It's Always Sunny....at Abbott Elementary?

Last week I went to San Diego Comic Con, and as a fan of the TV show Abbott Elementary, another sitcom set in Philadelphia, I attended their Saturday panel to hear a surprising announcement: Season 4 will include a crossover episode with another show:

Quinta Brunson did not specify which TV show they would crossover with in this announcement, but she did state that it will "change television as we know it," and so comes the endless speculation of what this crossover could be... 

I’m here to shut all that BS down, because clearly there's a reason I'm writing about this other show on the Paddy's Pub Blog—I am 99.9% certain the Abbott Elementary crossover will be with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It’s not 9-1-1 or Grey's Anatomy, or The Bear or some ABC sitcom that went off their air years ago—it’s Sunny. 

Let’s look at the facts:

Basis/Motive: 

You may or may not remember back in February when a “Willy Wonka experience” went viral for being a complete scam and upsetting a ton of kids. A lot of the internet commented on how it seemed like a scam the Gang would pull, something straight out of an episode of Sunny... and that sentiment ended up reaching Rob McElhenney, who had this to say:

Quinta Brunson, Creator/EP/Writer/and Co-star of Abbott Elementary, ended up seeing that Tweet and posted it to her Instagram story:

Which Rob then ended up sharing to his Instagram story:

While this could have been inconsequential fun, it seems like a hell-of-a coincidence to get a crossover announcement for Abbott a few months later... 

Ability: 

Sunny and Abbott are both created by, executive produced by, written by, and co-starred in by Rob and Quinta, respectively, so they have the flexibility and control to make an executive decision like this. 

Both shows are under “Disney properties” (Sunny, FX and Abbott, ABC), and thus wouldn't face IP infringement or licensing issues. 

Randall Einhorn was a director on Sunny and is a current director on Abbott, thus has the knowledge of how both shows operate and is able to bridge the gap between their differences. 

Similarity: 

Both shows are sitcoms that take place in Philadelphia and base a lot of their plots in the city/its culture. 

The creators of both shows have stated they think of their shows operating with a sort of "semi-cartoon" logic.

Supporting Evidence: 

While you'll just have to take my word here, I did speak briefly with both Randall Einhorn and Quinta Brunson after the panel and told them "I know" the crossover is with Sunny. I didn't get a hard confirmation from either of them, but they did both acknowledge my claim with a knowing laugh...so take that for what you will.

Bryan Swarberg, RCG's creative executive and VP of Rob's company, More Better, replied to a speculative tweet:

(I intend to update this post as any more supporting evidence comes to)

An infinite number of questions now arise...

If Abbott is having a crossover with Sunny, does that mean Sunny will have a crossover with Abbott? (Probably.) Will the episodes air together? (Abbot airs on Wednesdays at 9:30pm and Sunny airs Wednesdays at 10:00pm, so the stars are pretty well aligned...) Will they actually spoof the Willy Wonka Experience fiasco or was that simply just what brought the crossover into fruition? Will the Gang be any different when seen through "documentary" cameras? Will the Abbott characters act differently when not "on camera"? 

What are your thoughts about a crossover between Sunny and a sitcom set at an elementary school? Any predictions for The Gang? 

Anyone have any more support or evidence? Let me know!

- Seth

+ Paddy's Pub at the SDCC FX Offsite: