Abbott Elementary is set to enjoy one of the biggest crossover episodes in modern sitcom history next year, when the cast of teachers at the namesake school cross paths with one of TV’s most notorious groups… the characters of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
That’s right, the Reynolds family along with Charlie and Mac will be visiting Abbott Elementary in 2025, and it’s set to spawn not just one episode, but two, crossover episodes. In fact, there will be an episode targeted toward each audience.
Speaking in a recent interview at Vulture Fest, Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson shared details about the upcoming collaboration and explained when fans can expect to see this historic TV event.
“Our episode will air in January. So, it will be an Abbott Elementary episode,” Brunson told Vulture. “But the first episode of Always Sunny — I don’t know when their episode’s gonna air, probably in June. Their episode will be their version of what happened in this storyline.”
It sounds like the perfect arrangement. While both shows are comedies, Always Sunny is much more adult than Abbott, so we expect each of the respective crossover episodes will align more tonally with its series, while still bringing together the two universes in meaningful way.
Right now there are absolutely no details regarding exactly what will go down in the crossover episodes, or how the cast of Always Sunny makes their way to Abbott Elementary in the first place. However, season 4 of the ABC sitcom is currently airing, and it seems to have a focus on gentrification in Philadelphia and how that is impacting schooling. So perhaps this unexpected visit from the Always Sunny gang will be tied to that overarching theme.
Season 17 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia hasn’t yet received a release date, so while Brunson suggests June will be when fans can see the crossover from its perspective, it could be later if there are production delays or anything that impacts the progress on the upcoming season.
Previously, Brunson explained how the crossover between these two beloved sitcoms came together while speaking to Jimmy Kimmel, and it’s mostly what you would expect if you’ve been following either show. It all started with a message from Rob McElhenney, the star and creator of Always Sunny.
“Something came up online, and he was like, ‘Someone said this seems like a Sunny episode, this seems like an Abbott episode,’” Brunson explained. “And then we kind of connected over that. And then we really connected in person, and I just get along with [McElhenney] and his team so well, that we felt like we could actually do this.”
Last month, McElhenney shared a teaser image of himself alongside Brunson and Sunny co-star Charlie Day, in what looked to be the playground set of Abbott Elementary. While it might be difficult to imagine how these two series could crossover and still remain appropriate for each of their audiences, we can’t say we aren’t intrigued. Fortunately, the wait won’t be too long before we get to see how it all goes down.
Abbott Elementary is currently airing its fourth season, with new episodes set to be released in early December. Meanwhile, fans can expect to see the Always Sunny gang arrive back on the scene in January of 2025.