When the idea for the It’s Always Sunny x Abbott Elementary crossover began, many wondered how the family-friendly elementary school show would fit with The Gang’s NSFW and often cringeworthy TV antics. But, as we’ve already seen on the 2025 TV schedule, it’s a knockout crossover. Now, the second part is almost here, which means we’ll get to see a more explicit side of the Abbott cast in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Season 17 premiere. However, while I know that it’ll be funny, what’s even more hilarious is how Sheryl Lee Ralph modified Barbara Howard’s dialogue to avoid saying a curse word.
In preparation for this episode’s July 9 premiere, Day appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The conversation covered the hyped crossover and what we can expect from the other side of the coin for the Philly-based series’ joint efforts. The Horrible Bosses alum shared how lines were punched up and edgier for the Abbott cast on his show, and that Ralph was the only one who humorously opted to swap in something more PG-rated, as he said:
We did write all their characters some lines that are much edgier than what they do on ABC. Sheryl Lee Ralph, I think, was the only one who was like, ‘I don’t think I can do this.’ But she ad-libbed ‘sugar honey iced tea,’ which, if you take each letter, you can certainly tell [what she’s saying] … [She came up with that] off the top of her head, and I was like, ‘That’s better. Let’s go with sugar honey iced tea.’
I think it’s a spot-on swap, because even though we’ve seen Mrs. Howard on edge, her churchgoing ways wouldn’t allow her to say, ‘shit,’ outright no matter what show she’s on. I’m now, more than ever, convinced that Ralph is the only one who could play the tenured teacher with this much style, considering she also inspired the classic celebrity mix-up bit.
Based on the brief episode synopsis on TV Guide, my guess is her ad-libbed curse will likely come while Ava reviews the security footage from The Gang’s visit as troublesome volunteers.
With the faculty and staff behavior changes incoming on Sunny, Day explained that not everyone took issue with the new verbiage. He believes that Quinta Brunson was into the ‘trash people’ vernacular and loved stepping out of network standards with Janine. He shared:
I think she was so happy to do it. I think they really kind of boxed in there on network television.
Janine losing it with such big-hitting, swing-for-the-fences language would be a sight to see. As we know, she can get worked up over a light out, so to see her face to face with the Paddy’s Pub crew will be a delight from the FX angle.
So, I’m looking forward to seeing a new side of the Abbott characters in Sunny. However, I also love that we’ll get to see their reactions to the NSFW gang, as well.
Having an insight into how true Barbara remains and how much Janine will be pushed to the limits makes me more hyped to watch. Considering these are two of the best sitcoms ever (they’re also both available to stream with a Hulu subscription), and we’ve already seen the first installment of Frank, Dee, Charlie, Mac and Dennis trying to fare in an elementary school, I can’t wait to see the Abbott family off the clock.
What’s waiting for us on those tapes, Ava will be reviewing? I don’t know, but my guess is absolute havoc and expletive chaos that The Gang tends to bring. Let’s just hope there’s no turd soup involved.
