"We got the whole gang": When Abbott Elementary producers confirmed a major It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover

On paper, Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are two polar opposite shows. Whether it's their tone or themes, the shows have very different approaches when telling the story of the central characters. However, it is nevertheless an interesting idea to mix Paddy’s Pub gang with the Abbot Elementary crew and see where things go from there.

Talking to Variety about the confirmed crossover between Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in episode 409 of the former, producer Patrick Schumacker said,

“We got the whole gang, the ‘A’ story, ‘B’ story, ‘C,’ ‘D,’ it’s all them.”

As promised by Schumaker, the entire It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia gang appeared in Abbott Elementary, and the episode showcased how the cast did uncharacteristic things, such as cursing, as they met a group of people who could really bring out the carefully hidden side of any person.

The Crossover united the key characters of the two shows

Talking about the crossover between these two very different kinds of shows, Schumacker told Variety,

“Charlie Day’s character has a pretty significant storyline in our episode. It was kind of a joke at first, that the two shows should cross over. On paper, it feels like they’d be a real tonal mishmash. But then Rob and Charlie came to our writers room and we hashed out some real broad stroke ideas.”

He also added,

“From there, we emailed back and forth beat sheets and then an outline. They were super game for everything. All those concerns that we had about the tones of the shows butting against each other were alleviated the second we started filming with Charlie.”

Schumacker also addressed the concern about fans of Abbott Elementary who are not familiar with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, regarding whether they would feel left out. He assured that it would not be the case and explained:

“It just kind of works in a vacuum. They just feel like other guest stars on the show. Obviously, it’s going to have a much deeper meaning for ‘Sunny’ fans.”

The episode has been directed and written in a way that fans of Abbott will not feel any gap in the storyline because of the appearance of the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast.

Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia can be streamed on Hulu.

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