The Philadelphia Inquirer will make an appearance in the next ‘Abbott Elementary’ episode. Here’s what we know.

Abbott Elementary is making news this week — literally.

Since premiering in 2021, the Emmy-winning sitcom from West Philly-raised comedy star Quinta Brunson has regularly featured local organizations like the Franklin Institute, Please Touch Museum, and the Phillies.

In the upcoming episode, airing on Wednesday, Brunson will spotlight another hometown institution: The Philadelphia Inquirer.

For now, the details of the plot are still under wraps but we can confirm that the episode, titled “Mall Part 3: Heroes,” will include a character who is an Inquirer reporter. We can also confirm that the actor in that role is not an actual Inquirer reporter.

This season, the titular Philly public school has been thrown into chaos. The building’s furnace broke before winter break so the school district moved Abbott into an abandoned mall, where teachers need to create classrooms out of vacant stores.

The mall building has had its own problems — including a ludicrously large Benjamin Franklin head that routinely announced shop discounts before plummeting to its destruction — but the Abbott crew tries valiantly to keep teaching.

“After the faculty finds surprising success operating the school in the mall, they quickly realize they are being taken advantage of,” reads the description of the upcoming episode. “Meanwhile, a new custodian arrives to join Mr. Johnson.”

There are few details about the new custodian character. But, on Thursday, Deadline reported that Abbott Elementary has cast actor Khandi Alexander (the unforgettable scene-stealer who played Olivia Pope’s fearless mom on Scandal) in an undisclosed recurring role.

Actor William Stanford Davis plays the eccentric and beloved Mr. Johnson, who famously runs a tight ship when it comes to his janitorial responsibilities.

“Mr. Johnson gets overwhelmed because this mall is huge, and he has to clean it up, so they bring some help in. That’s all I’m gonna tell you about that part,” Davis told The Inquirer in a recent interview. “The help, they don’t get along — he doesn’t like anyone in his territory.”

His character faced a similar personality challenge in the crossover episode with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, when the Paddy’s Pub misfit crew came to the school to fulfill their court-ordered community service. Danny DeVito’s character, Frank, was tasked with helping Mr. Johnson with a racoon infestation and the two feuded the entire time.

Off-screen, though, Davis remembered that collaboration with DeVito fondly.

“There’s a scene where he’s in the cage. [DeVito] was already out there in the cage, in the mud, eating the chum before Tyler [James Williams, who plays Gregory Eddie] and I even got on the set,” Davis recalled. “I was like, ‘Tyler, I gotta up my game, man.’ This guy, he’s 10 years older than me — and I’m not a spring chicken — and he’s out here laying in the mud ready to go. It was so much fun.”

(Always Sunny also once featured an Inquirer reporter character, who called the pub “the worst bar in Philadelphia.” A claim not backed by the real Inquirer.)

Another fun highlight for Davis’ character this season was in the “Ballgame” episode. The cast and crew of Abbott Elementary took over Citizens Bank Park in August and filmed live at the game where Kyle Schwarber made history by hitting four home runs.

“The fact that Schwarber hit four home runs out of the park that night, that was historic, and he was going to be a guest on our show — you can’t ask for a better story,” said Davis.

On screen, one character suspects Mr. Johnson is secretly the Phanatic. It’s not totally far-fetched, given the custodian’s many hilarious backstories, from senator to mobster.

Will The Inquirer reporter uncover something new about Mr. Johnson’s mysterious past? We’ll just have to tune in to find out.

‘Abbott Elementary’ airs weekly on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.