It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 premiere ending explained: Did Frank’s heist save Abbott Elementary?

The premiere of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 picks up where the Abbott Elementary crossover left off. This time, the story is told from the gang’s point of view at Paddy’s Pub. What starts as a court-ordered community service turns into one of their usual chaotic disasters.

However, in an unexpected conclusion, Frank’s copper heist, carried out while the Abbott staff is distracted, ends up helping the school financially. According to Principal Ava, the stolen copper piping was already scheduled for removal due to renovations. Frank’s theft, though entirely self-serving, inadvertently saved the school a significant amount in construction costs.

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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17: The gang returns to Abbott

The episode starts with Principal Ava introducing new footage from the school’s documentary crew. The gang is shown arriving at Abbott Elementary for their community service. Right away, each member starts causing chaos. Frank sees the visit as a business opportunity and targets the school’s copper plumbing.

Dennis hates the school coffee and takes over the chemistry lab to brew a better version. Dee becomes jealous of Janine and tries to steal attention from her. Mac and Charlie start recruiting tall students for a basketball team, but later switch plans and try to form a boy band instead.

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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17: Chaos at the school

Things quickly spiral out of control. Frank lets a raccoon loose in the hallways. Dennis becomes obsessed with his coffee-making. Mac, Charlie, and Frank follow a student into the bathroom, which alarms teacher Jacob. Frank also ends up peeing in a locker because of too much coffee.

Later, Charlie and Dennis are shocked to learn that the students only know 9/11 from memes. They decide to teach history through music. They create a parody of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire, rewriting it with modern events. Janine, Barbara, and Jacob join in the song and help record a music video around the school.

But their excitement is cut short when Jacob informs them that Fall Out Boy has already made a similar version of the song. Still, the gang continues with the video and adds footage from the day, including when Mac and Frank accidentally set the school gym on fire while testing a conspiracy theory with a blowtorch.

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It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17: The Disaster ending turned helpful

At the end of the day, the gang invites the Abbott staff to Paddy’s Pub as a thank-you. Dennis offers one free drink to each guest, but no imports or spirits. They also give the staff a new espresso machine, claiming it’s a parting gift.

While the staff is out, Frank carries out his plan and steals all the copper piping from the school. When Ava finds out, she isn’t upset. She explains that the pipes were going to be removed soon anyway, and Frank’s actions saved them money on the demolition work. What was meant to be a heist turns into a surprising win for the school.

The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 premiere gives a full-circle view of the Abbott Elementary crossover, this time through the chaotic lens of the Paddy’s Pub crew. While the gang causes plenty of disruption, the episode ends with a surprising result: Frank’s copper theft accidentally helps the school. It’s a classic Sunny twist, selfish intentions somehow leading to unexpected benefits, even if no one planned it that way.

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Catch the latest episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 17 streaming on Hulu.