Back in July, Quinta Brunson and the cast of Abbott Elementary did a panel at San Diego Comic-Con. During the panel, Quinta teased an “interesting crossover” that was in the works for this season, which is its fourth one. According to Quinta, it would “change television.” At the time, the most popular guesses were The Bear because it stars Ayo Edebiri, who plays Janine’s sister on Abbott and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia because while it’s a pretty random pairing, both shows are set in the same city. Now, we have our answer! AE will be doing its crossover with It’s Always Sunny. Last week, Quinta posted a picture of her with It’s Always Sunny co-stars Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, along with the caption, “Season 4 of Abbott Elementary gets real Sunny.”
Two of the most popular television shows set in Philadelphia are teaming up.
“Abbott Elementary” star and creator, Quinta Brunson, and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star and co-creator. Rob McElhenney, both shared news they’re collaborating on a crossover episode on social media.“Season 4 of Abbott Elementary gets real Sunny :),” Brunson wrote in the caption of a photo of her with McElhenney and his “Sunny” costar, Charlie Day.
In his Instagram stories, McElhenney shared a photo of the trio, along with “Sunny” star Danny DeVito and “Abbott” stars Tyler James Williams and William Stanford Davis, in front of the exterior of the “Abbott” school set.
Both comedies lean into their Philadelphia, Pennsylvania settings. Back in February, McElhenney mentioned “Abbott” when posing about a Willy Wonka immersive experience.
“A lot of you are saying this feels like an episode of Sunny, but to me it feels more like an @alwayssunny @AbbottElemABC crossover episode,” he wrote on X at the time.
Brunson screen-grabbed the post and responded, “Just say the word @robmcelhenney. I love you guys.”
“Abbott” is centered on an elementary school serving inner-city students and “Sunny” is about a group of friends who run a dive bar in South Philadelphia.
No information about the plot or air date of the crossover episode has been announced.
Thoughts on this crossover? I think it’s going to be very interesting, hahaha. These two shows have nothing in common other than both taking place in Philadelphia! I’ve always been a fan of shows lining up in the same universe for crossovers, but this one is so random! I do trust both creators to do what’s right and make the most sense. Quinta gave more information to Us Weekly about the crossover:
I think it’s very cool. I think it’s unexpected and I think that it’ll be like a delight to the audience of both shows. You know, I think it’ll be very exciting for the people who watch our shows. And if they watch one show and not the other, I think that’s cool too because it’ll make people interested in that show. I’m just excited about it and I think it’s just a fun way to shake up TV.”
So how do we think they’ll do it? Will the Abbott students take a field trip and run into the Sunny Gang? Are there any familial ties between the two series? Will there be some special assembly that brings the Gang into the school? Will they all end up at some parody version of the Wonka Experience that takes place in Philly? So many possibilities! I’m not gonna lie, this pairing may be super random, but I’m really curious and looking forward to it.
I cannot WAIT to see how they’re going to pull this off. What a unique idea!
At the time, the most popular guesses were The Bear because it stars Ayo Edebiri, who plays Janine’s sister on Abbott and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia because while it’s a pretty random pairing, both shows are set in the same city.
The Bear is set in Chicago!
Abbot Elementary is such a lovely show.
Pretty sure ” both shows are set in the same city” refers to Abbott and Always Sunny.
It was! Thanks, Ashley L!
At the time, the most popular guesses were The Bear because it stars Ayo Edebiri, who plays Janine’s sister on Abbott and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia because while it’s a pretty random pairing, both shows are set in the same city.
The Bear is set in Chicago!
Abbot Elementary is such a lovely show.
“Both” = Abbott and IASIP
My guess is going to be the gang has court mandated community service at the school which may or may not involve a presentation to the kids on a topic like underage drinking and it goes completely off the rails. Dennis creeps on a female teacher, Charlie tries to assist the janitor, Dee does something with acting, Mac gets invested in the bathroom (gender assignment-wise) situation at the school and Frank tries to tell the principal how to run the school. And at the end of it, they all think they did a great job helping the kids. That’s my extremely specific guess having seen IASIP and not having seen AE yet.
A handful of teachers ending up in Paddy’s Pub, and they somehow get Frank Reynolds to support a “dream come true” project at AE?
I can’t wait for this!! I love both of those shows so much. They’re different but both rely on quick wit and dark humor (Sunny more so than Abbot but still…) I think it’ll be great!
I cannot wait for this crossover between two of my fave and wildly different shows …. side note: Quinta looks fabulous!!
I would love to see Barbara try to school Charlie on … well, anything, really.
I’m sure Charlie and Mr. Johnson will vibe well – they are both janitors and tricksters