Abbott Elementary Season 4’s Best Crossover Is So Ridiculous, But Is The Only Way To Achieve Brunson’s Promise

Summary

• Abbott Elementary
  season 4 needs to take a creative risk to live up to Brunson’s claims at Comic-Con.
• The show’s character-driven comedy has drawn comparisons to ’00s classics like
  The Office
  and
  Parks and Recreation
  .
• A crossover with a reality series could be the innovative twist that changes television as we know it.

The only way that Abbott Elementary season 4’s crossover episode can live up to creator/star Quinta Brunson’s Comic-Con claims is by taking a major creative risk. Abbott Elementary’s cast of characters made the show a huge hit with both viewers and critics since the series began in 2021. However, while the workplace mockumentary is deservedly adored by fans and reviewers alike, Abbott Elementary is not the most experimental series on television. This is no bad thing, since the sitcom has successfully recaptured the low-key, deadpan appeal of ‘00s classics like The Office and Parks and Recreation.

That said, Abbott Elementary isn’t a sitcom that constantly breaks the fourth wall or plays with the audience’s expectations of the format. In this regard, Quinta Brunson’s show is more akin to Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Superstore than 30 Rock or Community, relying on character comedy over meta-commentary. This may change in Abbott Elementary season 4 since Brunson promised the outing would feature a risky departure from the show’s usual routine. During San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Brunson said Abbott Elementary season 4 features a crossover that will “Change television as we know it.”

Abbott Elementary Season 4’s Best Crossover Show Is A Reality Series

A Reality Show/ Scripted Sitcom Crossover Would Be Truly New

It is important to note that Brunson may have been joking when she said that Abbott Elementary season 4’s crossover episode would change TV history, but it is equally likely that the star is serious. Abbott Elementary has already subverted a lot of TV trends in its first three seasons, reviving the mockumentary sitcom format years after it seemingly peaked and bringing A-list stars like Kevin Hart and Bradley Cooper onto a network sitcom in minor guest roles. As such, it is fair to take Brunson’s comments at face value and consider what sort of crossover would be truly revolutionary.

For Abbott Elementary season 4’s crossover episode to be something special, the series would need to cross over with a reality series.

The best bet for Abbott Elementary season 4 to deliver a genuinely innovative crossover would be for the sitcom to leave not just the comfortable world of sitcoms, but the medium of scripted television entirely. There have been plenty of unlikely crossovers between sitcoms and other scripted shows, from the episodes of CSI and Two and A Half Men that swapped writers to the Bones episode that featured Stewie from Family Guy. For Abbott Elementary season 4’s crossover episode to be something special, the series would need to cross over with a reality series.

Abbott Elementary
season 4 premieres on Wednesday, October 9.

Which Reality Series Is The Perfect Abbot Elementary Season 4 Partner

ABC’s Reality Shows Include Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor

Reality shows exist in a strange space between scripted and unscripted TV, as the stars of the shows are ostensibly “Real” people, but the artifice behind the production’s construction is increasingly acknowledged even by creators and participants. As such, it is a perfect time for Abbott Elementary to cross over with a reality series and blur the lines between scripted and unscripted shows, especially since the sitcom itself is a faux documentary. Abbott Elementary’s episode could see the show cross over with any number of ABS reality shows, although the network’s biggest hits are Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor.

While Abbott Elementary season 3’s many cameos became somewhat distracting, rooting the show’s guests in the world of another series would be much more palatable. If a parade of familiar faces visited the world of Abbott Elementary since they were all cast members from an ABC reality series that was filming in-universe, this would excuse their presence and make the cameos feel more believable. This circumstance might be strange, but it is more credible than Bradley Cooper attending school as a random student’s “Show and Tell” project.

Principal Ava may well sign up for
The Bachelor
in an attempt to find a partner.

How Abbott Elementary Season 4 Can Crossover With The Bachelor

Principal Ava Or Melissa Could Compete On ABC’s Reality Series

Of ABC’s reality shows, The Bachelor crossing over with Abbott Elementary season 4 makes the most sense. Principal Ava has been single since the series began and, although she previously preferred this lifestyle, it would be entirely in character for her to react poorly to Janine and Gregory’s office romance. Upon discovering that she had no right to break up the couple, Principal Ava may well sign up for The Bachelor in an attempt to find a partner.

Regardless of which supporting character signs up for the series,
Abbott Elementary
season 4 could convincingly cross over with
The Bachelor

It is also possible that Melissa might be convinced to partake in The Bachelor, and her frank, non-nonsense demeanor would make her a hilariously unlikely participant in the romance-centric dating show. However, her off-screen romance with a fire captain in season 3 and her distaste for showy romantic gestures makes this less likely. Regardless of which supporting character signs up for the series, Abbott Elementary season 4 could convincingly cross over with The Bachelor via this subplot. Thus, Brunson’s promises of a history-making TV first may come true when Abbott Elementary season 4 arrives.