'Abbott Elementary' top secret crossover episode revealed to be with 'It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia'

Rob McElhenney confirms that Philly's finest teachers and most beloved bar flies will soon cross paths.

After months of rumors, teases, and speculation, we finally know what series Abbott Elementary is planning to cross over with in its upcoming fourth season: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

That's right, the Paddy's Pub gang and Abbott's faculty and staff will join forces for a special crossover episode. Rob McElhenney confirmed the comedy link up with an Instagram post of himself, Sunny costar Charlie Day, and Abbott creator and star Quinta Brunson in front of the painted brick wall prominently featured in her series' intro montage.

"Oh. Hello," was McElhenney's coy caption. Brunson shared the same photo on her own Instagram a few minutes later with the caption, "Season 4 of Abbott Elementary gets real Sunny." Shortly after, McElhenney followed up with another photo of Abbott and Sunny actors Tyler James Williams, William Stanford Davis, and Danny DeVito with Day, Brunson, and himself posted on X.

The idea for an Abbott–It's Always Sunny crossover first surfaced online in February, when McElhenney reposted photos of the viral Scottish Willy Wonka "immersive experience" with the caption, "A lot of you are saying this feels like an episode of Sunny, but to me it feels more like an [It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia–Abbott Elementary] crossover episode."

In a now-expired Instagram story, Brunson shared a screenshot of McElhenney's X post with the caption, "Just say the word [Rob McElhenney]. Love you guys."

Then in July, Brunson told the crowd at Comic-Con, "We will be doing an interesting crossover this season, but I’m not gonna tell you with who or what or when, but it will be exciting, and I think it will change television as we know it."

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Fans naturally speculated that the crossover might be with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, not just because both series are set in Philadelphia or because the two series share a parent company, but because power players from both series had expressed enthusiasm over the prospect.

Abbott executive producers Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker continued to tease the upcoming crossover episode in a September interview with Entertainment Weekly, but declined to identify Sunny or any other show. "I will just say that when [Brunson] 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,'" Halpern said.

Schumacker added that "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."

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With McElhenney and Brunson's posts, the crossover is official. But fans will have to wait a while to see it. In the September interview, Schumacker noted that the crossover will take place after the winter holidays — "possibly the first episode back from the holidays."

In that time, fans are free to speculate further about what could happen. Will the Abbott crew lift the gang up to nobler heights, or will they be dragged into the gutter for some classic Sunny shenanigans? Will Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson) replace Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) as Jacob's (Chris Perfetti) new bestie? Will Mr. Johnson (Davis) and Frank (DeVito) bond over their mutual burden of cleaning up after their crew's respective messes? Maybe Walter's wish for an Abbott musical episode can dovetail with the crossover, making for an extra, extra special episode?

All will be revealed when the Abbott Elementary–It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia special crossover episode comes to the small screen this winter.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.