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Abbott Elementary had its big crossover event with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and although the shows have very different tones, the episode successfully merged the two casts. Abbott Elementary is a warmer, more optimistic show compared to the darker, irreverent chaos It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia tends to embrace, though both are proudly set in Philadelphia. The episode created unexpected bonds between the It’s Always Sunny gang and the cast of Abbott Elementary, such as Janine Teagues and Dee Reynolds bonding as University of Pennsylvania alumnae.
Fans will have to wait a few months to see the other half of the Abbott Elementary-It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episode. While it was fun to see the It’s Always Sunny gang try to be on their best behavior in Abbott Elementary, it will be interesting to see how the school staff reacts to being on the gang’s turf in the future crossover. For fans of Abbott Elementary who enjoyed the crossover event and want to start It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, these 10 episodes are perfect for new viewers.
10
The Gang Gets Invincible
Season 3, Episode 2
In an episode inspired by the movie Invincible, the Philadelphia Eagles football team holds open tryouts. The teachers at Abbott Elementary – Melissa Schemmenti most vocally – support all of Philly’s teams, and this episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia highlights the gang’s support for Philadelphia sports as well.
Dee has the same reaction Janine would to being told she could not do something just because she is a girl: to obstinately attempt it anyway.
Dee has the same reaction Janine would to being told she could not do something just because she is a girl: to obstinately attempt it anyway, only to be humbled when she actually cannot make a professional football team. Some of the episode’s side plots lean more into the absurdist, darker tones of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Frank Reynolds is usually even more chaotic than the rest of the characters, making “The Gang Gets Invincible” one of Frank and Charlie’s best episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
9
Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack
Season 4, Episode 10
A core tenet of Abbott Elementary is that the public schools are underfunded and the teachers are underpaid. Similarly, the It’s Always Sunny gang owns a run-down bar, Paddy’s Pub, keeping it afloat by hook and by crook. In Abbott Elementary, Janine jokes about having a phone so old it’s practically a “flip phone,” underscoring how both shows depict characters living paycheck to paycheck.
When Dee has a heart attack in one of the best It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes for new watchers, the gang realizes none of them have health insurance and panic about living healthier lifestyles immediately. Everyone focuses on one part of health – cardio, a job with benefits – although they end the episode in the same or slightly worse condition than before.

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This echoes the recurring pattern in Abbott Elementary, where Janine’s well-intentioned efforts to improve the school often lead to unintended setbacks. In a fun homage, Frank, played by Danny DeVito, ends up in a mental hospital reminiscent of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, DeVito’s first big film.
8
The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell
Season 4, Episode 11
Abbott Elementary embraces its Philadelphia settings, as seen when Melissa overtakes Jacob’s lesson on the Philadelphia Strikes of 1910. Similarly, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia can serve as a love letter to the City of Brotherly Love. In It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 4, episode 11, “The Gang Cracks the Liberty Bell,” the gang imagines their ancestors playing a pivotal role in one of Philadelphia’s historic events: the cracking of the Liberty Bell.
The episode breaks from the typical It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia format to show historical retellings where everyone is recast as their Revolutionary forefathers. Of course, even in colonial times, the show is irreverent and occasionally offensive with little interest in historical accuracy. While the gangs’ version of the Liberty Bell should not be taught at Abbott Elementary, it makes for a fun and unique episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
7
The Gang Hits the Road
Season 5, Episode 2
One of the highlights of Abbott Elementary is the camaraderie and friendship between the teachers, but in It’s Always Sunny, the gang is usually in competition with each other. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 5, episode 2, “The Gang Hits the Road” is a rare episode where the whole gang is working together for a rather sweet purpose: taking a road trip to the Grand Canyons when they learn Charlie Kelly has never left Philly.
Although it is one of the best It’s Always Sunny episodes set outside Paddy’s Pub, the gang never makes it to the Grand Canyon—they don’t even get outside the Greater Philadelphia Area. Instead, they embark on unexpected heartwarming detours, such as stopping at the Italian Market so Charlie can try common fruits he’s never tasted before. As always, the gang ends up back at Paddy’s Pub, now with Dee’s car stolen, as no episode of It’s Always Sunny is too saccharine.
6
Paddy’s Pub: Home of the Original Kitten Mittens
Season 5, Episode 8
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia can escalate any situation to its comedic extreme, but season 5, episode 8, “Paddy’s Pub: Home of the Original Kitten Mittens” is an episode that highlights the show’s quirky, competitive spirit without becoming too chaotic or violent. When the gang learns there is a local merchandising convention, they split up to invent products to pitch to investors. In one of It’s Always Sunny’s more viral clips, Charlie creates an ad for “Kitten Mittens,” designed to quiet the cats in his neighborhood.
