Gail the Snail on ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Was Supposed to Have A Brother, Not-Quite-Right Robin

In an alternate It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia universe, Sweet Dee miraculously isn’t the most hated bird in the Paddy’s Pub ecosystem.

When It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia decided to flesh out Dennis and Dee Reynolds’ extended family, the show planned to pair the main characters up with two “Garbage Pail cousins,” one of whom was a spit-sucking, dick-mashing and disgusting creature named Gail the Snail. In the Season Five masterpiece “The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention,” Gail made her Always Sunny debut at her dad’s funeral, and, now, 16 years later, she’s still slinking around on the periphery of Paddy’s, just outside salting range.

Despite her repulsive behavior, Gail the Snail would quickly become one of the most beloved side characters on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia following “The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention,” and her existence was nearly a little less lonely during the planning stages of Season Five. In the Always Sunny Podcast episode about “The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention,” Rob Mac revealed that, just like Dennis and Dee, Gail was initially supposed to be a part of a two-piece combo.

In the original script for the episode, Gail had a brother, Not-Quite-Right Robin, but, tragically, he never made it into the final cut. However, during the podcast episode, the Always Sunny gang hinted that Robin could still worm his way into the series.

“The original conception was that there were two Garbage Pail cousins,” Mac explained during the Always Sunny Podcast episode, though he initially couldn’t remember Not-Quite-Right Robin’s name. “There was a boy and a girl, and they were supposed to be mirror — like, if Dennis and Dee were Cabbage Patch Kids, then these were the Garbage Pail Kids.”

Unfortunately, there was too much chaos to get through in “The Gang Gives Frank an Intervention” for Robin to spread his wings, so the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia writers had to clip some wings. “We wrote it into the script, and then the script was getting too long, and then we cut it,” Mac recalled.

“It was getting too fat, and it was too many people to try and service,” Glenn Howerton agreed.

Mac even hinted that Not-Quite-Right Robin nearly returned to the series, saying of the cut-for-time character, “We remembered it this year in the writers’ room.” 

“That would have been really funny, but you’re right, there would have been not a lot of room for it in the episode,” Charlie Day lamented of Gail’s poor, non-canonical brother. Day then hinted, “We could still introduce Not-Quite-Right Robin.”

Sadly, seeing as it's been over two years since The Always Sunny Podcast teased the return of the cut-for-time cousin, it seems likely that Mac, Howerton and Day have simply forgotten about Not-Quite-Right Robin. Now that the show is going into the last season of its current FX deal, there may not be room for Robin in what’s left of Always Sunny anyway. 

Nevertheless, as the cameos in Always Sunny Season 17 proved, you can never predict who will appear on the show, and the series is always looking for quality, chaotic supporting talent. Perhaps, in Season 18, Charlie could run afoul of Gail and end up going toe-to-toe with a fellow bird lawyer.