How 'It's Always Sunny' and 'Abbott Elementary' crossover came about
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The cast of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is taking a field trip to "Abbott Elementary."
It's the kickoff of the highly anticipated crossover event between two Philadelphia television treasures.
Two Philadelphia diehards, creators and stars, Quinta Brunson and Rob McElhenney are merging Abbott Elementary's mocumentary, family-friendly charm with the unfiltered flair of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
"There's going to be an Abbott Elementary episode, and then there will be an It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode," Brunson explains. "The crossover is actually going to happen on both shows. You're going to see the same story, but told through the lenses of each show. You'll see their characters on our show, and you'll see our characters on their show. It's really fun. I am struggling to know if it's been done in TV before."
The ONLY plot line they'll give up is that, somehow, the crew from Paddy's Pub ends up volunteering at Abbott.
"It was so crazy to see them in our school," Brunson laughs. "I'm not going to give stuff away, but it's pretty wild."
McElhenney thought it would be even more fun to see the Abbott characters after school hours with "fewer limitations."
"I think their episode kind of answers the question: 'Who are these people when the Abbott cameras are are off?,' which I think is really, really, really interesting."
They DID tell me this: DO gather the whole family for the Abbott Elementary episode, just DON'T bring the kids for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, when their episode airs this season on FX.
"No! Don't," McElhenney laughs. "If your kids are over the age of 16, I would say you're good. Otherwise, they should just watch Abbott!"
The meeting of these two Philadelphia comedic masterminds came from a chance meeting at the Emmys.
It's a collaboration that just screams: wiz wit!
"This friendship, and being able to do this in the first place, happened because when I met Rob I knew he was just super tight, and I was like, 'Oh, I actually like you. You're a nice person and cool creator.' And then it just sent me over the moon that he's a Philadelphian and through and through."
They both feel the love from their hometown.
"It's so emotional when we get to come home for various events or to see family and visit," McElhenney says. "It's pretty profound how the city embraces us."
"It's about being underdogs," Brunson says, "and Philly feels like a very underdog city to me. I think it also affects how we approach our work and our art."
"We'll grind until it's great," McElhenney adds.
