Entertainment
The gang goes to 'Abbott': How Quinta Brunson and Rob McElhenney made a crossover episode
There was a moment during the filming of the “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” crossover episode that blew Quinta Brunson’s mind. It was the first scene where the core casts of both shows were in the same room.
“The initial moment of all of us on set just rocked me to my core,” said Brunson, star and creator of “Abbott,” in a joint interview with her “Sunny” counterpart, Rob McElhenney. “You have to understand because I’m a fan — it was crazy to see all of you in the school.”
The very idea of putting these two shows together is a somewhat crazy idea that just happens to work. “Sunny” is the profane FXX series that’s set at an Irish dive bar and has been on the air for nearly 20 years. “Abbott” is ABC’s heartwarming breakout hit about the teachers at an underfunded public school, now in its fourth season. But they are both set in Philadelphia, which gave their creators the idea to do an old fashioned crossover, the likes of which used to happen on “Happy Days” and “Laverne and Shirley.”
The first part of the event is scheduled for the midseason return of “Abbott” on Jan. 8. It finds the gang of Paddy’s Pub forced to do community service at Abbott Elementary, a logical explanation for how a bunch of criminals end up around children. It will be followed later by a “Sunny” installment featuring the “Abbott” teachers that concludes the story — the 17th season of “Sunny” recently wrapped production.
Brunson and McElhenney got on a video call with the Los Angeles Times to discuss the process of bringing it all to life.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
“The initial moment of all of us on set just rocked me to my core,” said Brunson, creator and star of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” with “Sunny” star and creator McElhenney.
(Marcus Ubungen/Los Angeles Times)
Quinta, what was your first experience with “Sunny”?
Quinta Brunson: Even though I was from Philly, I hadn’t actually watched. I came from a very Christian background where that show just could not have been on in my house. So it wasn’t until college — my freshman year in college — and I was in a dorm with my friend Lauren, who is [the person with whom] I discovered all my oddball humor things. We were big into Adult Swim, just the things we weren’t allowed to watch at home. And she was like, “Have you ever watched ‘Always Sunny?’ ” I was like, “You know what, despite being from here, no, I haven’t.” We binged, and it was hard to binge at that time. We’d torrent — sorry — the show from a website nonstop, and I think we watched seasons, at that point, maybe like one through seven. Wait, what are you on now?
Rob McElhenney: 47.
Brunson: No, I didn’t say your age. I said what is the season count.
McElhenney: 17.
Brunson: I couldn’t stop, and I thought it was insane and amazing. It made me proud. It’s how we feel about the Four Seasons. I was like, “I cannot believe this is in my city.” There’s a Four Seasons hotel in Philly that’s incredible. Sorry, just whatever. Anyway, keep going.
McElhenney: We should shill for the Four Seasons because it’s one of the greatest hotels I’ve ever been in.
How did the crossover start to come together?
Brunson: We met at the Emmys. And Rob and the whole “Always Sunny” team had just finished doing a presentation. The theme was TV shows throughout history. They went up there, which was honestly incredible to see. I think you guys made a joke about never having won an Emmy.
McElhenney: Yeah, the premise was TV shows from the past and we were like, “But we’re in the present. Why are we here?”
Brunson: Then I won an Emmy that night, which was really, really cool. And the first people I see backstage was them, and it couldn’t have been more fitting. The first person I saw was Bradley Cooper because he FaceTimed me, and that was right before we were going to film his episode, to say congratulations. Then I run into them, and so I was just having the most Philly [night]. It was so beautiful. I think the Eagles were playing at that time. It just was really gorgeous. Never met them before. Rob and Kaitlin [Olson, who is married to McElhenney and co-stars in “Sunny,”] had told me that they watched “Abbott,” which just made my heart very warm. I think we very quickly said it: “Our shows should cross over one day.”
McElhenney: We continued the conversation at the upfronts. Then it moved quickly past just an aside or a joke, and we started pitching back ideas right there.
Janine (Quinta Brunson), left, and Dee (Kaitlin Olson) in the crossover episode. (Gilles Mingasson/Disney)
“Sunny’s” Charlie Day in one of the “Abbott” classrooms. (Gilles Mingasson/Disney)
Was it just you two initially in the pitching process?
