[Editor’s Note: The following review contains spoilers for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” Season 17, Episode 1, “The Gang Fucks Up Abbott Elementary.”]
Back in January, when ABC premiered one of TV‘s most curious crossover events — pairing its family-friendly “Abbott Elementary” with FX’s adults-only “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” — I couldn’t shake two nagging issues with the pleasant-enough episode.
The first was that “Volunteers” feels way more like an “Abbott” episode than a “Sunny” episode. To begin with, Dennis (Glenn Howerton) is nowhere to be found. He spots the cameras, cites his thorough knowledge of “filming” and “consent,” and immediately bows out. It’s a good joke that’s true to Dennis’ nature, but it also robs us of an elite comic character. Meanwhile, Mac (Rob Mac, né McElhenney) is very much out of character while sucking up to Ava (Janelle James), and Frank (Danny DeVito) gets into it with Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) in an atypically tame feud.
Obviously, the gang has to be on its best behavior to meet “Abbott’s” broadcast standards, but their comportment in “Volunteers” never quite jells with the uncaring goons we’ve come to know and love.
Of course, crossover episodes aren’t easy. Audiences can often sense the corporate overlords’ gruff hands pushing these previously distinct programs together. Some efforts are smoother than others (like when Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” shows combine into one cavernous deep dish) and that goes double if the episode is more of a character cameo than a full-on crossover (like when “E.R.’s” Dr. Ross and Dr. Carter took a shift on “Friends” to flirt with Monica and Rachel). But in general, crossovers tend to sacrifice more than they create and work better for the suits than the fans.
With “Abbott” and “Sunny,” the situation was slightly different. Yes, they’re both successful sitcoms owned by Disney, and yes, they’re both rooted in Philadelphia, so the financial and practical reasons for a crossover are clear enough. But they’re also designed for polar opposite audiences. Does “Abbott” really want their innocent fans catching up on one of the most TV-MA sitcoms ever made? Does “Sunny” expect their sicko fans (complimentary) to fall for the earnest intentions and sweet central romance on “Abbott”?
Who is this crossover for, exactly?
Which brings us to my second issue with “Volunteers” — an issue that’s entirely my own, and an issue that nearly nullifies my previous issues: I didn’t know “Sunny” was making an additional episode all its own.
Told from the gang’s perspective and kicking off “It’s Always Sunny’s” 17th season, “The Gang Fucks Up Abbott Elementary” doesn’t just fill in the gaps for “Sunny” fans who felt slighted by the initial crossover episode; it also solves the common conundrum of a crossover episode by rejecting its most basic premise. Rather than combine the two shows into a single ill-fitting story, it honors both “Abbott” and “Sunny’s” distinct perspectives by giving them their own version of the same episode.
Recognizing as much certainly makes “Volunteers” easier to digest (even if it doesn’t elevate the episode among “Abbott’s” finest). Everything shown in that half-hour is simply what’s suitable for an all-ages documentary about the teachers at a public elementary school. Meanwhile, the extra footage Ava discovers to start “The Gang Fucks Up Abbott Elementary” holds all the disturbing ideas, racist language, and outlandish actions inherent to our favorite Philly heathens. And, as befits the group’s longstanding M.O., it should come as no surprise that the Gang gets more out of “Abbott Elementary” than “Abbott” gets out of the Gang.
Season 17’s premiere is an exceptional episode of “Sunny” and exceptional comedy, straight up. From the basic premise — the gang’s court-ordered community service means they have to spend a week volunteering at a local grade school — to the individual plotlines (the boy band auditions, my god), “The Gang Fucks Up Abbott Elementary” feels right at home as an episode of “Sunny.” It’s raucous, shocking, and immensely satisfying. It zigs when you expect it to zag, it’s smart about laying the groundwork for future “Sunny” episodes (everyone should circle back to the premiere once they’ve seen the full season), and it’s jam-packed with jokes.
Take Dennis. True to himself, he’s still hiding from the cameras, but before he can go sit in a broom closet to stare at his phone for five straight days, a slight irritation sparks him into action: The school’s coffee is terrible. Seeing Dennis go full Walter White (as he dubs himself) while technically providing an act of kindness to every hard-working public servant at Abbott isn’t what I would’ve guessed he’d end up doing in his downtime, but seeing him prep coffee orders while lightly chastising his customers (“Katie, I remember you — super complicated order.”) is an honest-to-Dennis delight.
Plus, that’s not all he does. As usual, Dennis’ passions get the better of him, and he’s sucked into the gang’s outraged/conspiratorial orbit when Charlie (Charlie Day) mentions “the kids don’t know anything about”… 9/11. Now, I can’t connect every dot between their fateful lunch hour discussion and their eventual decision to update Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” for post-9/11 America, but hearing Mrs. Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) rhapsodically bebopping with Charlie about a metaphorical fire right before Mac and Frank start a real fire — intended to test the melting point of steel beams — well, I can’t say I ever thought I’d live to see the day. Exquisite comedy. No notes.
Speaking of Frank, his polite feud (by Frank’s standards) with Mr. Johnson turns out to be nothing more than a diversion. “This guy’s gonna be a problem,” Frank says, after Mr. Johnson busts them for hanging out in the teacher’s lounge within minutes of arriving at the school, before adding, “I’ll take care of him.” It then becomes clear that everything shown in “Abbott’s” episode — where Frank kept screwing with the community garden run by Mr. Johnson and Gregory — was just a way to keep the janitor busy while Frank goes about his actual plan: hunting for copper. To close the episode, Ava finds out he raided the boys’ bathroom for his targeted treasure (which turns out to be a win-win, since she needed to tear out the wall anyway).
For as magnificent as it is to see the Gang back to their old ways (especially after two years between seasons), just as essential to the premiere’s success is how well the “Abbott” cast is utilized. Whereas seeing a tamed version of the gang does little to elevate “Volunteers,” witnessing Abbott’s teachers off-the-leash brings quite a bit of joy to “Sunny.” There’s Ava mocking Janine for rushing into her office all out of breath (and mocking a tall student who “can’t shoot for shit”); there’s Barbara singing, which in and of itself is a brilliant skill to write toward; there’s Jacob walking in on Mac, Charlie, and Frank “recruiting” the aforementioned tall kid.
And then there was Brunson’s first solo scene: In a callback to Dee’s viciously two-faced arc in the “Abbott” episode, Janine (Quinta Brunson) calls her a “total fucking cunt” for trying to steal Gregory — eliciting a wide-eyed stare from Mr. Eddie that mimics the audience’s reaction perfectly.
“I thought you were going to call her a bitch,” he says. “No, I didn’t feel that was strong enough,” Janine replies. “Bitch can be a very fine dog. That is not what this woman is.” Hell yeah, Quinta. Way to make the most of your uncensored platform.
With “Sunny” free to be “Sunny” again and “Abbott” seizing its rare shot at uncensored comedy, “The Gang Fucks Up Abbott Elementary” is a deft approach to closing out an unusual — and unusually successful — crossover event. If you knew it was coming, Sunny’s Version makes for a remarkable payoff to Abbott’s introduction, and if you didn’t — but let’s face it: everyone knew about Sunny’s Version except me — it’s a helluva way to kick off Season 17, proving once again that TV’s longest-running live-action sitcom is still full of surprises.
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” premieres Wednesday, July 9 on FXX. New episodes will be released weekly and available to stream on Hulu the day after they premiere.