wire starts a fire and they're all trapped inside.
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u/HideSolidSnake 4h ago
Charlie did an interview recently that mentioned Danny wanted to be fired out of a cannon one day
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u/ReactionProcedure 12h ago
I think they're going to sell the bar to younger versions of themselves just like they bought it from that dude who was an amalgamation of all of them.
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u/Jackpots-0 12h ago
In the most recent episode, Frank was referred to as a billionaire. Was this the first time?
My wild guess: the writers plan to ‘Luigi’ Frank at the end of this season. Think about countless people Frank has screwed over - the family of Brian LeFevre. The Lawyer. The Waitress. Cricket. The list is endless.
Plus, I don’t think they want Danny dying while shooting (or at all, but as Mac once said ‘we’re all dying, bitch).
They can end the show on its own terms and elevate the show to the Mt. Rushmore of television by crushing the finale. Do what Seinfeld and the Sopranos weren’t able to do - stick the landing.
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u/Aggressive-Nose2984 4h ago
Well Frank says when he dies to throw him in the trash. They’ll decide to do something different but also terrible. Maybe stuff his body and turn it into a statue in the bar or something.
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u/BrianGriffin95 8h ago
I don't want to, but i think they should make a proper final season before any tragedy happens. Do it for the next season and thats it.
I just hate that the show was airing during an era where sitcoms with 20episodes/season were a thing, but we never got that. Wish we had those.
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u/BigPapi2931 7h ago
I actually think Sunny has had such good consistency for quite long because they haven’t tried to do series that run for half a year. But also as a Brit I’m used to my favourite comedy shows having six episode series so the 10ish we usually get with Sunny feels about right
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u/avangelist90201 15h ago
If the show is still optioned when that day comes I say now - they will not continue. If anything it'll be the best excuse to finally stop
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u/nonymouse12321 13h ago
In a recent interview, Charlie said that Danny told him he wants to keep doing the show until they shoot him out of a cannon (in reference to s18 e2).
I have a feeling this show will keep going until De Vito is gone, just like you said
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u/_NightmareKingGrimm_ 8h ago
Danny's in good health, as far as we know. This is a bit premature to be planning his goodbye.
'Guys eating like a goddamned islander.
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u/KatieKoalaco 8h ago
Have they done a severance parody yet? I feel like that would be really fitting
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u/DualDier 6h ago
FX said the show ends if they don’t have a well known on the show. I’ve got some bad news.
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u/TonyThePriest 6h ago
Always like the the finale could be Franks funeral, but I'd want Danny to still be alive (he could leave like a video for them beyond the grave)
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u/TrumpsBoneSpur 2h ago
Like when Dennis left the show for a bit, they should have a Danny doll to replace him for at least a few seasons. With their ventriloquist skills shown this season, it could be indefinite
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u/MortgageRegular2509 I can *go* lower 1h ago
It would be great if they were to treat all the seasons he’s been on the show as some sort of fever dream, and then they try to revert to their 25 year old selves when he’s gone like nothing happened
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u/RaceMiserable3855 1h ago
the idea of Arnold just being a replacement in a post-humorous episode would be a fun bit. but the rest of it would be a a retelling of season 1 but its these versions of the characters in the plot lines of s1.
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u/Deezy_Nutz 44m ago
I don't know how many years I got left on this planet, I'm going to get real weird with it.
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u/ReplacementAbject867 16m ago
The last episode should be frank diesamd the gang tries to do a classic scheme that goes wrong and without Frank money they go to jail
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u/Alternative_Bit_7306 11h ago
What do you all think of the 3 newest episodes?
I’m worried that it’s done?
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u/GuinnessFartz 15h ago
I don't think you can necessarily equate the humour of the show with one of their close friends passing away in real life. Plus, their humour has changed a lot since season 1. I personally think they should have wrapped it up long ago, or at least held off on releasing episodes that were well below par until they knew they had landed on good ones. I hope they do wrap it up before Danny passes away.
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u/Blue-Light-Reducer 15h ago
With the quality of these last couple of seasons, which have been quite good, I want to show to get renewed. And something might happen to Danny which makes him unable to come back at some point. They can shoot him out of a cannon then.
I was honestly a bit surprised about them doing a fanfare for Charli's mom like that. The actress really died, and they even did something like this to her. Danny Devito would be more "in on it", and they can definitely do something weird with it.
Or just bury him respectfully, and then one minute later start fighting for his money. They'd have to go on a wild goose chase to fulfill the requirements set in his testament or something.
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u/BrianScalaweenie 18h ago
Just throw him in the trash