The Gang Derails the Second Half of the ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’/’Abbott Elementary’ Crossover With 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

ABC viewers may have forgotten that the volunteers who visited Willard R. Abbott Elementary School back in January are the most deranged and dangerous patriots in Philadelphia, but It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans never forget.

At long last, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has returned to television with two new episodes tonight, the first of which was the highly anticipated second part of the show’s crossover special with Abbott Elementary, the hit sitcom from the other sides of both Philadelphia and the Disney media empire. As opposed to the indulgent depravity of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Quinta Brunson’s critically acclaimed comedy is much more family-friendly and feel-good, which made Abbott fans nervous when Brunson and Rob Mac first announced that their two shows would combine forces late last year.

Thankfully, the Abbott side of the crossover, its mid-season premiere “Volunteers,” was remarkably palatable to ABC audiences and censors. In fact, the Gang’s almost-appropriate behavior on the Abbott episode made tonight’s Always Sunny Season 17 premiere, “The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary,” a truly unforgettable experience.

Upon realizing that today’s elementary school students are woefully uneducated about the tragic terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Gang takes it upon themselves to remember that day through the lens of a bunch of alcoholic QAnon maniacs and test out some theories on the school’s steel beams.

“The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary” shows what Mac, Charlie, Dennis, Dee and Frank were really cooking behind the scenes during “Volunteers,” which, as it turns out, was the school’s steel bleachers. During their lunch meet-up in the school’s cafeteria, Charlie lets it slip that the students’ only experience with 9/11 is through poor-taste internet memes, fueling a meltdown from the whole Gang as they repeat the immortal phrase “never forget” while sharing their own theories about what happened on that tragic day.

Unsurprisingly, The Gang has some fringe theories about what went down in Manhattan on the morning of September 11, 2001, and they aren’t remotely convinced by the federal government’s official timeline of the tragedy — in fact, they’re not even convinced that the twin towers of the World Trade Center even existed in the first place. As it usually does, the Gang’s conspiratorial fervor quickly turns destructive, with Frank and Mac nearly burning the school down with an actual flamethrower while they test the old conspiracy theory and poor-taste meme that “jet fuel can’t melt steel beams.”

Somehow, Disney allowed their most accessible and appropriate ABC comedy to get wrapped up in the Gang’s most controversial political takes to date. I guess the staff and students of Willard R. Abbott Elementary School should count themselves lucky that, this week, the Gang was hot for steel beams instead of gun fever.