McElhenney: It was the two of us [and we] just had a basic premise, which would allow us to make both shows and have them feel authentic because obviously they are different styles of show and two different tones. But if we told the same story through two different tones, as seen through the lens of “Abbott,” and then as seen through the lens of “Sunny,” then we could satisfy both audiences. And then because there will be, I’m sure, a lot of people who have never seen “Sunny” before, that will see “Abbott” …
Brunson: And vice versa.
McElhenney: We wanted to make sure that we were making a show that would work for both of them. Once we kind of keyed in on that, it seemed like we could make it work. Then we got the go-ahead from Disney legal, which was a very important part of the process.
And then Charlie [Day] and I went into the “Abbott” [writers’] room and spent the day there.
Brunson: What was nice was they got it and [were] just such giving creators and so willing to get into the world. It was a dream. I’d work with them any day of the week, anytime. When they left, we were like, “That was really nice. It was really fun.” It’s not the most common experience in the world.
Was it always the idea to do one episode of “Abbott” and one of “Sunny”?
McElhenney: I think that’s what we keyed in on very early. That would be the most fun because we get to play the same characters in the tone of “Abbott,” and they get to play the same characters from “Abbott” in the tone of “Sunny.” That’s what will allow us to satisfy the authenticity of each show but then also stretch and do something different.
“Abbott” is a mockumentary so how did that affect how you would play the “Sunny” characters, Rob?
McElhenney: That’s what allowed for us to still be authentic and step into the world of “Abbott” because these characters are going into a school and they’re constantly monitored by cameras, so they would put on an act. If we’re not acting the way that our “Sunny” characters would, it’s because we know we’re being filmed and we’re putting it on the show. We might not use the same language. We might not make our intentions so obvious or known. We might not be wearing our id on our sleeves. Conversely, when they came over to us, we thought it would be fun to see what their characters would be like when the bell rings and the cameras are not on them.
Brunson: Our documentary is being filmed because they’re seeking funds for their school. So you’re going to put, probably, a better version of yourself. Then there are some characters who fit the same in both worlds, like Melissa and Ava, because they’re never really putting on for the camera. I think they’ve done something so masterful, not giving anything away, just with Dee [Olson’s character]. To me, when I first read it, I was like, “This adds another layer to all of this, that if you are a fan of both shows, you are going to have the time of your life.”
Brunson: “Our documentary is being filmed because they’re seeking funds for their school. So you’re going to put, probably, a better version of yourself.” (Marcus Ubungen/Los Angeles Times)
McElhenney: “If we’re not acting the way that our ‘Sunny’ characters would, it’s because we know we’re being filmed and we’re putting it on the show.” (Marcus Ubungen/Los Angeles Times)
The idea of “Sunny” characters being even remotely near a school is somewhat horrifying. How was that part of your initial discussion?
McElhenney: I feel like we came to that within three minutes of us sitting.
Brunson: I remember we talked about bigger Philadelphia events, right? But it also was: Why are we doing this if we’re not seeing them in the school environment? That’s what really feels fun. When you actually see them lined up in our school, it’s like, “Whoa.” Our show would need volunteers. They would have to be volunteering for the reason that they’re volunteering.
How did you think about matching the different characters?
McElhenney: I wanted to be with Janelle [James, who plays principal Ava]. I said that from the very beginning. I feel like she’s one of the funniest people on television right now. No offense to Quinta.
Brunson: I feel the same way. None taken.
McElhenney: I also feel like her character fits best with what we do on “Sunny.” I think it’s also her form of comedy is my taste as well. But I just feel like she’s so unbelievably funny, and I just wanted to be in a room with her for a few days.
McElhenney said he wanted to be paired with Janelle James, who plays Ava on “Abbott.” “I feel like she’s one of the funniest people on television right now.”
(Gilles Mingasson/Disney)
Brunson: I think the other matches came pretty organically. I didn’t set out to be in scenes with Kaitlin, but when it all panned out, I was like, “Oh my God, I get to do so many scenes with Kaitlin. I think Kaitlin’s incredible. I think she’s one of the most underrated comedic actresses. I think people should talk about her every single day,” and then getting to perform with her, I’d stand by that 10 toes down now. She’s so good. But when I found out I got to be in scenes with her as Dee — I was over the moon. Once again, this is where the “Sunny” stuff comes in handy — remembering that [both characters] went to [the University of Pennsylvania] — it was stuff like that that goes, “Oh my God, this is just naturally turning into something very, very, very good.” I think the other key pairing was Charlie and Barbara, which is probably one of my favorite pairings in the world. That becomes this beating heart, which is sweet because our show does have heart.
