{"id":6425,"date":"2026-08-22T17:37:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T17:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425"},"modified":"2026-08-22T17:37:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T17:37:51","slug":"how-abbott-elementary-pulled-off-its-big-phillies-game-episode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425","title":{"rendered":"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n

\n\tThey say that every trip to watch a ballgame is a different experience: a chance to see stolen bases and home runs; antics from the bleachers that end up on kiss cams and dance cams; fly balls soaring into the stands; or your daily caloric intake from hot dogs and popcorn. This unpredictability can be thrilling for baseball fans. But it seems anxiety-inducing for anyone brave enough to try to use the space to film footage for an actual scripted TV show.<\/p>\n

And yet, this is exactly what \u201cAbbott Elementary\u201d director and executive producer Randall Einhorn did. He, along with much of the rest of the ABC mockumentary\u2019s cast and crew, left the safe and familiar confines of their Warner Bros. sets to film the fifth season episode \u201cBallgame\u201d during an actual Philadelphia Phillies game.<\/p>\n

They hit it out of the park, garnering Einhorn an Emmy nomination for comedy series directing. But, just like any live theatrical event, even their best attempts at pre-planning were no match for reality and a lot of improvisation had to be done on the spot.<\/p>\n

Some of this was dealing with the elements. The first of the two days of filming at the park covered wider shots, with 400 extras in the stands. Big silk screens protected the main cast to ensure clear audio and lighting. The actual day of the game, however, was too windy for those curtains. Einhorn realized this worked better for the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed to show passage of time, so they start off in the shade, they go into full sunlight, and then they go back into full into shade. Then, it\u2019s the nighttime,\u201d he says. \u201cI mean, that sold passage of time better than a clock could.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continuity concerns showed up in other ways, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shot 14 pages the day before the ball game, and basically, we had all these connected pieces,\u201d Einhorn explains. \u201cSo, I\u2019m shooting a scene with some with our cast. Something is supposed to happen on the ball field, and then I go back to my cast, who are commenting on what happened on the ball field. The next day, I had all these pans to the ball field that I needed to do the pan off and the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

In total, he says he his script noted about 70 pans that he had to connect from the ball field to the stands to what was recorded on the Phillies\u2019 jumbotron known as the PhanaVision.<\/p>\n

Einhorn also had to trust his actors \u2014 and not just the series regulars. Episode writer Ava Coleman\u2019s script called for Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber to hit a home run during the game. <\/p>\n

Overachiever that he is, Schwarber hit four.<\/p>\n

Because of \u201cAbbott\u2019s\u201d mockumentary format, Einhorn says he always has three camera angles going at once: two for coverage and one master shot. This time, he also incorporated footage from the PhanaVision. When Schwarber\u2019s balls flew into the air, the cameras \u201cfollowed it out on the field like documentary cameras and panned up to the scoreboard,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

For the actors, filming like this means that \u201cnobody\u2019s waiting for their scene and, therefore, they\u2019re always reacting. And our cast is so good at knowing exactly where their character would be.\u201d This meant that there was a camera ready to film real-time reactions and actual surprise and delight on the face of actress Sheryl Lee Ralph\u2019s kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard, a character who is a known Schwarber enthusiast.<\/p>\n

After the game, Schwarber also filmed a scene meeting the characters. The athlete wasn\u2019t as confident and knowledgeable as he is on the field and admitted that he wasn\u2019t sure what he was supposed to do. Einhorn, who had been warned that he had half an hour to film these exchanges before the stadium\u2019s sprinklers went on, told him, \u201cYou do whatever Kyle Schwarber would do and we\u2019re going to be good.\u201d <\/p>\n

They got the scene in four takes.<\/p>\n

Most shocking of all of this is how calm Einhorn says he managed to stay during filming this episode.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gotten so worked up in my past, I don\u2019t do it anymore,\u201d he laughs, adding that sure, it\u2019d have been great if his hand-held radio had worked and he didn\u2019t have to run around and scream directions at the camera crew and the actors. Instead, he says he rolled with it because \u201cit\u2019s just not worth it; it doesn\u2019t help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Einhorn\u2019s credits include mockumentaries \u201cThe Office,\u201d \u201cParks and Recreation\u201d and \u201cModern Family,\u201d as well as more traditionally filmed programs including \u201cIt\u2019s Always Sunny in Philadelphia\u201d and \u201cWilfred.\u201d <\/p>\n

Early in his career, he received cinematography Emmy nominations for his work on \u201cSurvivor.\u201d This \u201cAbbott\u201d episode was, he says, by far the most planning he\u2019s ever done for a television program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always have to have a plan \u2026 but for this episode, I really needed to have a plan,\u201d he says. \u201cI do these top-down graphics of where people are looking and where their nose is and where they walk to. I need to do that because it\u2019s a mockumentary and it\u2019s a lot trickier to film a mockumentary than it is just a normal comedy where you don\u2019t need to worry about seeing another camera.\u201d<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t pause to say yes when asked if he would do an episode like \u201cBallgame\u201d ever again. But he\u2019d make a few changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019d probably just be a little bit slower to say, \u2018This is impossible,\u2019 because the initial reaction is like, \u2018How?\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cIt was really challenging. I really looked at it and thought, \u2018This can go wrong in so many ways.\u2019 I think what it has done is it\u2019s made me even more of a planner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aware of the obvious pun, he adds, \u201cIt was a big swing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Everything That\u2019s Wrong With You\u2019 Review: A Luminous Two-Hander from Slovenia About Online Pals Navigating the Waters of IRL Friendship<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2018 Pulled Off the Phillies Game Episode at Citizens Bank Park and With Star Kyle Schwarber.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[217],"tags":[4973],"class_list":["post-6425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artisans","tag-abbott-elementary-2"],"yoast_head":"\nHow \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode - Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2018 Pulled Off the Phillies Game Episode at Citizens Bank Park and With Star Kyle Schwarber.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-22T17:37:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"headline\":\"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-22T17:37:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425\"},\"wordCount\":1025,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4ab167caa539f1f22e6fc6aabe374cbc.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Abbott Elementary\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Artisans\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425\",\"name\":\"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode - Relocation Observer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4ab167caa539f1f22e6fc6aabe374cbc.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-22T17:37:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4ab167caa539f1f22e6fc6aabe374cbc.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4ab167caa539f1f22e6fc6aabe374cbc.webp\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":563},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=6425#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Observer\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode - Relocation Observer","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode - Relocation Observer","og_description":"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2018 Pulled Off the Phillies Game Episode at Citizens Bank Park and With Star Kyle Schwarber.","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425","og_site_name":"Relocation Observer","article_published_time":"2026-08-22T17:37:51+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"headline":"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode","datePublished":"2026-08-22T17:37:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425"},"wordCount":1025,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4ab167caa539f1f22e6fc6aabe374cbc.webp","keywords":["Abbott Elementary"],"articleSection":["Artisans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425","name":"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode - Relocation Observer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4ab167caa539f1f22e6fc6aabe374cbc.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-22T17:37:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4ab167caa539f1f22e6fc6aabe374cbc.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4ab167caa539f1f22e6fc6aabe374cbc.webp","width":1000,"height":563},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=6425#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How \u2018Abbott Elementary\u2019 Pulled Off Its Big Phillies Game Episode"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/","name":"Relocation Observer","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationobserver.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6425\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}