It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia & Abbott Elementary's Next Crossover Episode Sets Release Month

The next crossover episode between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Abbott Elementary has set its release month. The upcoming episode will show events that began in the Abbott episode "Volunteers" from the Gang's perspective, revealing what truly happened when Charlie (Charlie Day), Dee (Kaitlin Olson), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Frank (Danny DeVito), and Dennis (Glenn Howerton) were forced to complete their court-mandated community service at Abbott Elementary. While Abbott’s version of the crossover remained relatively wholesome for the ABC comedy, the Sunny half is expected to lean fully into the Philly-based show’s signature irreverent humor.

According to TheWrap, the next It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Abbott Elementary crossover will premiere on FX "sometime in June." Series co-creator and star Rob McElhenney explained that the Sunny team wanted to air their half of the story as close as possible to Abbott’s crossover episode, which debuted earlier this month. The crossover episode will likely air as the It's Always Sunny season 17 premiere. Here's what he had to say:

I think it’s going to be our premiere episode, just because we want to get it as close to when the ‘Abbott’ episode premiered, which was a couple of weeks ago... It’s the same story just seen through the prism of the ‘Sunny’ characters and the found footage that they weren’t allowed to use while making the show.

What The Next Always Sunny & Abbott Elementary Crossover Means

The Gang Shows What Really Happened At Abbott

The second half of the Abbott and Always Sunny crossover event is set to cleverly explore the same event through two vastly different comedic lenses. The Abbott Elementary episode maintained the ABC sitcom’s warmhearted tone, focusing on the Gang's attempts at volunteering at the elementary school—with mixed results. Dee awkwardly flirted with Gregory (Tyler James Williams), Mac tried (and failed) to schmooze Ava (Janelle James), Frank and Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) fought over how to deal with a raccoon infestation, and Charlie miraculously learned how to read.

Now, Sunny’s version of events will likely paint a more vulgar and chaotic picture of what really happened during the Gang's stint at Abbott. One of the biggest questions surrounding the upcoming episode is whether Charlie truly learned how to read—a major development that could shake up Sunny's continuity. Across the show’s 17 seasons, Charlie Day’s illiteracy has been a long-running gag, often scribbling his songs like "Nightman Cometh" down as incomprehensible symbols rather than words. If Sunny acknowledges Abbott’s version of events as canon, it would mark a major shift in Charlie’s character.

Another lingering mystery from the Abbott and It's Always Sunny crossover is Dennis' absence from most of the events. In Abbott's mockumentary-style format, Dennis kept dodging the cameras, offering cryptic comments about his knowledge of “filming and consent.” Sunny’s take on the crossover is set to finally reveal what he was doing behind the scenes, and given Dennis' longstanding criminal history, the answer is unlikely to be anything wholesome.

Our Take On The Always Sunny & Abbott Elementary Crossover

The Gang Delivers A Perfectly Chaotic Sitcom Crossover

Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Danny DeVito in the Abbott Elementary/It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia crossover episode.

Crossovers between sitcoms are rare, but even rarer are ones that preserve each show’s unique comedic style. Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny managed to do just that, preserving the usual chaos of the Gang while in earshot of students. Seeing the Abbott teachers interact with the Gang was already hilarious, but Sunny's unfiltered version will take things to another level. With Dennis’ mysterious absence finally explained and Charlie’s newfound literacy in question, this episode could be one of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's most unpredictable yet, especially if the Abbott staff embraces the darker, R-rated energy of Paddy’s Pub.

Source: TheWrap