“Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” come together for two crossover episodes
By ELIZABETH BUNT — arts@theaggie.org
Aside from their shared location, it is hard to find two sitcoms more different than “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” While both shows are set in Philadelphia and heavily relate to the city, they are wildly different in tone.
“Abbott Elementary,” starring Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams and Chris Perfetti, is incredibly wholesome. The show tells stories of underpaid teachers in an underfunded Philly school doing their best for their students and the wider community. Humor pops into each episode in the form of mishaps with students and the antics of principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) as well as the janitor Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis). “Abbott Elementary” is, above all, heartwarming.
On the other hand, heartwarming is a word that has never been used to describe “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” “Always Sunny” has been on air since 2005, and its 17th season is expected to be released later this year. It follows the daily lives of five “deadbeats” — Dennis, Dee, Mac, Charlie and Frank — who own and operate a seedy dive bar. Most episodes, while wildly funny, feature some sort of criminal activity that could not be described as wholesome or child-friendly.
From the outside, it seemed like any collaboration between these two shows would be a bust. It’s hard to imagine the characters in “Always Sunny” toning it down enough to fit in with the “Abbott Elementary” cast. Furthermore, it would be unbelievable that any character from “Always Sunny” would even be allowed within 500 feet of an elementary school.
The premise of this episode had the cast of “Always Sunny” arriving at Abbott Elementary School to volunteer. Ostensibly, it seems as if the Paddy’s Pub crew is just there to help the teachers with their workload, but it soon becomes clear that they are there on court-mandated community service hours.
From there, characters split off for different tasks. Dee Reynolds (Kaitlin Olson) acts as a substitute teacher who eventually gives into her selfish nature and attempts to steal Janine (Quinta Brunson)’s boyfriend. Mac (Rob McElhenney) schmoozes the principal to get hours checked off their community service record. Frank (Danny Devito) gets into a raccoon-trapping contest with the janitor. Finally, Charlie (Charlie Kelly) learns to read with an Abbott kindergarten class. The only piece missing is Glenn Howerton’s character, Dennis, who alleges that he cannot be seen on camera.
Despite the fundamental differences between the two sitcoms, the crossover felt very natural and true to the continuity of previous “Abbott Elementary” episodes. The teachers of “Abbott” are regularly given strange and often obnoxious characters to deal with, so the addition of the “Always Sunny” cast simply felt like another test of their teaching ability. Writers of both shows also worked to smooth out some of the typically rough aspects of the “Always Sunny” cast to make them more suitable for an elementary school environment. It is possible that Dennis, a rampant womanizer and probable sociopath, was left out of this crossover because tempering his character was too much of a challenge for a single episode of “Abbott Elementary.”
All in all, the crossover episode went off without a hitch, and fans are eagerly awaiting the next. Writers for both sitcoms have reported that two episodes will be produced: the just-released episode in the style of “Abbott” and one done in the style of “Always Sunny,” which will be released with the 17th season. Audiences will need to stay tuned to FX to see the next installment and the other half of the storyline.
Written by Elizabeth Bunt — arts@theaggie.org
