Unsurprisingly, 'Abbott Elementary' teachers start cursing in 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' crossover
Published in Entertainment News
PHILADELPHIA — When the narcissistic gang from "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia" visited the "Abbott Elementary" school in a crossover episode earlier this year, audiences got to see the two Philly TV universes collide in hilarious ways — all while keeping the episode PG for "Abbott’s" more family-oriented viewers.
But any "Abbott" fan looking to watch part two may have to cover their ears: The episode, which aired Wednesday night, kicks off the 17th season of "Always Sunny" with the sitcom’s signature offbeat, explicit humor. This time, the teachers got to curse, too.
(Spoilers ahead!) After a week with the wacky volunteers, Abbott principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) and faculty watch footage of the "Sunny" gang’s shamelessly inappropriate antics, filmed by their mockumentary camera crew. The episode alternates between that footage and the "Abbott" crew’s reactions to seeing, for example, Mac (Rob Mac), Frank (Danny DeVito), and Charlie (Charlie Day) scoping out students to recruit for St. Joe’s basketball team.
That effort leads to a cringe-worthy moment that underscores the risks of uniting these two worlds. The trio follows one tall kid into the bathroom and the vibes are instantly creepy.
It’s a dark reminder that in "Sunny," the South Philly gang harms nearly everyone they encounter. Most times, there’s no teacher to rescue the side characters from becoming collateral damage in the group’s constant pursuit of another angle to profit off or exploit others for personal gain. Thankfully, the West Philly teachers still show up and protect their students, even if they can’t prevent property damage.
At the start, "Sunny’s" Dennis (Glenn Howerton) encourages everyone to lay low for the week, but Frank and Dee (Kaitlin Olson) have schemes cooking. Calling the school a “gold mine” of opportunities, Frank plants a raccoon in the school’s garden to keep his enemy Mr. Johnson busy.
Dee also tries breaking up the beloved couple Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) and Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson). Her meddling leads even the overachieving people-pleaser Janine to completely lose her cool.
In part one, Janine is frustrated, but relatively controlled; in part two, now that she’s seen Dee’s particular brand of crazy, the typically sweet teacher — who asks Gregory beforehand if she can say a bad word — looks straight at the camera to use shockingly explicit language.
Janine later clarifies that she’s not a violent person, but if she wanted to fight, she would. We believe her.
“I’m not mad, I’m not, because I am totally over that woman. Um, because I am a happy person,” she says before exhaling. Then she punches a locker. “I’m so sorry, I saw a mosquito.”
Of course, Janine’s not the only one acting out.
The "Sunny" gang has meltdowns, collectively and separately, across school grounds. In the cafeteria, after cutting kids in line, they debate for hours over kids being unfamiliar with the events of 9/11, and talk themselves into conspiracies. Dennis, who was mostly missing from part one, becomes a school barista using chemistry equipment, and then he, Charlie, and Frank hold student auditions to form a new boy band.
The biggest meltdown comes with a musical number. Charlie and Dennis convince Janine, Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph), and Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) to sing their version of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” with updated lyrics about Ozempic and Angel Reese.
When Charlie and Dennis find out Fall Out Boy already released a newer rendition, they end up in a shouting match.
“In all my years of teaching primary school, I have never seen a student of mine tantrum that long, and these were full grown adults with fully developed frontal lobes,” says Barbara.
While the "Abbott" crossover episode celebrated Charlie learning how to read in a heartwarming storyline fit for that sitcom, this "Sunny" version, predictably, leaves its characters to their terrible, funny, and unchanging ways.
As the episode wraps, both groups head to Paddy’s Pub for a round and the gang gifts the teachers with a new espresso machine, courtesy of Frank, who’s mysteriously missing.
Every nice gesture is cause for suspicion. Turns out, Frank was back at the school while everyone else was at the pub. He wasn’t joking about that “gold mine” opportunity — this time, his high jinks involved breaking down the walls of a school bathroom to steal copper pipes.
©2025 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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