[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.”]
Again in January, when ABC premiered considered one of TV‘s most curious crossover occasions — pairing its family-friendly “Abbott Elementary” with FX’s adults-only “It’s All the time Sunny in Philadelphia” — I couldn’t shake two nagging points with the pleasant-enough episode.
The primary was that “Volunteers” feels far more like an “Abbott” episode than a “Sunny” episode. To start with, Dennis (Glenn Howerton) is nowhere to be discovered. He spots the cameras, cites his thorough data of “filming” and “consent,” and instantly bows out. It’s a great joke that’s true to Dennis’ nature, but it surely additionally robs us of an elite comedian character. In the meantime, Mac (Rob Mac, né McElhenney) may be very a lot out of character whereas sucking as much as Ava (Janelle James), and Frank (Danny DeVito) will get into it with Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) in an atypically tame feud.
Clearly, the gang must be on its greatest conduct to fulfill “Abbott’s” broadcast requirements, however their comportment in “Volunteers” by no means fairly jells with the uncaring goons we’ve come to know and love.
After all, crossover episodes aren’t straightforward. Audiences can usually sense the company overlords’ gruff arms pushing these beforehand distinct applications collectively. Some efforts are smoother than others (like when Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” exhibits mix into one cavernous deep dish) and that goes double if the episode is extra of a personality cameo than a full-on crossover (like when “E.R.’s” Dr. Ross and Dr. Carter took a shift on “Buddies” to flirt with Monica and Rachel). However on the whole, crossovers are likely to sacrifice greater than they create and work higher for the fits than the followers.
With “Abbott” and “Sunny,” the scenario was barely completely different. Sure, they’re each profitable sitcoms owned by Disney, and sure, they’re each rooted in Philadelphia, so the monetary and sensible causes for a crossover are clear sufficient. However they’re additionally designed for polar reverse audiences. Does “Abbott” really need their harmless followers catching up on probably the most TV-MA sitcoms ever made? Does “Sunny” anticipate their sicko followers (complimentary) to fall for the earnest intentions and candy central romance on “Abbott”?
Who is that this crossover for, precisely?
Which brings us to my second subject with “Volunteers” — a difficulty that’s fully my very own, and a difficulty that almost nullifies my earlier points: I didn’t know “Sunny” was making a further episode all its personal.
Advised from the gang’s perspective and kicking off “It’s All the time Sunny’s” seventeenth season, “The Gang Fucks Up Abbott Elementary” doesn’t simply fill within the gaps for “Sunny” followers who felt slighted by the preliminary crossover episode; it additionally solves the widespread conundrum of a crossover episode by rejecting its most simple premise. Moderately than mix the 2 exhibits right into a single ill-fitting story, it honors each “Abbott” and “Sunny’s” distinct views by giving them their very own model of the identical episode.
Recognizing as a lot definitely makes “Volunteers” simpler to digest (even when it doesn’t elevate the episode amongst “Abbott’s” most interesting). Every part proven in that half-hour is solely what’s appropriate for an all-ages documentary concerning the lecturers at a public elementary college. In the meantime, the additional footage Ava discovers to begin “The Gang Fucks Up Abbott Elementary” holds all of the disturbing concepts, racist language, and outlandish actions inherent to our favourite Philly heathens. And, as befits the group’s longstanding M.O., it ought to come as no shock that the Gang will get extra out of “Abbott Elementary” than “Abbott” will get out of the Gang.
Season 17’s premiere is an distinctive episode of “Sunny” and distinctive comedy, straight up. From the essential premise — the gang’s court-ordered group service means they need to spend every week volunteering at an area grade college — to the person plotlines (the boy band auditions, my god), “The Gang Fucks Up Abbott Elementary” feels proper at dwelling as an episode of “Sunny.” It’s raucous, stunning, and immensely satisfying. It zigs whenever you anticipate it to zag, it’s sensible about laying the groundwork for future “Sunny” episodes (everybody ought to circle again to the premiere as soon as they’ve seen the complete season), and it’s jam-packed with jokes.
