Abbott Elementary Cast Says Crossover Episode with Mystery Show Isn't 'Hyperbolic': 'Going to be Killer!' (Exclusive)

Abbott Elementary School‘with the upcoming crossover episode will be a real TV event.

On September 12, PEOPLE teamed up with IHG Hotels & Resorts to host a pre-Emmy panel event featuring the cast of the Emmy-nominated series Abbott Elementary School. Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis and Sheryl Lee Ralph joined PEOPLE’s Breanne L. Heldman to talk about the popular ABC comedy, offering more hints about the highly anticipated crossover episode in the upcoming fourth season.

“The crossover episode will be killer! Killer! And I won’t say another word about it,” teased Walter (61).

Creator and star Quinta Brunson teased in July that the episode would “change television as we know it,” though she did not reveal what other series or actors would be involved. That bold statement Chris Perfetti made at the Sept. 12 event wasn’t “hyperbolic in the least.”

Sheryl Lee Ralph says that the children who play her students Abbott Elementary School Believe ‘I am their teacher’

Chris Perfetti, Quinta Brunson, Lisa Ann Walter, Sheryl Lee Ralph, William Stanford Davis, Tyler James Williams and Janelle James at ‘Abbott Elementary’.

Matt Sayles/ABC

“We will get off the TV. Melissa will feed you meatballs,” Walter joked, referring to her character, Melissa Schemmenti. “This is going to be wild.”

Brunson, 34, explained to Diversity in July which Abbott Elementary School the crossover episode was partially inspired by the Disney Channel crossover episodes that reunited the cast It’s so Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana.

“Those things are what bring TV viewers alive, television viewers, and I think it’s always fun to find ways to bring our audience alive,” she told the news outlet. “What is important with Abbott are we protecting the show. Since it’s a mockumentary, we have to protect what we’re doing, but find a way to still make something as cool as possible. That makes me very, very happy. It’s like an ode to the medium.” “I just live for magical moments like that and I’m excited to bring them to TV with Abbott,” she continued.

Abbott Elementary School Teachers take on sneaky squirrel in new children’s book — check out the cover! (Exclusive)

Lisa Ann Walter, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Chris Perfetti and Tyler James Williams in the third season of ‘Abbott Elementary’.

Gilles Mingasson/Disney/ABC

Elsewhere during a conversation with PEOPLE at the Sept. 12 event, Walter discussed the strong bond she shares with cast members, including Perfetti.

“Chris has no family here. He is Italian. I’m Italian. He comes to the house and has dinner,” she added. “We are preparing together for the award ceremony. I feel very motherly towards him. So I promised his mother that I would look after him.”

The actress also expressed her deep gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of it Abbott Elementary School, adding that he is “beyond thrilled” to be able to “get up” and “go to work” every day.

“The first three seasons were great. It was great and we had awards,” she admitted. “That’s all great, but when I get up in the morning, and I know I’m going to work and I know it’s going to be playing with these guys, I was literally like, I have to go. I can’t wait It’s 4:30 in the morning and I can’t wait to see what they come up with.”

Tyler James Williams says Abbott Elementary School The role is the ‘most important’ thing he has done in his career (Exclusive)

Tyler James Williams, Quinta Brunson, Lisa Ann Walter and Sheryl Lee Ralph at ‘Abbott Elementary’.

Gilles Mingasson/ABC/Getty

Abbott Elementary School 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 were also recognized this year.

At the September 12 event, William Stanford Davis weighed in on why Abbott Elementary School resonates with viewers and wins awards every year.

“It is a tribute to teachers in this country. Everyone here was touched by the teacher,” he explained. “The show is a kind of homage to teachers – and how they are sometimes abused – and I think that’s a great thing. We are making history.”

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Seasons 1 to 3 of Abbott Elementary School are available to stream on Hulu. Season 4 premieres October 9 on ABC.

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Source: HIS Education