An Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Crossover Is Something We Didn’t Know We Needed

What are two incredibly different shows that seem to work perfectly together? Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Season four of the Emmy Award-winning ABC program welcomed the messy misfits of Paddy’s Pub to volunteer at the school for one week and it was pure chaos.

It’s always fun to see beloved shows crossover with each other, but it’s magical when it’s done correctly. Mac, Dee, Charlie, Frank, and Dennis (well, barely Dennis) were completely immersed in the Abbott culture, rather than just being brief cameos that don’t affect the plot. Even though Glenn Howerton’s Dennis is only seen in brief moments throughout the episode, it was hilarious to see how anxious he was around Abbott’s film crew.

Abbott was sadly mistaken when Janelle James’s Ava thought the volunteers were upstanding citizens of Philadelphia, but were actually there for court-mandated community service. However, Lisa Ann Walter’s Melissa quickly uncovered who their volunteers really were. It turns out Melissa once went to Paddy’s Pub and even she thought the place was too sketchy. Nevertheless, Quinta Brunson’s Janine convinces Ava to let them stay for the week.

It’s an absolute blast to see the writers make an invisible string that connects the two wildly different sitcoms under one roof. Making Melissa the only teacher who recognized the group makes perfect sense when you consider her previous storylines which involve her knowing shady people throughout Philadelphia.

The specific groups that formed throughout the episode were perfect ingredients to make an extremely chaotic and hilarious episode. Rob McElhenney’s Mac desperately trying to convince Ava to sign their volunteer slip was a hilarious feat. Their stubborn rivalry blossomed into a great partnership when Mac posed as Ava’s vice principal to blackmail the golf course owner into paying for Abbott Elementary’s new scoreboard. At least Mac is using his mischievous ways for good, right?

Kaitlin Olson’s Dee is paired with Janine, and they hit if off quickly. Another genius way to melt the two worlds together was through Janine and Dee’s shared alumni status. When Dee tells Janine she also attended The University of Pennsylvania — a topic Janine always wants to brag about, but never gets to — Janine and her become instant friends. That doesn’t last long once Dee meets Gregory (Tyler James Williams). Dee sees Janine and Gregory’s committed relationship as only a small setback and she makes it clear she’s still going after Gregory. This storyline brought out a hilariously aggressive side of Janine’s character that audiences haven’t seen before. However, Gregory smoothly denies all of Dee’s advances and stays loyal to Janine. It’s so fun to see this power couple finally thriving after three seasons of their “will-they-won’t-they?” trope.

Who are the most unhinged members of both shows? It’s easily William Stanford Davis’s Mr. Johnson and Danny DeVito’s Frank Reynolds. These two are paired up to fight the raccoon that’s ruining Gregory’s school garden. Frank’s fondness for using trash perfectly rivals Mr. Johnson’s custodial rituals, which makes them immediately butt heads. To make the storyline even funnier, the writers added uptight Gregory into the mix.

We hope Charlie is reading this article because Mrs. Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) finally taught him how to read! Charlie Day’s character is originally paired with Chris Perfetti’s Jacob, but Jacob soon brings Charlie to Mrs. Howard who dedicates her week to helping Charlie learn to read. The most hilarious — and possible, the most adorable — part of the entire episode was watching Charlie “graduate” from Abbott Elementary after his week with Mrs. Howard.

This crossover was truly a blessing that audiences didn’t know they needed, and we can’t wait to see part two. Although there’s no release date yet, Quinta Brunson confirmed on Late Night With Seth Meyers that the Abbott gang will also star in an It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia episode where it’s the same episode but from the Paddy’s Pub gang’s point of view. Whether we see the gang from Paddy’s Pub volunteer at Abbott Elementary again, or the Abbott teachers want to swing by Paddy’s for a drink, we at Pop Culture Planet will be waiting for the next episode!

The Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episode is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.