‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ are plotting a crossover episode
Philadelphia hasn’t seen a crossover this iconic since Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan. Philly-set sitcoms “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” are planning a crossover episode, “Sunny” creator/star Rob McElhenney confirmed on social media on Thursday.
McElhenney posted a photo of himself, his “Sunny” co-star Charlie Day, and “Abbott Elementary” creator/star Quinta Brunson on the set of her show to his X account.
— Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) October 3, 2024
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He then added another photo of the same trio along with “Sunny’s” Danny DeVito and “Abbott’s” Tyler James Williams and William Stanford Davis.
— Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) October 3, 2024
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The crossover might have been set in motion back in February, when McElhenney joked on X that the infamous Glasgow Willy Wonka event seemed like an Abbott/Sunny crossover episode. “Just say the word,” Brunson responded.
Over the summer, Brunson hinted on a Variety podcast that a crossover was indeed in the works. She confirmed that “Abbott” would be doing a crossover in Season 4, but stopped short of naming the show. “I’m excited to just shake things up in this way,” she said of the crossover. “I love TV, everyone knows that, but I love TV moments, and I miss those big TV moments. I remember how exciting they were. Anything I can do with ‘Abbott’ to help keep that culture alive of fun TV, I will do. So I think this is going to be fun TV.”
There is a corporate connection between “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” that makes the crossover easier; “Abbott” airs on Disney-owned ABC (though Warner Bros. produces it), while Disney-owned FX produces Sunny. Randall Einhorn, a director and executive producer on “Abbott Elementary,” previously directed several episodes of “Sunny’s” fifth and six seasons.
“Abbott Elementary” has been an Emmys darling in its run so far, with 24 nominations and four wins, including Best Comedy Actress for Brunson. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” on the other hand, has famously been snubbed from major categories throughout its nearly 20-year run; it was nominated three times for stunt coordination in the 2010s.
“Abbot Elementary” returns for Season 4 on Oct. 9 on ABC. McElhenney & co. are writing “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Season 17 now. Both shows are available to stream on Hulu.