Quinta Brunson Says That An ‘Abbott Elementary’ Fan Page Had A ‘Mental Breakdown’ From Watching ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’
Paddy’s Pub isn’t the friendliest place in the world for elementary school students. After all, most kids don’t get fake IDs until high school.
This Wednesday evening, Mac, Dennis, Charlie, Dee and Frank from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will haunt the halls of Abbott Elementary in the first episode of a two-part crosstown crossover special. Ever since Always Sunny creator Rob McElhenney spilled the beans on the highly anticipated sitcom collab back in October, fans of both shows have wondered how in the world he and Abbott Elementary head Quinta Brunson plan on merging the feel-good, warm-lighting, intelligently optimistic tone of Abbott Elementary with the degenerate chaos of the average Always Sunny episode without breaking the record for most hysterical FCC complaints ever filed over an ABC broadcast.
Don't Miss
During a recent joint interview for Rolling Stone, Brunson and McElhenney explained that they never had any trouble tone-adjusting the Always Sunny sense of humor to fit into Abbott Elementary’s more family-friendly formula, but neither would recommend that any Abbott superfan who somehow missed the last 17 seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia should hop on Hulu and get real weird with it without proper mental preparation.
When asked about the mismatch in content guidelines between Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, McElhenney made it clear that both sides went into the crossover mindful of the peril of tricking an ABC audience into thinking that It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is as all-ages-friendly as Abbott. “We’ve discussed this quite a bit,” McElhenney said of the gaping chasm of questionable content that lies between TV-PG and TV-MA. “Our biggest concern is that people will watch Abbott and think, ‘Oh, we like these characters. We like this episode. Let’s go check out the other show with the whole family.’ And we’re going to caution people against that.”
“I know (the Sunny cast) are not new faces or new talent, but I love showcasing talent to people,” Brunson judiciously added. “But this is the first time I’m gonna be like, ‘Actually, don’t go watch their show!’ Unless you are already a fan of both shows, don’t go looking for anything you don’t need.”
Brunson speaks from experience on this point. As the Abbott star and creator explained, “There’s an Abbott fan page that, after the (crossover) announcement, they decided, ‘I’m gonna go watch Sunny and get ready for this event.’ And the person keeps posting, being like, ‘Guys, it’s rough. It’s funny, but it’s a little rough. So, get through it!’” Brunson concluded of the fan’s current state, “They’re having a mental breakdown, but it’s fine.”
Clearly, McElhenny, Brunson and the creative teams of both shows understand that the Abbott Elementary audience shouldn’t be expected to find Paddy’s Pub palatable — that fanbase seem more like a Suds crowd anyways.
