Posted in: ABC, FX, Hulu, TV | Tagged: abbott elementary, always sunny, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Always Sunny/Abbott Elementary: "We've Been Having a Ball": Brunson

Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson had great things to say about working with the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia gang on the crossover.

After learning a whole lot more about what we can expect when FXX's Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson & Danny DeVito– starring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia crosses over with Quinta Brunson's award-winning ABC series Abbott Elementary (more on that in a minute), Brunson is offering even more insights into how the epic television event came to be, what it was like for the two writing teams to be working together, how both shows represent Philadelphia in very different and unique ways, and how shared comedic sensibilities helped make everything work.

"So, Rob McElhenney, there was something online that he saw that someone sent him and said, 'This would make a funny 'It's Always Sunny' episode,' and he retweeted it and said, 'I think it would be a great Abbott episode,' and that kind of sparked us talking. The episode has nothing to do with what was sent to him, but it got us chatting, and honestly, I really like Rob. I think we get along because, like me, he's a writer, creator of a show, loves comedy, he's from Philly. We just clicked right away, and we started really talking about it and realizing we can really do this. We're both under the Disney umbrella; we can make this work," Brunson shared during a profile interview with The Hollywood Reporter – and based on how things are going, it sounds like they're making it work rather well… thank you very much.

"They represent a part of South Philly, and we represent a part of West Philly that is very real, and it wasn't a long walk for these characters to interact. It just made sense immediately. And when it came to us that easy, we were like, 'Yeah, we have to do this,'" Brunson continued. "So we start putting things in motion at the beginning of this 'Abbott' season because 'Sunny,' they just started writing their season. And Charlie [Day] and Rob came into the room with us one day, they were wonderful, just excellent, excellent collaborators. I can't say enough kind words about them. We had a ball. We've been having a ball on set. They're just a delight to work with. And I can help breathe new life into our world and vice versa. It's been an absolute joy to work with them. And above all else, Rob and Charlie and them, they're like me. We like comedy, and we want to make comedy, and we want to do exciting things with comedy. And when you're working with people like that, who are all on the same page, it's just magical."

As a fan of the long-running series, Brunson explains that "Always Sunny's" different tone from Abbott Elementary is another factor that helped make combining the two shows work. "Our shows have very different tones, and that's what I like about them. Them being willing to take the chance, which 'Abbott' had to be as well, to blend those tones together." Not that there weren't some people from the ABC series who had there doubts, with Brunson adding, "Some people on my own production were like, 'It can't be done,' and it's like, it absolutely can. It can, it really can. And actually, it's pretty easy. You just have to believe it can be done."

Always Sunny: Abbot Elementary EPs Offer Crossover Details

Abbott Elementary EPs Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker (Max's Harley Quinn) had some serious red meat to throw out to the masses earlier this week- beginning with the crossover happening during the ninth episode of the ABC series's fourth season – and the crossover will be the focus of the entire episode. "We got the whole gang, the 'A' story, 'B' story, 'C,' 'D,' it's all them," Schumacker confirmed – and that means Howerton and Olson, too – even though they weren't featured in the images that were first released (with more scene being filmed next week). "Charlie Day's character [Charlie Kelly] has a pretty significant storyline in our episode," he added.

"It was kind of a joke at first that the two shows should cross over. On paper, it feels like they'd be a real tonal mishmash. But then Rob and Charlie came to our writers' room, and we hashed out some real broad-stroke ideas. From there, we emailed back and forth beat sheets and then an outline. They were super game for everything. All those concerns that we had about the tones of the shows butting against each other were alleviated the second we started filming with Charlie," Schumacker added, noting that Abbott Elementary fans won't feel like they're being left out if this is their first time meeting The Gang from Paddy's. "It just kind of works in a vacuum. They just feel like other guest stars on the show. Obviously, it's going to have a much deeper meaning for 'Sunny' fans," he explained.

We guess that means that some of the folks from the ABC series will be making their way over to the pub responsible for cracking the Liberty Bell – right? "We can't say too much about that yet," Halpern teased. In fact, that's the same route that Schumacker went when asked about the possibility of Abbott Elementary visiting "Always Sunny" during Season 17 – carefully responding, "Great question! I don't know that we're allowed to answer that question right now."

IASIP/Abbot Elementary Crossover Timeline

Back in February, all the world was buzzing about that "Willy Wonka Experience" over in Glasgow, Scotland, which was supposed to be an immersive experience but turned out to be less a "land of pure imagination" and more like a ground zero for all of your worst nightmares. Well, McElhenney caught wind of the story and reposted it on Twitter/X, adding that "a lot of you are saying this feels like an episode of 'Sunny,' but to me, it feels more like an [Always Sunny/Abbott Elementary] crossover episode." It turned out that Brunson liked the crossover idea, too…

Well, Brunson didn't waste much time letting McElhenney know that they're game if The Gang is – posting a screencap of McElhenney's initial tweet/x on Instagram Stories while adding, "Just say the word @RobMcElhenney [with a salute emoji]. I love you guys." McElhenney made sure to head back to Instagram to let Brunson know that "the feeling is mutual":

That brought us to ABC's Abbott Elementary panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 (SDCC 2024) in July, where Brunson dropped an interesting tease about a big crossover that would be hitting screens soon. "We will be doing an interesting crossover this season. I'm not gonna tell you with who or with what or where or when or how. But just know, it's very exciting, and I think it will change television as we know it," Brunson offered – and with that, our dumpster fires of random speculation began raging – with Halpern and Schumacker dumping even more fuel on those fires.

During an interview with EW, the EPs were asked if there were any hints or clues about the crossover that they could share. "I will just say that when she came to us with it, I was like, 'How are we going to make this work?' I was really excited about it, but I was like, 'I do not know how this is going to work.' But I think we're close to figuring it out," Halpern responded. "Without giving anything away, we were able to spend some time in the writers' room with some of the creative forces behind the other show that will remain unnamed. And we're all getting on the same page about what this could be on both sides. But the idea is that there will be an 'Abbott' episode, and there will be an episode of the other show that incorporates the 'Abbott' characters," Schumacker added, noting that the "Abbott" episode would run "after" the end-of-the-year break – "Possibly the first episode back from the holidays."

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