And the fact that it still got to have it in this episode in a way that I didn’t even predict. Those scenes moved me. They did.
Did you always know that “Abbott” would air its crossover first?
McElhenney: I think just by nature of the schedule. In some ways, you look at the “Abbott” episode, and it stands on its own, and it’s so great, and it’s a fully realized story. But then when you see our episode, it feels like it’s almost like a giant setup, and then this is the punchline. But then you can watch them in either order, and they both make sense.
Dennis, played by Glenn Howerton, is elusive in the “Abbott” episode. Not to spoil anything, but will things you tease in “Abbott” come to fruition in “Sunny”?
Brunson: Dennis is the key.
McElhenney: Yes. So when you see the “Sunny” episode, you’ll realize why we did that with Dennis.
Was there anything that you were like, “We should save this for the ‘Sunny’ episode. Like ABC standards and practices isn’t going to like this, but FX will be fine with it?”
McElhenney: There’s a joke in your episode that I cannot believe is going to make the final cut. Did I see the final cut?
Brunson: You did.
McElhenney: I cannot believe that that joke was made on your show.
Brunson: I wonder which one.
Movie Reviews
‘Night Nurse’ Review: A Caretaker Explores Her Kink for Elder Abuse in the Year’s Strangest Erotic Thriller
There are any number of erotic thrillers in which rich old men are robbed blind and/or left for dead, but Georgia Bernstein’s admirably bizarre “Night Nurse” might be the first movie of its kind where elder abuse is the source — and possible subject— of its erotic thrills. If there are others, I’m not sure I want to know.
But this woozy debut feature doesn’t rely on its audience being turned on by the relationship between a nubile caretaker and her dementia-addled patient. Their psychosexual bond, meanwhile, hinges on cold-calling vulnerable old people under the guise of a grandchild in financial distress. (“I’m in trouble, nana, send me $10,000 or I’ll be left to rot in jail!” That sort of thing). With its slim wisp of a premise stretched into a Strickland-esque dreamscape that substitutes kink for conflict, the film itself hardly seems convinced by its own wrinkled lust — all desperate kisses and non-touching poses of subservience. More important to Bernstein is what that lust reveals about her characters’ deepest needs, specifically how their need to care and be cared for can be as easily perverted as any other form of desire.
As moody and weightless as the noir-accented score that blows through the movie like a curlicue gust of wind in an old cartoon (credit to musicians Sam Clapp and Steven Jackson), “Night Nurse” lacks the pulse required for its stray feelings to come alive. Still, the film ambiently taps into the latent eroticism of teasing out the distance between how you see yourself and who you really are. Bernstein plays with that distance like a telephone cord wrapped around her fingers, and Eleni — played by the excellent newcomer Cemre Paksoy, powerfully helpless — only frays even more as the receiver is brought near the hook. “Everything I did before today wasn’t me,” the nurse tells co-worker Mona (Eleonore Hendricks) after starting a new job at an Illinois retirement home. “It was somebody else.”
What she did before today remains unexplored (specifically, what she did to get herself fired from her last gig), but I’m guessing she’s probably changed less than she thought. There’s a faraway flicker in her eyes the moment she catches the vibe between Mona and Douglas (a ribald and elusive Bruce McKenzie), a white-haired seventysomething who shows early signs of dementia but still commands an undiminished sexual energy. “I’m not an invalid,” he coos as Mona bathes him in the tub, to which she replies, “yes, you are,” in a supplicant tone that hints at a rich history of power games between them.
Later that same night, Douglas will force Eleni to call a stranger, pretend that she’s their granddaughter, and ask for money — he’ll wrap the phone cord around the nurse’s body as she talks and shove her against the wall as they kiss. She’s into it. So into it that he has to clarify the terms of his whole deal: “If you’re looking for a pogo stick, I’m really not your guy.” But Eleni isn’t looking for anything to bounce on. She just wants to be needed, and maybe to need someone in return. Someone who will see her for who she really is and allow her the fantasy of pretending she isn’t being herself when she cons vulnerable strangers out of their money — when she exploits how enthralled those strangers are by the care they have for their loved ones.
