It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Abbott Elementary episodes pulled from the air as networks replace banned content

Episodes of FX's It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia have been pulled from streaming platforms, while ABC's Abbott Elementary has featured in a recent crossover episode connected to previously banned content. Several episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, including Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth, The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 6, and Dee Day, have been removed due to the use of blackface and other racially insensitive portrayals.

These episodes are no longer available on platforms such as Hulu and Disney+. In 2025, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered its seventeenth season with an episode titled The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary, a crossover with ABC’s Abbott Elementary.

The episode features the characters volunteering at a school, a setting previously depicted in the now-unavailable Dee Reynolds: Shaping America’s Youth. The removal and replacement of content reflect recent programming changes made by networks and streaming services in response to past portrayals that have drawn criticism.

---

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 revisits the school setting in the Abbott Elementary crossover

Season 17 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia aired in July 2025 with a crossover episode, The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary. The show has the main cast volunteering at the fictional Willard R. Abbott Elementary School. The crossover is notable for its recognizable setting because It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia previously incorporated a school setting in the deleted season 6 episode, Dee Reynolds: Shaping America's Youth.

That episode saw Dee become a substitute teacher and Charlie become a janitor for a school in town. However, because blackface was part of a different subplot with a Lethal Weapon spoof, that episode is no longer available on streaming sites.

The crossover maintains both programs' sense of humor and style while putting the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast into a children's and school environment. In contrast to the previous episode, the full Gang does show up and gets their volunteer hours done without being dismissed outright.

The crossover also retains compatibility with ABC's Abbott Elementary, which is set in the same city. The new context offers a chance for fresh interactions without repeating the offensive content that had the shows removed in the past.

---

Networks address older content amid changing standards and viewer response

Streaming networks and services have removed or banned access to older TV material containing representations now commonly acknowledged as being racially insensitive. For It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, multiple episodes have been taken down on such services as Hulu and Disney+ for including depictions featuring blackface, brownface, and yellowface.

Impacted episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are Dee Reynolds: Shaping America's Youth, The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 6, America's Next Top Paddy's Billboard Model Contest, The Gang Recycles Their Trash, and Dee Day.

These deletions have not been preceded by public commentary from FX or the streaming sites. However, they are part of a larger industry practice under which media outlets review older material for conformity with prevailing standards.

These episodes still do not appear on U.S. and some international streaming libraries. Physical DVD versions of the series still contain these episodes. The deletions are one in a series of efforts by programming providers to match content to changing audience demands and corporate standards for race and representation.

---

Stay tuned for more updates on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.