In a time of sitcom drought, “Abbott Elementary” is a saving grace, watering the genre with original, captivating, impactful storylines that not only hit home, but exemplify Black Excellence.
Premiering in late 2021, the show was an immediate success. While its mockumentary style was nothing special, its central focus on teachers is. Instead of the overdone concept of following around a group of people in corporate jobs, such as “The Office” or “Parks and Recreation,” “Abbott Elementary” follows a group of teachers working in an underfunded public school in Philadelphia, with a predominantly Black student body.
The show was created, written, and produced by Quinta Brunson, who also stars as second-grade teacher Janine Teagues. Brunson shares that the show is based on her mother’s experience as a teacher in Philadelphia and inspired by her sixth-grade teacher, Joyce Abbott. With the combined knowledge of their experiences, Brunson curated “Abbott Elementary” as a social commentary on the struggle of underfunded schools.
Following Janine Teagues, the show depicts Janine as an overly optimistic, passionate teacher who, despite the school’s low budget, and unserious, tone-deaf principal, works to fix the school’s environment, with the help of six other staff members. The main cast consists of mostly Black educators who give it their best while working in this broken school system.
The show sheds light on the reality of many educators and students at underfunded schools—broken bathrooms, unfixed lighting, falling ceilings, and limited books and resources, while also bringing attention to the fact that in many cases, the population of these schools are predominantly Black.
However, despite these conditions, the teachers persevere and work together to find solutions to their growing list of abundant problems. It’s because of this that the show frames Black educators not as victims of an unfair system, but as brilliant and resilient. The film style highlights how these deep-rooted issues of funding and resources are reoccurring problems that many teachers face, but without the melodrama. In many cases, TV depicting struggle tends to focus solely on the trauma and hardships, but “Abbott Elementary” is different. While it does bring attention to hardship, it also does so with humor, making the show entertaining to watch and easy to absorb.
Most of the humor in the show is rooted in organic, lived experience, not the otherworldly humor and scenarios specifically crafted for laughs that are often found in sitcoms. Here, humor is based on the classroom experiences, such as awkward conversations, children’s antics, and budget problems, and the personality of the characters. It never makes marginalized communities the butt of the joke and instead embeds Black culture, seamlessly blending the humor with silent activism.
The show highlights the skills each educator holds and how together, they give the students the best education they can. Janine’s optimism keeps the staff positive, while Gregory’s pragmatic takes keep them grounded, and Barabara’s seniority and experience provides stability for the team. With the addition of the help from characters Melissa and Jacob, these teachers quite literally, and figuratively, keep the school from falling apart.
The show also highlights how brilliant these students are, despite being neglected by the system. The lack of funding doesn’t make them incompetent or less than, it has made them dedicated and smart, with the assistance of the dedicated educators. Abbott shows this extremely well with a rival school in the show, called “Legendary Schools” which is a well-funded, prosperous school in a much better building consisting of predominantly white staff and students. Despite the affluence of the “Legendary Schools,” the community prefers Abbott Elementary, and works hard to keep the other school from taking over. The show illustrates that funding doesn’t boost you ahead in the long run.
The fifth season premiered in October of 2025, and after its short break, it’ll be returning to ABC to finish out the season. This is just enough time to grab your favorite snacks and clear a night to binge-watch the series on Hulu before the new episodes air. Even in this arctic weather, the show will surely warm you up.
