Will the Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny Philadelphia Crossover Have a Part 2?

In Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 9: “Volunteers” the eponymous Philadelphia school was visited by Paddy’s Pub proprietors Dennis, Sweet Dee, Mac, Charlie, and Frank from neighboring sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The television event left audiences wondering whether these iconic Philadelphians would ever meet again. Here’s what we know so far about the crossover’s next installment.

Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Will Meet Again

The next time Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia rub elbows it will be on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s more irreverent turf. The crossover event between the series was always billed as a two-parter, with the second half slated to arrive during It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s upcoming Season 17. The latest season of America’s longest-running live-action sitcom wrapped production in December, with a premiere expected in mid-2025. Though the precise date and episode title for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Season 17 premiere has yet to be announced, the crossover with Abbott Elementary is set to conclude in that episode.

“Volunteers” thrust It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Gang back into a mockumentary format, one that the show has previously experimented with in episodes like “Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer”, where Season 17’s premiere will capture Abbott Elementary‘s staff from an entirely new behind-the-scenes perspective. “[It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s] episode is what’s happening in between our episode in the scenes that we’re not showing,” Abbott Elementary producer Justin Halpern told Entertainment Weekly.

Abbott Elementary’s Volunteers Will Tell Their Side of the Story in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

As a result of his aforementioned experience with a documentary crew and actor Glenn Howerton’s limited availability, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Dennis Reynolds remains largely off-screen during the recent Abbott Elementary crossover. Season 17’s premiere promises to shed further light on Dennis’ behind-the-scenes schemes, as the bar owner always seems to cook up a self-serving angle. Other threads that could be explored include how the Gang’s court order landed them at Abbott Elementary specifically and Mac’s many failed attempts to get Principal Coleman to sign off on their volunteer forms.

Though the Season 17 premiere of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will draw the Gang’s legally mandated community service journey to a close, Abbott Elementary‘s producers have not closed the door entirely on further crossover events. “One a year is probably our max, given the complexity of actually pulling it off,” Patrick Schumacker told Entertainment Weekly.

Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 9: “Volunteers” is currently available to stream on Hulu, with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s half of the story joining it on the streamer in the coming months.