AlthoughAbbott Elementaryhas its occasional edgy moments, I was genuinely stunned by one line from the ABC sitcom’sIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiacrossover episode.It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiaseason 17, episode 1 saw the long-running FX comedy series cross over with ABC’sAbbott Elementary.
WhileAbbott Elementary’s cast of charactersare always reliably funny, this outing gave the show’s heroes a lot more freedom of expression than an average episode. It was surprising to seeJanelle James’ Avaswearing up a storm, since any expletives are usually avoided or censored on the family-friendly ABC show.
Abbott Elementary’s Janine Has A Genuinely Shocking Line In It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 17 Episode 1
The Character’s Swearing Is Shocking Even By Cable TV Standards
However, if Ava’s occasional uncensored swear words were a little jarring,one Janine line fromIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’sAbbott Elementarycrossover was truly shocking. While discussing Dee’s attempts to woo her boyfriend, Gregory Eddie, Janine warned Gregory and the camera crew that she was going to say a swear word to express her anger.
Gregory encouraged her, only to be taken aback when Quinta Brunson’sAbbott Elementaryheroine Janine called Dee a “F****** c***.”
Gregory encouraged her, only to be taken aback whenQuinta Brunson’sAbbott Elementaryheroine Janinecalled Dee a “F****** c***.” The line was shocking even by the standards of cable TV as, although the epithet is used more liberally in British English, Irish English, and Australian English, it remains one of the few major taboos in American English.
Abbott Elementaryis available to stream on Hulu.
What made the line even more shocking was the fact that Janine, the show’s sweetest and most harmlessly naive character, was the one who said it. This highlighted the fringe benefits of the crossover, as it showed a new side of the sitcom’s heroes.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 17 Episode 1’s Swearing Highlights The Abbott Elementary Crossover’s Best Quality
The Unprecedented Crossover Showed A Whole New Side of the Sitcom’s Heroes
Although the show is infamously politically incorrect as a whole, theIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiagang has had a few surprisingly family-friendly episodes in the past two decades. However, the inverse is not true for the school’s faculty, andAbbott Elementaryseason 5’s storylinescan not see them swearing this much again.
Chris Perfetti
Jacob Hill
By definition, theIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiacrossover is the first and last time viewers will see the Abbott gang fulfill all their R-rated potential. After all, network sitcoms can’t feature anywhere near as much swearing as cable shows likeIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, so the ABC series had only one chance to make the most of this opportunity.
Of course, putting the most offensive line possible in the mouth of the show’s sweetest character was a perfect way to capitalize on this chance for maximum shock value. Janine’s line from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’sAbbott Elementary crossover was jarring, but it was also a fun way to prove the episode truly is a one-off treat.
