As the 2022 award season for television wraps up, audiences have spent the year immersing themselves in a plethora of different realties.
For instance, we’ve seen the story behind the infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee tape in Pam & Tommy, as well as the dysfunctional patrons and staff of a luxury resort in The White Lotus. These shows were incredible, but none of them have stuck with me like Abbott Elementary.
Abbott Elementary came out in 2021 on ABC. This show follows a group of public-school teachers in Philadelphia working against all odds to help their students excel. We follow Janine Teagues, played by Quinta Brunson, as she is a newer teacher at Abbott and figuring out how she plans to define her success.
Her closest friend at Abbott is Jacob Hill, played by Chris Perfetti, who is also a newbie. While these two are perceived as naive, they don’t let their inexperience break their passion and excitement to educate the youth of Philadelphia.
Janine deeply idolizes the more senior teachers at the school, such as Barbara Howard (played by Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa Schemmenti (played by Lisa Ann Walter); she’s always begging them to teach her their ways.
In the classroom next to Janine’s is Gregory Eddie, played by Tyler James Williams. Gregory was supposedly next in line for school principal; however, the current principal, Ava Coleman (Janelle James), had other plans. Ava’s principal strategy is quite unique in that she doesn’t actually do anything. She only got the job because she caught the superintendent cheating on his wife and used it as blackmail.
Season one largely consisted of these educators figuring their way around the school and overcoming problems with the school’s rundown building, their respective students, and the school’s low budget.
Conversely in the following season, we see the teachers more familiar with their roles until they are presented with a new problem—the city wants to turn Abbott into a charter school. This transition would mean the school would become more exclusive of both its students and teachers. While the teachers navigate this hurdle, we also get deeper insight into their personal lives; specifically, the budding romance between Janine and Gregory.
This show is made in a mockumentary-type format and is often compared to The Office and Parks and Recreation. The relatability of this show reaches all audiences as it shows ordinary people trying to succeed in the face of opposition. Abbot Elementary has won many awards this season including Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and the Screen Actors Guild Award.
The most important element of Abbott Elementary is Quinta Brunson, its main actress and creator. According to CBS8, Brunson wrote the show in 2018 and based it on her own mother’s experiences working in the Philadelphia public school system.
Prior to its debut in 2021, Brunson worked hard to make a name for herself. Forbes states that in 2014 she started making a comedy series on Instagram called “Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date.” This series blew up and helped her grow a fanbase. After this, she became a video producer for Buzzfeed and created and starred in the series “Quinta vs. Everything.” It was during this project that she created a close relationship with Warner Brothers, who then helped her pitch the idea for Abbott Elementary.
The show was eventually picked up and produced by Warner Brothers themselves and soon became ABC’s biggest comedy hit in years. Her work on Abbott Elementary has earned her multiple awards for her writing and acting, including two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. In 2022, she was listed in Time 100’s Most Influential People, and the Philadelphia City Council has honored her for the creation of Abbott Elementary. Recently, Boardroom announced that Brunson and the Abbott Elementary team has given one million dollars to public school teachers across the country.
The show is already renewed for season three. The episodes air every Wednesday on ABC, or you can stream them on Hulu, HBO Max, Vudu, Prime Video, or Apple TV. This show is hilarious and so fun to watch; every character is unique, and they all work so well together despite their differences.
Abbott Elementary is truly a show that will have you waiting for every episode!
