It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is always evolving. The show has been on for almost twenty years, and instead of growing stagnant, it grows and changes as its creators grow and change. What began as something brash that pushed boundaries for the sake of pushing boundaries has turned into something thoughtful and, on occasion, scary as hell. It turns out that we have a notable horror director to thank.

Charlie Day first worked with Guillermo Del Toro in 2013’s Pacific Rim. In the newest episode of Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, Day discussed the experience. Guillermo Del Toro is a visionary director, and that rubbed off on Charlie in a significant way. He was so enamored with Del Toro’s way of directing that he brought some of his methods to the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia set.

As Conan points out, it’s wild to think of a show like Sunny, starting as DIY as it did, incorporating more “sophisticated methods.” The upgrade in style and storytelling is all over the more recent seasons. There’s a full-on, black-and-white noir episode. Mac’s coming out ballet is stunning. The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre is terrifying. That’s not bad for a show whose pilot episode was passed around on a VHS tape.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is about to drop its 16th season. We don’t yet know what the show will do differently this season, but I can’t wait to find out.