Crossover episodes are a sitcom classic, so it wasn’t a total surprise to see the announced collaboration between “Abbott Elementary” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Plot-wise, at least, it’s a pretty natural pairing—both shows are set in Philadelphia—but for anyone familiar with the two shows’ comedic styles, you’d understand that combining the two casts is not going to be easy.

“Abbott Elementary” is a classic workplace sitcom currently airing its fourth season. It’s upbeat, lighthearted and tonally very similar to “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn 99.” “Always Sunny,” on the other hand, has 16 seasons under its belt and no easy match for its dark, irreverent sense of humor. The cast of “Abbott Elementary” are dedicated civil servants whose worst moments include underestimating students or misjudging their parents, and always rectify their mistakes by the end of the episode. Then we have the “Always Sunny” gang, who are canonically stalkers, arsonists and murderers. They shouldn’t even be allowed within 50 feet of an elementary school. For all of the characters to be able to share the screen, either the gang would have to seriously clean up their act, or the teachers would have to take a turn for the worse.

Since the “Abbott” cast was hosting, the former scenario ended up playing out. Charlie (Charlie Day), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Frank (Danny Devito) and Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson) show up at Abbott Elementary to offer their services as volunteers, which the short-staffed teachers are all too happy to accept. Dennis quickly notices the film crew from the show’s mockumentary format and decides to stay behind the camera as he knows “quite a lot about filming and consent,” although in reality Howerton had only half a day to film as he was shooting another series at the same time. The “Abbott” and “Always Sunny” characters quickly pair off, with Dee and Janine (Quinta Brunson), Mac and Ava (Janelle James), Charlie and Jacob (Chris Perfetti) and Frank and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) all sharing classrooms/offices/gardens as appropriate.

While it was nowhere close to being the funniest episode of “Abbott” or “Always Sunny,” the two casts managed to create a single solid, satisfying episode. Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and the gang have what Ava calls a “Caucasian cultural exchange” over their love of the Eagles, Dee tries to steal Janine’s boyfriend and Frank and Gregory argue over the best way to solve a raccoon infestation. The episode’s best plotline, however, is far and away Charlie learning how to read. Charlie’s illiteracy is a running gag in “Always Sunny,” and watching Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa finally teach him was equally funny and heartwarming. I’m not confident that the “Always Sunny” writers’ room will let Charlie maintain his progress, but it was nice to see him (somewhat) triumph nonetheless.

With another confirmed crossover in season 17 of “Always Sunny” giving viewers the gang’s perspective of their week volunteering, I’m excited to see a darker spin on the same story—and especially what on earth Dennis was up to at Abbott. I’m a little nervous for the havoc they’ll inevitably wreck on the school’s unsuspecting teachers and students, but if the ending of the “Abbott” episode is any indication, everything should turn out okay in the end … at least for the Abbott crew. I don’t think anyone will really mind if the “Always Sunny” gang suffers a little more for the audience’s sake.