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Abbott Elementary‘s upcoming crossover episode is going to be a bonafide TV event.
On Sept. 12, PEOPLE partnered with IHG Hotels & Resorts to host a pre-Emmys panel event featuring the cast of the Emmy-nominated series Abbott Elementary. Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis and Sheryl Lee Ralph joined PEOPLE’s Breanne L. Heldman for a chat about the popular ABC comedy, offering more hints about the highly-awaited crossover episode in its upcoming fourth season.
“The crossover episode is going to be killer! Killer! And I’m not going to say another word about it,” Walter, 61, teased.
Creator and star Quinta Brunson teased in July that the episode will “change television as we know it,” although she didn’t disclose which other show or actors would be involved. That bold declaration Chris Perfetti said at the Sept. 12 event was not “hyperbolic in the least.”
Matt Sayles/ABC
“We are going to come out of the TV. Melissa’s going to feed you meatballs,” quipped Walter, referring to her character, Melissa Schemmenti. “This is going to be wild.”
Brunson, 34, explained to Variety in July that Abbott Elementary’s crossover episode was partly inspired by Disney Channel crossover episodes that brought together the casts of That’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana.
“Those things are what reinvigorate TV viewers, TV watchers, and I think it’s always fun to find ways to reinvigorate our audiences,” she told the outlet. “What’s important with Abbott is we protect the show. Because it’s a ‘mockumentary’ we have to protect what we’re doing, but to find a way for it to still be possible to do something cool like that. It makes me really, really happy. It’s just like an ode to the medium.”
“I just live for those kind of magic moments, and I’m excited to be able to bring one to TV with Abbott,” she continued.
Gilles Mingasson/Disney/ABC
Elsewhere during the conversation with PEOPLE at the Sept. 12 event, Walter discussed the strong bond she shares with castmembers, including Perfetti.
“Chris doesn’t have family out here. He’s Italian. I’m Italian. He comes to the house and eats dinner,” she added. “We get ready for the award shows together. I feel very maternal towards him. So I promised his mother I would look after him.”
The actress also expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of Abbott Elementary, adding that she’s “beyond thrilled” to be able to “get up” and “go to work” everyday.
“The first three seasons, it was great. It was wonderful, and we had awards,” she acknowledged. “All of that is great, but when I get up in the morning, and I know that I’m going to work and I know that it’s going to be playing with these guys, I literally was like, I get to go. I can’t wait. It’s 4:30 in the morning and I can’t wait to see what they’re going to come up with.”
Gilles Mingasson/ABC/Getty
Abbott Elementary is nominated for nine Emmys this year, including outstanding comedy series, and outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for Brunson. Sheryl Lee Ralph, Janelle James and Tyler James Williams also received nods this year.
At the Sept. 12 event, William Stanford Davis weighed in on why Abbott Elementary resonates with viewers and receives awards recognition each year.
“It is a tribute to teachers in this country. Everybody in here has been touched by a teacher,” he explained. “The show’s kind of an homage to teachers — and how they’re mistreated sometimes — and I think it’s a great thing. We make history.”
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Seasons 1 to 3 of Abbott Elementary are available to stream on Hulu. Season 4 premieres on Oct. 9 on ABC.
