Abbott Elementary is crossing over with another TV show — and fans are offering their craziest suggestions for consideration.
Series creator and star Quinta Brunson confirmed the news during the Abbott Elementary panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Sunday, July 28, saying, “We will be doing an interesting crossover this season. I’m not gonna tell you with who, or with what, or where, or when, but it’s really exciting and I think it’ll change television as we know it.”
Brunson, 34, later elaborated on what viewers can expect from the crossover.
“Those things are what reinvigorate TV viewers, TV watchers, and I think it’s always fun to find ways to reinvigorate our audiences,” she told Variety. “What’s important with Abbott is we protect the show. Because it’s a mockumentary, we have to protect what we’re doing but … find a way for it to still be possible to do something cool like that. It makes me really, really happy. It’s just like an ode to the medium.”
Costar Lisa Ann Walter joked during the panel that HBO’s House of the Dragon was Brunson’s pick. However, going by fan suggestions, Walker’s option isn’t exactly out of left field. After the season 4 news broke, viewers took to social media to speculate wildly about their idea of the perfect crossover show for Abbott Elementary.
“They’re all taking a plane that crashes into Seattle Grace Hospital,” wrote one X user in reference to Grey’s Anatomy. Meanwhile, another person suggested another ABC series, this time in the reality space, writing, “Ava is announced as The Bachelorette.”
Supporters of Hulu’s The Bear poked fun at the fact that both shows feature Ayo Edebiri in the cast. “Ayo Edebiri when they do the crossover with The Bear,” quipped a social media user about the actress, who plays Janine’s sister and restaurant chef Syd on The Bear.
For some fans, the crossover allowed them to share the most impossible fictional character pairings. “Jacob goes on a date with the 9-1-1 bisexual,” wrote a commentator who wanted to see Chris Perfetti share the screen with Buck (Oliver Stark) from ABC’s 9-1-1 drama.
There were also some jokes about a more adult crossover, with someone referencing HBO’s Euphoria via X, “When Janine starts working for Euphoria High.”
The Abbott Elementary shakeup presented an opportunity for fans of The CW to resurrect their favorite shows as well.
“When the Abbott Elementary crossover episode has a ghost haunting the halls… WALK WITH ME,” pitched a Nancy Drew viewer while a Riverdale fan suggested, “Janine about to find out about the epic highs and lows of football.”
Abbott Elementary, which debuted in 2021, focuses on teachers in a Philadelphia public school. After premiering on ABC, the sitcom quickly became critically acclaimed and picked up many accolades, including Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. Since becoming a fan-favorite series, Abbott Elementary has surprised fans with lots of celebrity cameos.
“I think it’s so nice when people look at it as an opportunity to be in something that their kids can watch also,” Brunson told Entertainment Tonight in February about featuring stars such as Bradley Cooper, Jason Kelce, Kevin Hart and more. “Because a lot of actors who are part of more dramatic projects or things that are little PG-13 to rated R, Abbott is something that their kids can see them in.”
Abbott Elementary returns to ABC Wednesday, October 9, at 9:30 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Hulu the next day.
