It’s official: “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” are already planning a crossover episode, as hinted at in recent, cryptic social media posts by “Abbott” star/creator Quinta Bronson and “Sunny” star/co-star. -Creator Rob McElhenney.
McElhenney revealed the news in a social media post, including a photo of himself with “Sunny’s” Charlie Day and Brunson outside the Warner Bros. studio. So much for “Abbott”:
Also on IG Stories, McElhenney posted another shot, adding “Sunny”‘s Danny DeVito, “Abbott’s” Tyler James Williams, and William Stanford Davis to the mix:
McElhenney had previously teased on social media that a crossover between “Abbott” and “Sunny” would make sense, since both shows are set in Philadelphia. Although the “Abbott” series is produced by Warner Bros. TV, but the series airs on Disney’s ABC, while “Sunny” airs on Disney FX, so such a crossover seems to be in the realm of possibility.
Bronson was coy about it at first, but earlier this summer, Bronson hinted on Variety’s “Awards Circuit Podcast” that something was already in the works. Without specifying, she said there would be a major crossover that would happen — and when diverse “Sunny” I suggested, and she didn’t say no. “Deals get made. I want you guys to know that. I will say I’m really excited about it,” she said. “You want to find fun ways to shake things up without giving away what you’ve built. And I’m excited about this crossover, which I won’t name, with the other project.
“I’m excited to change things this way,” she added. “I love TV, everyone knows that, but I love TV moments, and I miss those big TV moments. I remember how exciting they were. I’ll do anything I can with Abbott to help keep the culture of fun TV shows alive. So I think this is going to be fun TV.” .
The idea first came about in February, when McIlhenny referred to the famous “Willy’s Chocolate Experiment” disaster in Glasgow. “A lot of you are saying this sounds like an episode of Sunny, but to me it feels like a crossover episode @alwayssunnt @AbbotElemABC,” he wrote on X. Later, on Instagram, Bronson took a screenshot of McElhenney’s post and added, “Just say the word @robmcelhenney. I love you guys.”
By this summer’s San Diego Comic-Con, it was clear that something was already afoot, with Bronson teasing that there would be a crossover coming:
After the onstage surprise, Bronson and the cast visited diverseComic-Con Studio where we made some educated guesses about which show they’ll crossover with: Fox’s “The Simpsons,” “The Bear” on FX, “Grey’s Anatomy” on ABC, or “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” on FX.
“I think all this stuff is ridiculous and crazy,” Bronson replied, smiling, but keeping a straight face, so as not to give anything away. “I don’t know. I don’t know what it is. Even if you guessed it right, I wouldn’t tell you,” she added, while co-star Janelle James commented: “Nice try, though.”
“Abbott Elementary” returns for its fourth season next week, October 9 at 9:30 p.m., on ABC. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is currently in the writers’ room, with a focus on filming the eight episodes of Season 17 later this fall.
(Angelique Jackson contributed to this report.)
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