Philadelphians united! The first of two Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episodes aired on Wednesday night, leaving fans of the popular Philly-based sitcoms ecstatic.
The unlikely—though highly anticipated—meeting of the two worlds unfolded in Episode 9 of mockumentary Abbott Elementary's fourth season. In the episode, called "Volunteers," the titular school's principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) announced that the school district was sending a group of volunteers to help out.
Per ABC's official synopsis for the episode, "things don't go as planned" once the group of volunteers arrive at the West Philadelphia school.
Given the largely different worlds that the shows hail from, it's perhaps unsurprising that it wasn't a smooth experience. While Abbott tackles family-friendly fare with a focus on the school's staff, FX's It's Always Sunny, which premiered in 2005, features characters who own a dive bar in South Philadelphia, use colorful language, and commit petty crimes.
The result is a series of hilarious moments, including Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) meeting Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis); Ronald "Mac" McDonald (Rob McElhenney) assisting principal Coleman (James), and Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson) attempting to seduce Janine Teagues' (Quinta Brunson) love interest Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams).
Abbott's Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) was also seen attempting to teach It's Always Sunny's Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) to read.
While the first crossover episode told the story from the perspective of Abbott Elementary's characters, the second part, which is set to air later in 2025, will be shown though the eyes of the It's Always Sunny gang.
Why Did the Crossover Happen?
In a recently published interview with the Los Angeles Times, Abbott Elementary star and creator Quinta Brunson said the idea for the crossover came about after a chance meeting with Always Sunny creator Rob McElhenney.
"We met at the Emmys. And Rob and the whole Always Sunny team had just finished doing a presentation," Brunson recounted. "The theme was TV shows throughout history."
After Brunson won an Emmy for her efforts on her show, she said that "the first people I see backstage was them, and it couldn't have been more fitting. The first person I saw was Bradley Cooper (also from Philly) because he FaceTimed me, and that was right before we were going to film his episode, to say congratulations.
"Then I run into them, and so I was just having the most Philly [night]. It was so beautiful. I think the Eagles were playing at that time. It just was really gorgeous. Never met them before. Rob and Kaitlin had told me that they watched Abbott, which just made my heart very warm. I think we very quickly said it: 'Our shows should cross over one day.'"
McElhenney chimed in: "We continued the conversation at the upfronts. Then it moved quickly past just an aside or a joke, and we started pitching back ideas right there."
Easter Eggs From the Episode
With each of the shows having such distinctive voices, there were efforts to include moments that fans of either sitcom would recognize.
These references came in at the start of the show, when there was a nod to It's Always Sunny beginning each episode with a title card bearing the day and time.
Garrett Werner, who wrote the episode, told Variety that in Abbott, "we don't have title cards, but after the cold open, the very first line is somebody saying the day and time as like, a nod to Sunny.
"There's other little references [ …] they make. It's just very fun to figure out all the lore of Sunny, and then what is the lore of us. So both Janine and Dee both have big feet. It's like a very strange little thing, because they can line up on that and serve both audiences."
As previously mentioned, Charlie's inability to read was also brought from It's Always Sunny into the Abbott Elementary storyline.
"This episode is every bit as important as every other episode in this season, as far as the seasonal mythology goes," Abbott executive producer Patrick Schumacker told Variety. "In Season 4, we have the specter of this golf course and the gentrification in the neighborhood.
"There's the illicit deal that Ava has struck with the lawyer from the golf course who's giving Abbott payola, hush money, essentially. That stuff all comes into play in this crossover episode, and the Sunny gang influences that relationship as well. This episode doesn't exist in a vacuum. It actually is one that rewards Abbott fans who are planning on watching the whole season."
Fan Reactions
The episode proved to be a hit with fans, many of whom took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their delight.
"Them keeping the Charlie can't read joke going..... ICONIC I'M SCREAMING," wrote one viewer.
"I'm glad we're not eliminating the actual It's Always Sunny lore with this crossover and they're criminals who thought they could get away with doing community service at a school," said another.
"That episode will go down as top 5 and it ain't number five. I am happy," read one post, while another fan stated: "The Abbott Elementary It's Always Sunny crossover was literal perfection [by the way]."
Another viewer shared: "I've missed Always Sunny so bad like thank you Abbott Elementary for bringing them home."
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