What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can’t Wait To Find Out)

What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can't Wait To Find Out)

As a long-time fan of both “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Abbott Elementary”, I must say that this upcoming crossover has me utterly thrilled! With my years spent navigating the peculiarities of Philly, I can only imagine the hilarious chaos that awaits when these two worlds collide.


The TV shows “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Abbott Elementary” appear to be quite different from each other. While “Abbott Elementary” focuses on compassionate teachers striving to make a difference despite resource constraints, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” features a group of unscrupulous characters who, despite their likability, exhibit some truly questionable behavior. The idea of these two distinct worlds intersecting humorously is quite amusing.

These two shows, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Abbott Elementary,” might hail from the same city, but they share little in common beyond that. Remarkably, both series are crafted by talented writers, ensuring a unique and compelling narrative. The characters will remain true to themselves, yet they manage to coexist without any conflicts arising between their worlds.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t contain my excitement for the upcoming crossover episode between “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Abbott Elementary.” This TV event is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling moments on the 2024-2025 television calendar, and here are some tidbits I’ve managed to gather about it.

What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can't Wait To Find Out)

When The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Abbott Elementary Crossover Episode Will Air

In a chat with Variety, the producers of Abbott Elementary, Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker, disclosed that the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episode is set for viewing in episode nine of Season 4. While Abbott Elementary Season 4 kicked off on October 10th, ABC hasn’t unveiled the schedule for subsequent episodes as yet. If the series continues to air new episodes throughout the holiday season, there’s a slim possibility that the crossover could be broadcast before the end of 2023. If the show takes a break around the holidays and resumes later, episode nine may be shown in December.

Yet, it’s quite possible that the crossover episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” may be scheduled for television in 2025. Regardless of when it airs, we’re all eagerly anticipating its release.

What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can't Wait To Find Out)

The Crossover Has Already Begun Filming

At the 2024 Comic-Con in San Diego, the creator of Abbott Elementary, Quinta Brunson, hinted at a future crossover episode. This announcement sparked much discussion, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia emerged as the most likely candidate for this cross-over event.

The cast confirmed the news when Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Brunson shared a photo on Instagram of them all on the set of Abbott Elementary. In an interview with The Wrap, Schumacker confirmed they were still filming the guest appearances.

What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can't Wait To Find Out)

Which Characters Are Confirmed To Appear In The Episode

In a conversation about the upcoming episode, Abbott Elementary’s executive producers Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker revealed that the full cast, consisting of Danny DeVito, Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Glenn Howerton from their respective shows, will be featured in this crossover event. The producers mentioned the challenge of arranging everyone’s busy schedules for this collaboration.

Olson has recently finished shooting the popular ABC series, High Potential. This might open up some time for her to record scenes for Abbott Elementary, but she’s probably still keeping herself busy with promotional activities related to High Potential. On the other hand, Howerton is presently engaged in filming Sirens for Netflix.

Consequently, the Abbott Elementary team might struggle with scheduling conflicts. Nevertheless, as Halpern and Schumacker stated in their Variety interview, this episode centers around a crossover event. Moreover, each character has a significant storyline unfolding, with Schumacker hinting at involving all characters within these plots.

We got the whole gang, the ‘A’ story, ‘B’ story, ‘C,’ ‘D,’ it’s all them.

The Variety article, which was released on October 9th, mentioned that Olson and Howerton intended to film scenes during the upcoming week.

What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can't Wait To Find Out)

Charlie Plays A Major Role In The Abbott Elementary Crossover

In the setting of Abbott Elementary, Charlie appears to be the character who would blend the best. This isn’t only due to his illiteracy and the potential assistance he might need from these teachers, but also because there’s a certain innocence about him that seems fitting for the show. Despite his past actions, which have been less than admirable, Charlie occasionally shows signs of being more decent, as portrayed in some of the standout episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

As Schumacker suggests, Charlie plays a significant role within the narrative. Yet, he chooses to conceal specifics about how and why this is so. Nevertheless, I’m able to formulate some educated guesses.

It appears that Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) and Charlie share personalities that could easily form a compatible bond. It wouldn’t come as a shock if they have a shared past, stemming from their common occupation as janitors. The fact that Charlie plays a central role in the storyline aligns well with his intriguing character traits.

What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can't Wait To Find Out)

Rob McElhenney And Charlie Day Joined The Writers Room For This Crossover

As reported by Variety, McElhenney and Day joined the writers’ room for Abbott Elementary to brainstorm the main storyline for an episode. After that, they exchanged emails to continue working on the details, as mentioned in an interview with Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker on The Wrap. In more depth, Halpern described the lively atmosphere of the writers’ room when McElhenney, Day, and the Abbott writers collaborated together.

Rob and Charlie joined our writers’ room for a day, collaborating closely with everyone present. It was an enjoyable process exchanging ideas with them. Their expectations were aligned with ours – they wanted us to create the episode we envisioned, while in return, we aimed to deliver the episode that they desired.

What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can't Wait To Find Out)

I Am Curious About How The Styles Of Humor Will Marry

Compared to Abbott Elementary, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia carries a more somber atmosphere, as the characters often find themselves in situations where children are harmed. This has led some viewers to ponder the guidelines for a potential crossover. However, Schumacker, who works on both shows, has eased fans’ concerns, stating that blending the contrasting tones wouldn’t be an issue.

They were more than ready for anything, and our worries about the different tones in the shows clashing were quickly put to rest as soon as we began shooting with Charlie.

Schumacker also mentioned that the characters from Sunny wouldn’t baffle only fans of Abbott Elementary, but would delight those familiar with Sunny who would understand the background and references. For viewers unfamiliar with Sunny, it would simply appear as any guest appearance. The blending of tones is what makes this crossover intriguing, and I’m genuinely thrilled to see how they pull it off.

What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can't Wait To Find Out)

I Wonder If The Characters From Abbott Elementary Will Appear On It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia?

An exceptional crossover event entails characters from one show making an appearance in another, and not just the characters from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” showing up on “Abbott Elementary”, but also vice versa. Unfortunately, the creators of “Abbott Elementary” haven’t yet announced if we’ll see Jacob (Chris Perfetti), Janine (Quinta Brunson), Gregory (Tyler James Williams), Ava (Janelle James), and the rest of their cast on “Sunny”.

Halpern and Schumacker haven’t been given permission to confirm if the cast of Abbott Elementary will guest star on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia because filming for the 17th season hadn’t started when they were interviewed by Variety. This implies that, as of now, it’s possible that the crossover episode hasn’t been completely planned out for the FXX series.

For the time being, we can only anticipate that the characters from Abbott Elementary might someday visit Paddy’s Pub.

What We Know About The Abbott Elementary And It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Episode (And 3 Things I Can't Wait To Find Out)

I Wonder How Will They Set Up This Crossover Episode

Philadelphia is quite a large city, making it unlikely that Paddy’s Pub and Abbott Elementary are in the same neighborhood. It’s challenging to envision any circumstances that might bring these two distinct worlds together. One possibility I’m considering is that Charlie and Mr. Johnson have some sort of prior connection or Charlie may seek employment or an apprenticeship as a janitor at Abbott Elementary School.

It’s not unthinkable that the group would intervene if Charlie takes action without their involvement, and it might even lead to an unexpected event such as them storming the school without a clear motive. Regardless of how it unfolds, I’m really looking forward to witnessing the ensuing events.

I’m quite fond of both “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, so this potential crossover promises to be absolutely thrilling!

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2024-10-21 01:07