Whenever crossovers happen on TV, obviously, we’re thinking about how the casts will work together, and that was especially true when Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossed over on the 2025 TV schedule. However, what I didn’t think about as much was how the crews had to work together, too. So, I asked Abbott’s Head of the Hair Department about it, and she told me how it all blended together.
Considering the excitement around the Abbott and Always Sunny crossover earlier this year and the fact that we’re still waiting on Sunny’s half of the event, I had to ask the ABC comedy’s Hair Department Head and Hair Designer, Moira Frazier, about it. She immediately praised Sunny’s Hair Department Head, Abby Roll, when speaking about this project, and noted how well they collaborated, saying:
Me and her kind of work together. Always Sunny took care of their cast, and for me and my department, I took care of our cast and anything Abbott-surrounding. But to have them there was – it was just so seamless. We went like this [interlocks fingers together]. It was just a seamless blend. Whatever they needed, we provided and vice versa. It was a beautiful experience to have to collaborate with them for this whole crossover episode.
Overall, it sounds like Frazier took care of her cast while Roll handled hers, which makes sense, seeing as most members of each cast rock the same hairdo from episode to episode. However, they also had to collaborate because ultimately, both their work would end up on screen together, so they had to “blend.” And it all paid off brilliantly, because people loved seeing the Abbott and Sunny characters together.
It’s also worth noting that while these two shows are both comedies, they’re so different in many ways. For example, Abbott is a significantly more family-friendly show than It’s Always Sunny, which is famously NSFW. Blending the tones and characters must have been hard work, but it ended up going great, and seeing these polar opposite characters collide made for brilliant TV.
It also served as an educational experience because the crews got to collaborate and learn from each other. I asked Frazier what she learned from working with Roll on this crossover, and she explained why she adores how her fellow department head “streamlines and runs” her team:
I love how, because every department head is different, I love how she just streamlines and runs her team and vice versa. So for both of us, we were there, kind of like sharing ideas and things of that nature. But to be honest, Abby is an amazing department head, and it's great to work with other people alongside when you're collaborating on two big shows like Abbott and Always Sunny. To be able to come together to create one cohesive project, I couldn't ask for a better link-up.
Well, I love to hear that! Watching the episode, it was clear to me that the two casts meshed together flawlessly, the visual styles of the shows worked together well, and it made my anticipation for the second half of the Abbott/Sunny crossover even stronger. However, knowing that the crew also got along makes me want this crossover to go beyond two episodes.
It’s honestly fascinating to know how these two shows worked together to pull off this comedy event. The shows are different, they require two crews and casts, and putting them all in one place sounds like it could be very challenging. However, they expertly pulled it all off, as Frazier illustrated with the hair department, and you can see by re-watching the first half of the crossover (Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 9) with a Hulu subscription.
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