UPDATED STORY (11/11/2024):
As part of ABC‘s midseason premiere slate, the network announced Abbott Elementary‘s highly-anticipated crossover with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will kick off the Emmy-winning comedy’s return in 2025.
The midseason premiere of Abbott is officially slated to air on Wednesday, January 8 in the show’s new timeslot of 8:30/7:30c on the network. In other words, mark your calendars for a can’t-miss TV event.
ORIGINAL STORY (11/4/2024):
Rob McElhenney via X
Abbott Elementary‘s fourth season is in full swing, and while there are plenty of great moments and episodes to look forward to, we can’t help but anticipate the forthcoming crossover with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Initially teased by creator and star Quinta Brunson at San Diego Comic-Con, she and Always Sunny‘s Rob McElhenney later revealed their team-up in several behind-the-scenes photos that also included Tyler James Williams, William Stanford Davis, Danny DeVito, and Charlie Day. The images posted on October 3rd were an exciting treat as fans finally learned which world Abbott would crossover with.
While the photos were a good tease, it has since been confirmed by star Williams to TV Insider that Abbott‘s teachers will meet the Paddy’s Pub gang in an upcoming Season 4 episode. “It’s uncanny how well it works,” he told us in October.
pic.twitter.com/EGt5YpNwCx— Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) October 3, 2024
“I know most people [think] these are two totally different shows, and they are, but there’s something about two casts that have worked together for so long…”
“It’s really crazy how well the pairings work… There’s some really interesting ones here,” Williams added. “It’s one of those episodes that it feels like it should be illegal to be able to be this funny.”
pic.twitter.com/I8xqpNWHTK— Rob McElhenney (@RMcElhenney) October 17, 2024
Since this tease, McElhenney further teased the TV event releasing a photo that included the full casts of both shows, including Kaitlin Olson, Glenn Howerton, Janelle James, William Stanford Davis, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Lisa Ann Walter, posing together in the school hallways.
It has since been revealed by Always Sunny star Olson that the Abbott crew will also crossover onto the FXX comedy as she told Variety, “They’ll be jumping into our world in a couple of weeks, which is very exciting. So it’s been really fun for both of our casts to be able to do, them a cable show and us a network show.” According to the report, Always Sunny will make its Abbott debut in Episode 409.
The best part for Olson? “I was just excited to get them to just get, like, nasty… They cannot do that at school; they can do that in the bar.”
Related‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Teases Crossover Is So Funny ‘It Should Be Illegal’
While further word on the Always Sunny episode starring the Abbott cast hasn’t been revealed at this time, Williams did tell TV Insider, “I’ll say this, the worlds exist in the same universe. And there’s definitely people in Abbott who have seen and possibly been to their bar.”
What are you looking forward to from the Abbott Elementary-It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover? Let us know in the comments section, and stay tuned for more news on the upcoming TV event.
Abbott Elementary, Season 4 Premiere, Wednesday, October 9, 9:30/8:30c, ABC
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