How ‘Abbott Elementary’ Could Break ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Emmys Curse

Sam Rockwell’s AGP monologue found dead in a ditch
How ‘Abbott Elementary’ Could Break ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Emmys Curse

As Abbott Elementary’s “Volunteers” marked It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s first-ever crossover episode — not counting the show’s collab with the smash-hit multi-cam sitcom Old Lady House, of course — the television event could make history yet again: this time serving as The Gang’s first successful bid at desperately trying to win an award. 

The beloved ABC series is reportedly staking its claim on the Sunny side of awards season, submitting Kaitlin Olson, Charlie Day and Rob McElhenney as potential nominees for two of the Emmys’ guest star categories, per Gold Derby. A running bit throughout It’s Always Sunny’s 17 seasons, the series has never earned an Emmy nod for anything beyond stunt coordination, making this mere consideration a particularly big W for The Gang. 

It remains unclear why the Abbott Elementary overlords omitted Danny Devito from the running — do piss-soaked fur pelts mean nothing these days? — but Glenn Howerton’s absence makes more sense, as his famously brief cameo failed to meet the five percent screen-time requirement needed to land a highly-coveted nod. 

Even with the Reynolds boys out of the running, the three remaining It’s Always Sunny stars still face some stiff competition — from within the halls of Abbott Elementary alone. Olson, who was previously nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in both 2022 and 2024 for her role on Hacks, was submitted alongside Rocky icon Talia Shire (“Yo, Adrian!”), who played Lisa Ann Walter’s mom during this season’s “Winter Break.” Meanwhile, Day and McElhenney were entered with They Live legend Keith David, who irked staffers and cut hair as Frank, Janelle James’ estranged father. 

For Day, however, the award season competition is a whole lot more meta: He just might risk losing out to himself. Last month, the sitcom staple reprised his role as talent manager Spencer on Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest, offering a shockingly poignant monologue that left fans calling for the actor to earn some hardware.

WHERE IS CHARLIE DAY'S EMMY,” Twitter user pqdres captioned a now-viral clip from the episode, while acribli detailed just how much Day’s performance impacted them. “Crying watching this at the Department of Transportation waiting room,” they recalled.

Imagine the tears of joy then if he or any other member of The Gang finally grab that elusive golden statuette.

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