Rob McElhenney is ready for the world to see the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia side of the show’s crossover with Abbott Elementary… even if it shocks some fans.
Speaking with Decider to promote Season 4 of Mythic Quest, the actor and producer shared that he is fairly sure anyone who tuned in to watch “Volunteers” — Abbott‘s take on welcoming the Paddy’s Pub gang into their classrooms — will be unprepared for what they have in store.
“That’s the beauty of the way we shot those episodes,” McElhenney shared while addressing how different the two episodes will look. “It’s the same story except told through a different lens.”
Abbott Elementary‘s episode aired in early January to critical and audience acclaim, silencing the skeptics who voiced concerns over how these two juxtaposed series could mash up. A premiere date for the Sunny side has yet to be announced but will air in the upcoming Season 17, expected to premiere on FX and Hulu in the summer.
For the man behind the complex and ever-adapting character of Ronald “Mac” McDonald in Always Sunny, waiting on the world to see what they came up with to contrast Abbott‘s take is something that excites him greatly. McElhenney — who also serves as star and EP on Welcome to Wrexham alongside his Wrexham AFC co-owner, Ryan Reynolds — shared that he can only hope people find their take as worthy and enjoyable as the ABC version.
“We were able to do the Abbott Elementary tone that’s already aired and people got to enjoy — I hope they enjoyed [the episode]. But that same story is going to be told now through the Sunny lens in a few months. And I think we’re going to surprise quite a few people,” he said.
Surprising and delighting fans is something that the long-running FX comedy has shockingly managed to do for the last 20 years. The series — which also stars Charlie Day, Danny DeVito, Glenn Howerton, and McElhenney’s real-life wife, Kaitlin Olson — first premiered in August 2005. Keeping things fresh has never been an issue for the raunchy comedy, though. In one of the more recent seasons, McElhenney’s character came out to his dad with an interpretive dance that has since been lauded as one of the best dance scenes in TV history.
In spite of some more serious moments, the show is just as comical and dark as it has always been and will further attempt to prove it when their Abbott Elementary crossover episode airs. In the ABC version, the lovable cringe-worthy owners of Paddy’s Pub came off as crazy criminals who should be nowhere near an elementary school. As for how they will appear in the next iteration, it’s probably a good guess to say that it will be even worse.
Ahead of the Abbott episode’s release, Decider spoke with Day, the longtime friend, creator, and co-star of McElhenney whose character learned how to read from the Abbott Elementary teachers in the ABC series. The actor — who will also make an appearance in Mythic Quest Season 4 — gave his own take on the “R-rated” version of events still to be seen come Season 17 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
“I think Rob and I got a little bit excited about the fact that their show is a documentary, and that if there was a crew there filming, what else are they filming that you don’t see during the course of the episode of Abbott?” Day shared at the time. “There has to be other things.”
“We thought there could be something really interesting with finding additional footage that isn’t aired during the Abbott episode. So I can tease that there is some much more R-rated It’s Always Sunny-style content that you get to see when you see our episode,” he explained.
The Abbott Elementary side of the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover is currently streaming on Hulu. It’s Always Sunny‘s episode will release later this year.
The post Rob McElhenney Teases the ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Side of the ‘Abbott Elementary’ Crossover: “We’re Going To Surprise Quite a Few People” appeared first on Decider.