Take Dennis. True to himself, he’s nonetheless hiding from the cameras, however earlier than he can go sit in a brush closet to stare at his cellphone for 5 straight days, a slight irritation sparks him into motion: The college’s espresso is horrible. Seeing Dennis go full Walter White (as he dubs himself) whereas technically offering an act of kindness to each hard-working public servant at Abbott isn’t what I might’ve guessed he’d find yourself doing in his downtime, however seeing him prep espresso orders whereas calmly chastising his prospects (“Katie, I bear in mind you — tremendous sophisticated order.”) is an honest-to-Dennis delight.
Plus, that’s not all he does. As regular, Dennis’ passions get the higher of him, and he’s sucked into the gang’s outraged/conspiratorial orbit when Charlie (Charlie Day) mentions “the children don’t know something about”… 9/11. Now, I can’t join each dot between their fateful lunch hour dialogue and their eventual resolution to replace Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Begin the Fireplace” for post-9/11 America, however listening to Mrs. Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) rhapsodically bebopping with Charlie a couple of metaphorical fireplace proper earlier than Mac and Frank begin a actual fireplace — supposed to check the melting level of metal beams — nicely, I can’t say I ever thought I’d stay to see the day. Beautiful comedy. No notes.
Talking of Frank, his well mannered feud (by Frank’s requirements) with Mr. Johnson seems to be nothing greater than a diversion. “This man’s gonna be an issue,” Frank says, after Mr. Johnson busts them for hanging out within the instructor’s lounge inside minutes of arriving on the college, earlier than including, “I’ll handle him.” It then turns into clear that every thing proven in “Abbott’s” episode — the place Frank saved screwing with the group backyard run by Mr. Johnson and Gregory — was only a method to preserve the janitor busy whereas Frank goes about his precise plan: attempting to find copper. To shut the episode, Ava finds out he raided the boys’ lavatory for his focused treasure (which seems to be a win-win, since she wanted to tear out the wall anyway).
For as magnificent as it’s to see the Gang again to their outdated methods (particularly after two years between seasons), simply as important to the premiere’s success is how nicely the “Abbott” forged is utilized. Whereas seeing a tamed model of the gang does little to raise “Volunteers,” witnessing Abbott’s lecturers off-the-leash brings fairly a little bit of pleasure to “Sunny.” There’s Ava mocking Janine for dashing into her workplace all out of breath (and mocking a tall scholar who “can’t shoot for shit”); there’s Barbara singing, which in and of itself is an excellent ability to write down towards; there’s Jacob strolling in on Mac, Charlie, and Frank “recruiting” the aforementioned tall child.
After which there was Brunson’s first solo scene: In a callback to Dee’s viciously two-faced arc within the “Abbott” episode, Janine (Quinta Brunson) calls her a “complete fucking cunt” for making an attempt to steal Gregory — eliciting a wide-eyed stare from Mr. Eddie that mimics the viewers’s response completely.
“I believed you had been going to name her a bitch,” he says. “No, I didn’t really feel that was robust sufficient,” Janine replies. “Bitch generally is a very nice canine. That’s not what this lady is.” Hell yeah, Quinta. Option to benefit from your uncensored platform.
With “Sunny” free to be “Sunny” once more and “Abbott” seizing its uncommon shot at uncensored comedy, “The Gang Fucks Up Abbott Elementary” is a deft method to closing out an uncommon — and unusually profitable — crossover occasion. If you happen to knew it was coming, Sunny’s Model makes for a outstanding payoff to Abbott’s introduction, and in case you didn’t — however let’s face it: everybody knew about Sunny’s Model besides me — it’s a helluva method to kick off Season 17, proving as soon as once more that TV’s longest-running live-action sitcom continues to be filled with surprises.
“It’s All the time Sunny in Philadelphia” premieres Wednesday, July 9 on FXX. New episodes will likely be launched weekly and out there to stream on Hulu the day after they premiere.