Some of the gang focus more on developing their products, while others pour their energy into flashy marketing materials. The episode exudes a similar competitive energy to the book club meeting in Abbott Elementary season 3, episode 11, “Double Date” when the teachers break up the book discussion into Survivor-esque smaller groups. “Paddy’s Pub: Home of the Original Kitten Mittens” is a classic, if relatively restrained episode of It’s Always Sunny.
5
Sweet Dee Gets Audited
Season 7, Episode 4
The gang rarely tries to change anything over It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s 16 seasons, and even when they do, the efforts usually end in futility. In It’s Always Sunny season 7, episode 4, “Sweet Dee Gets Audited,” the gang reevaluates the way decisions are made at the bar and decides on a civil, logical, democratic method. While everyone is arguing, nothing is ever decided. This is reminiscent of Janine’s overenthusiastic tendencies in Abbott Elementary to try to fix things around the school, often resulting in unintended consequences.
Dee’s plot is a perfect example of how It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will keep escalating the cringe comedy and take lies to increasingly absurd heights. While Abbott Elementary’s Principal Ava Coleman would not go as far as Dee goes, she would probably respect Dee’s audacious attempts to scam the IRS.
4
Mac Day
Season 9, Episode 5
The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia gang is not historically the most supportive group of friends, but “Mac Day” is a relatively sweet episode where the gang agrees to celebrate a full day of Ronald “Mac” McDonald by following his carefully planned itinerary. While the gang has some questions about Mac’s plan, they do go along with his day, having everyone cooperate together for a change.
“Mac Day” highlights It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s humor and character work in a way fans of Abbott Elementary will appreciate.
Fans of Abbott Elementary will get a crash course in Mac’s personality in It’s Always Sunny season 9, episode 5, “Mac Day,” especially comparing Mac with his counterpart, Country Mac, his cousin from the rural part of Pennsylvania. “Mac Day” highlights It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s humor and character work in a way fans of Abbott Elementary will appreciate, even if the episode has some of the show’s characteristic darker tones.
3
The Gang Saves the Day
Season 9, Episode 6
There have been many experimental episodes over It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s 16 seasons that shake up the show’s usual format, and season 9, episode 6, “The Gang Saves the Day” has every member of the gang fantasize about what could happen when they are at a convenience store being robbed at gunpoint.
Each character imagines what their happy ending would be, giving a window into their delusional self-perception and selfish natures. Abbott Elementary adheres to its mockumentary format, but It’s Always Sunny has explored a wide range of creative approaches, including historical settings and one-shot episodes.

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“The Gang Saves the Day” is a prime example of genre play, with each character’s fantasy being in a different movie tone, like Mac’s Steven Seagull-inspired martial arts action story or Charlie’s Pixar-coded animated sequence. This is a good example of It’s Always Sunny’s format-breaking episodes where the outrageousness is tempered by the fact that it takes place within imagined futures.
2
The Gang Goes on Family Fight
Season 10, Episode 8
The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia gang is usually completely uninhibited, so seeing them try to tamp down their tempers and personalities is a fun twist. In one of the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episodes actress Kaitlin Olson recommends, “The Gang Goes on Family Fight,” the gang participates in a Family Feud-style game, and Dennis Reynolds is convinced that to win the money, they all need to be normalized versions of themselves.
“The Gang Goes on Family Fight” has an IMDB rating of 9.1.
Trying to tame the gang’s innate weirdness only makes it come out in expected ways, and Dennis so overtly stating what each It’s Always Sunny’s character’s worst tendencies is a meta but correct assessment. Keegan-Michael Key, who plays a recurring character Superintendent Reynolds in Abbott Elementary, guests in “The Gang Goes on Family Fight” as the game show host who understandably cannot stand the It’s Always Sunny team.
1
Mac Finds His Pride
Season 13, Episode 10
The show paid off a joke that had been building for over a decade in the most visually stunning way in “Mac Finds His Pride.” Mac had always admired other men’s bodies, but his religious homophobia kept him from coming out until It’s Always Sunny season 12.
While everything is usually satirized and mocked on It’s Always Sunny, “Mac Finds His Pride” gives space for Mac to express real feelings about his identity as a gay man in a profoundly moving way that still manages to be one of It’s Always Sunny‘s funniest episodes.
Mac comes out to his father in the season 13 finale in a stunning five-minute-long interpretive dance. In a show that is all about irony, such a powerfully raw scene stands out. The entire audience leaps to their feet for a standing ovation. While not at all a typical It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode, fans of Abbott Elementary will appreciate “Mac Finds His Pride” for its sensitivity to Mac’s coming out journey and the cinematic dance sequence.
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