“Night Nurse” doesn’t belabor the psychology, as Bernstein prefers to express her story through heavy-lidded suggestion. Somnambulating from the moment it starts, the film moves through a series of beautifully arranged poses that stretch their latent meaning thin across the surface (Lidia Nikonova’s cinematography lacquers every shot with a seductive dreaminess). We see Douglas smoking in a lawn chair with Mona and Eleni curled around his feet. Eleni riding in the backseat of a convertible as the wind blows through her curls. The full staff of nurses — all of them under Douglas’ sway — stumbling around his condo in a state of zonked out bliss as they roll on the prescription drugs they’ve stolen from the residents.
Once you’ve seen one shot of this movie, you’ve practically seen them all, at least until things escalate during a rushed and unsatisfying third act that forces Eleni into an honest confrontation with herself. People will do just about anything to feel needed — they’ll give whatever degree of care allows them to receive it in return. “Night Nurse” understands that desire, but remains far too numb to treat it.
Grade: C+
The Independent Film Company will relase “Night Nurse” in theaters on Friday, July 10.
Entertainment
Lucas Museum to give free annual passes to South L.A. neighbors, host community preview day
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which is moving at light speed toward its Sept. 22 opening, announced Thursday that it will give free annual passes to its South L.A. neighbors living in the 90037 ZIP Code. The 300,000-square-foot, $1-billion museum located in Exposition Park will also host a special community preview day on Sept. 13, more than a week before the general public gets to step inside.
The 90037 ZIP Code has a population of more than 65,000 and is bordered roughly by the 110 Freeway to the west, Slauson Avenue to the south, Central Avenue to the east and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the north. Residents can register for passes at lucasmuseum.org/lm37 and will be alerted in August when the program launches. Pass holders can reserve tickets for themselves and one guest.
Tickets for non-pass holders go on sale July 21. They cost $25 for adults and $21 for seniors. Kids 17 and under are free.
“Storytelling has the power to bring people together and create a sense of community,” said Lucas Museum Chief Executive Tracey Bates in a news release about the program. “Through LM37, we are inviting our South Los Angeles neighbors to make the museum part of their lives and take their own path of discovery through the art, programs and experiences that will help shape this new cultural hub for Los Angeles.”
The community preview day is designed to give local business owners, community partners, civic leaders and registered LM37 pass holders a sneak peak of the 10,000 square feet of exhibition space, as well as the expansive gardens with 11 acres of park space.
The opening programming, curated by co-founder George Lucas, features 20 inaugural exhibitions across more than 30 galleries, including one titled “Star Wars in Motion,” containing vehicle designs, high-speed racers, flying vessels, props, costumes and illustrations from the first six films in the beloved franchise.
More than 1,200 objects will be on display from Lucas’ personal collection of narrative art. Highlights include work by Norman Rockwell and Dorothea Lange, as well as a variety of manga, children’s book illustrations and comics.
Last year’s “Superman” ended with Iggy Pop singing “Because I’m a punk rocker, yes I am” — an ironic coda for a superlatively square hero. But it rings straightforwardly true for Superman’s cousin.
Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El, or Supergirl, sports not a spandex suit but a Blondie T-shirt. When we meet her in Craig Gillespie’s “Supergirl,” she’s been on an interstellar bender for days. She’s more Courtney Love than Clark Kent.
Nonchalant and sarcastic, Kara is also a little Han Solo-ish, you might say, given that she moves capriciously through the galaxy in her junky spaceship while getting in fights in extraterrestrial bars. She’s a welcome, jagged riff on more buttoned-up superheroes, and Alcock is terrific in the role. If only “Supergirl” was as good as she is.
While the latest DC release, and second under James Gunn’s stewardship, has its moments, “Supergirl” struggles to match Kara’s punk-rock energy with an equally spirited supporting cast and story.
Skepticism seems to have gathered for “Supergirl” ahead of its release. Many fans have argued it wasn’t the right next step for DC Universe. But I’m not so sure. Alcock’s breezy cameo in “Superman” was one of that movie’s highlights. Handing the follow-up to her, and her faithful floating dog Krypto, strikes me as an extremely natural next step. When in doubt, follow the dog.
And much of “Supergirl” is winning. It resides almost entirely in space, touching down only momentarily on Earth. In its consistently creative production design, clever needle drops and underdog story arc, “Supergirl” resides a little closer to Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies than other DC entries. Its outer space is filled with cosmic detritus, mean characters and cute critters. Seth Rogen as the voice of a tiny alien co-piloting a space bus is an inspired concoction, as is a shabbier sci-fi realm with rest stops along the intergalactic highway.
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