‘Abbott Elementary’ Producers Tease ‘It’s Always Sunny’ Crossover and This Season’s Gentrification Storyline
The gang from Paddy’s Pub is joining this season at Abbott Elementary. Ahead of Season 4 which premiered on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC, executive producers Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker spoke to Variety about the themes and storylines for this season, including the recently confirmed crossover with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Last week, Sunny star Rob McElhenney announced the crossover on his social media, sharing photos with Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, and William Stanford Davis, along with Sunny’s Charlie Day and Danny DeVito outside the Warner Bros. studio.
Advertisement Now, Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker have confirmed that the full It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast will appear in episode 9 of season 4, which will take up the entire half-hour.
We got the whole gang—every storyline, A, B, C, and D, involves them.
Schumacker shared,
This means Glenn Howerton, currently filming Netflix’s Sirens, and Kaitlin Olson, starring in ABC’s High Potential, will also appear. Due to scheduling, a few scenes must be filmed next week.
Charlie Day’s character has a major role in our episode, the crossover idea started as kind of a joke because, on paper, the two shows seem like they wouldn’t fit together. But then Rob and Charlie came to our writers’ room, and we worked out some broad ideas. We emailed beat sheets and an outline back and forth, and they were all in. Any worries we had about the shows not matching disappeared once we started filming with Charlie.
he added
Schumacker reassured Abbott fans who may not know Sunny that they won’t feel left out.
It just works on its own, they’ll just seem like other guest stars. But for Sunny fans, it will definitely have more meaning.
he said
When asked if the Abbott characters would appear at Paddy’s Pub, Halpern hinted, “We can’t say too much about that yet.”
There’s also an internal connection: Abbott executive producer Randall Einhorn has directed several Sunny episodes, and Abbott script supervisor Jeff Gonzalez worked on Sunny for many seasons.
After the Sunny stars finish their appearance on Abbott, they’ll return to film Season 17 of their FX show. Could there be an Abbott crossover on Sunny? Schumacker teased,
Great question! But we can’t answer that right now.
Halpern and Schumacker shared that the crossover idea started when Brunson met McElhenney at an event. They kept talking about it until it became a reality.
Most writers joke about other shows, but not Quinta. She loves TV and talks about shows she enjoys, like Sunny. It was her passion for sitcoms that sparked the idea to collaborate with other funny shows.
Halpern explained,
This season on Abbott Elementary, a major storyline focuses on a new PGA golf course being built next to the school, causing construction issues and worries about gentrification.
Every season, we tackle bigger issues. Last season was about charter schools, and this year, it’s about gentrification. The golf course opening in West Philly will affect everyone, raising questions about coexistence.
Schumacker said,
This season will also introduce more family members of the core cast and delve deeper into their lives. Halpern explained,
You’ll see bigger story arcs for characters facing changes, allowing us to explore new aspects of their lives and grow them in ways the audience hasn’t seen yet.
Without giving away spoilers, Schumacker mentioned,
There will be a surprising romance from a character you might not expect. In Season 3, we felt it was too obvious to address some labor union issues due to the Hollywood strikes, but this season we’re exploring that a bit. We have a storyline about a labor movement that impacts our characters in unexpected ways.
The world of Abbott Elementary is also expanding. For the first time, viewers will see stairs on the set, and in an episode directed by Schumacker, fans will discover what’s across the street from the school.
We now have the teacher’s entrance from the outside, so we don’t need to film elsewhere; it’s on our back lot. I directed Episode 6, where we finally show the whole intersection outside the student entrance, including the deli and corner store. You’ll get to see the full layout of our lot!
Source: Variety