Charlie Kelly can finally read this sentence. Probably.
In Wednesday night’s Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episode, Charlie Day‘s lovable idiot from the long-running FX comedy had some help in getting hooked on phonics, rather than his typical milk steak, glue, or spray paint.
From the very moment that Abbott creator Quinta Brunson announced there would be a crossover with another Disney-owned series, fans jumped at the idea of the gang from Paddy’s Pub stopping by one of the best schools in Philadelphia. Cut to a few months later when Sunny creator Rob McElhenny confirmed via Instagram that it would be his imbecile ensemble who would infiltrate Abbott Elementary. From there, it was all but confirmed that Charlie — whose illiteracy has been documented over two decades of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes and recapped in a four-minute video on YouTube — would finally learn to read. In fact, the mere confirmation of the crossover had fans blowing up social media with tweets about Charlie being taken under the wing of Janine Teagues (Brunson) and the other Abbott educators. Day told Decider the idea was immediate for him too.
“I wasn’t quite sure what we were going to do so when I went in the writers’ room with Rob, I had an idea from a day or two before that kind of got me excited,” he said. “I thought it could be fun to do the sort of Billy Madison-esque thing with my character. And so I just pitched to them: ‘I don’t know if there’s a world in which you guys would be comfortable with this, but my character historically can’t read. And I think it would be funny if he is back in school.’ And they jumped on that right away and ran with it more so than I was expecting them to do.”
While Day said he expected to be a relatively small part in the play — at least the Abbott version of it as It’s Always Sunny will release their own reimagining when Season 17 premieres later this year — what unfolded in the episode turned out to be a major storyline.
In the episode, “It’s Always Funny at Abbott Elementary,” Charlie assists Jacob (Chris Perfetti), who quickly picks up on Charlie’s inability to master simple words. Even the kids in Jacob’s class do their best not to laugh at him being unable to read words like “major” and “battles.” Jacob elevates the issue to Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) who wind up giving Charlie the basics of reading, teaching him to sound words out and take it slow. The b-plot culminates in Charlie reading — to the amazement of Mac (McElhenney) — a first-grade level book out loud with classes watching.
Day was just as surprised as the rest of us with just how far Abbott would take his story, especially his bits with Ralph, which he said were some of his favorite scenes to film.
“I thought maybe we just would get a joke or two out of it. But they really saw how that would work well in their episode. I was flattered that they put so much focus on my character and allowed me to do that on the show,” Day told Decider.
So, did Charlie actually learn to read for good? Is this the moment he turns over a new leaf, leaves his unsavory friends from Paddy’s behind, and becomes a literary lover? Unlikely.
“I think the reality is that right after that episode of Abbott, the character of Charlie Kelly probably went and huffed a little bit too much spray paint,” Day joked, adding that he would forget much of what he learned.
He added, “I think most words would be challenging for him. But I’ll tell you this much, he’s got a zero-percent chance of spelling ‘restaurant.’”
And when it comes to what the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia version will look life, get ready for a very different look at the same timeline of events. Brunson has even gone so far as to warn Abbott Elementary fans to skip that crossover episode, saying it will be the antithesis of what they’re expecting.
“If you’re a fan of Abbott, it’s gonna feel like a regular Abbott episode,” Brunson said during a recent sit-down with Seth Meyers. “If you have never seen It’s Always Sunny, you won’t know the difference. There will just be these white people on the show all of the sudden.”
She continued, “I’m very concerned […] I’ve actually been warning our fans to not watch their show.”
Day did not say that in so many words but did agree it would still feel like any other It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode, meaning lots of crass humor and dirty jokes for those who have come to lovethe FX comedy’s style.
“In terms of the Sunny episode, there’s so much that I really don’t want to spoil anything,” he said of what he’s most looking forward to. “I’m really excited for fans to see how that episode ends. I think there’s a good surprise at the end of it.”
The first of the two Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episodes is now streaming on Hulu.
The post Charlie Kelly Finally Learns To Read During ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘Always Sunny’ Crossover, But Charlie Day Admits His Character Isn’t Exactly Ready To Win A Spelling Bee: “He’s Got a Zero-Percent Chance Of Spelling Restaurant” appeared first on Decider.
