‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Lisa Ann Walter Requested Scenes With This ‘It’s Always Sunny’ Actor in Crossover Episode
Lisa Ann Walter, or teacher Melissa Schemmenti to Abbott Elementary fans, had one request for the ABC mockumentary’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover episode. The 61-year-old wanted scenes with a certain actor from the comedy series. But it wasn’t Charlie Day, Danny DeVito, or Rob McElhenney.
Walter asked for scenes with Kaitlin Olson in the ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘It’s Always Sunny’ crossover
At Warner Bros. Television Group’s Fall TV Season Celebration, Walter shared not only that she and the Abbott Elementary cast had already begun filming with everyone from It’s Always Sunny, but that she’d also asked Quinta Brunson, the show’s creator, star, and writer, if she could get screen time with a particular actor.
“I really was excited about acting with Dee, with Kaitlin Olson,” Walter said (via Variety). “I met her at some of the events that we have to go do. I just really liked her a lot. I said to Quinta , ‘Can I do my scenes with her? Write me scenes with her.’”
Walter, a “long-time fan of” It’s Always Sunny, also shared that “the work that they’ve done on our ‘Abbott’ set has been hilarious.” She also noted it included a heavier emphasis on improvisation, especially for Day.
A crossover episode ‘made sense immediately’ to Rob McElhenney and Quinta Brunson
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about how the idea of a crossover episode involving the two comedies came about, Brunson explained that it began with a tweet.
“So Rob McElhenney, there was something online that he saw that someone sent him and said, “This would make a funny ‘It’s Always Sunny’ episode.’” And he retweeted it and said, “I think it would be a great ‘Abbott’ episode,” and that kind of sparked us talking.”
“The episode has nothing to do with what was sent to him, but it got us chatting,” she continued, noting they “clicked right away.” Then they “started really talking about it and realizing we can really do this. We’re both under the Disney umbrella, we can make this work.”
“They represent a part of South Philly, and we represent a part of West Philly that is very real, and it wasn’t a long walk for these characters to interact,” Brunson said. “It just made sense immediately. And when it came to us that easy, we were like, ‘Yeah, we have to do this.’”
Buronson went on to praise her time in the Abbott Elementary writers’ room with McElhenney and Day, calling them “a delight to work with.”
When the ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘It’s Always Sunny’ crossover episode airs
Sorry, Abbot and It’s Always Sunny fans. It’s going to be a while before the crossover episode premieres. It’s reportedly scheduled as the ninth episode of Abbott Elementary Season 4.
The new installment is just getting underway—Oct. 8, 2024, marked the premiere—meaning the crossover episode is about seven weeks away on Dec. 4, 2024. However, that’s if episodes continue airing weekly with no breaks for Thanksgiving or other programming.
Abbott Elementary airs Wednesday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
