Abbott Elementary

''Abbott Elementary'' is an American mockumentary sitcom television series created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It stars Brunson as Janine Teagues, a perpetually optimistic second-grade teacher at the underfunded Abbott Elementary, a fictional predominantly Black public school in West Philadelphia. The ensemble cast includes Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis, and Sheryl Lee Ralph.

The series premiered on December 7, 2021, and was met with critical acclaim and strong viewership numbers on Hulu and other delayed viewing methods. The show has been nominated for 24 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning four in the comedy series categories including Outstanding Lead Actress for Brunson and Supporting Actress for Ralph. ''Abbott Elementary'' has also won three Golden Globe Awards, with acting wins for Brunson and Williams and the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2023. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a third season consisting of 14 episodes, which premiered on February 7, 2024, with a two-episode premiere. Three days after the third season premiere, it was also renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on October 9, 2024, featuring a crossover with ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''.

On January 21, 2025, it was announced that ''Abbott Elementary'' was renewed for a fifth season slated to premiere in fall 2025.

Premise

Willard R. Abbott Elementary School is a predominantly Black Philadelphia public school where a documentary crew is recording the lives of teachers working in underfunded, mismanaged schools. Conditions at the school are harsh and most teachers quit after their second year. Optimistic second-grade teacher Janine Teagues is determined to help her students despite the circumstances. She works with awkward, good-intentioned history teacher Jacob Hill; no-nonsense kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard; and second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti, Barbara's close friend who has questionable connections. They are joined by new school principal Ava Coleman - who is tone-deaf, unqualified, and uninvested - and recent substitute hire Gregory Eddie, who was rejected when applying for the position of principal.

Cast and characters

* Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, a second-grade teacher at Abbott who hopes to improve the lives of her students by making the best of the poor situation the school district makes teachers work in.
* Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, at first a substitute for a recently fired first-grade teacher and later a full time teacher, who quickly harbors a crush on Janine.
* Janelle James as Ava Coleman, the school's tone-deaf principal who consistently bullies Janine and gives the staff reasons to believe she is poor at her job - a job she received after blackmailing the superintendent.
* Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti, a second-grade teacher at Abbott who has questionable connections with the Philly locals which she uses to help the school.
* Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill, a sixth-grade history teacher who tries his best to help Janine with her plans to improve Abbott.
* Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard, a religious kindergarten teacher, adamant about keeping with tradition, and a mother-figure to Janine.
* William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson (recurring season 1, starring season 2–present), the school's eccentric, overqualified, and talented custodian.

Episodes

Production

Background

Brunson said that her mother's 40-year career as a schoolteacher inspired her to create ''Abbott Elementary'', named after Joyce Abbott, one of her favorite elementary school teachers. The series is set in Brunson's hometown, Philadelphia. She said that Barbara Howard (played by Sheryl Lee Ralph) is based on her mother.

Development

On September 3, 2020, an untitled workplace comedy pilot starring Brunson landed a put pilot commitment at ABC with Brunson, Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker serving as executive producers.

In February 2021, ABC gave the project an official pilot order, originally with the title of ''Harrity Elementary''. In May, the project was given a series order under a new name of ''Abbott Elementary''. Filming for the first season began on August 16, 2021, in Los Angeles, California, and concluded on November 5, 2021. In August, three crew members tested positive for COVID-19 but production was not impacted.

The first season premiered on December 7, 2021, and concluded on April 12, 2022, consisting of 13 episodes. On March 14, 2022, just before the first season was set to conclude, the series was renewed for a second season.
According to a tweet made by Quinta Brunson, the first day of filming for the second season began on July 18, 2022. On July 21, 2022, ABC ordered the second season of 22 episodes, giving it a full-season order. The second season premiered on September 21, 2022. On January 11, 2023, ABC renewed the series for a third season. In May 2023, the Writers Guild of America strike occurred which impacted on the production of third season. On November 10, 2023, ABC picked up the series for a full third season of 14 episodes. The third season premiered on February 7, 2024, with a two-episode premiere. Three days after the third season premiere, it was also renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on October 9, 2024.

On January 8, 2025, it was announced that ''Abbott Elementary'' would suspend production due to the wildfires in the Southern California region, where the show is filmed.

Casting

In March 2021, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, and Sheryl Lee Ralph were announced to star in the series alongside Brunson. In November of the same year, William Stanford Davis was confirmed to recur as Mr. Johnson, the janitor. Brunson portrays Janine Teagues, the optimistic second-grade teacher who leads the series and its ensemble. Williams portrays Gregory Eddie, a substitute first-grade teacher who harbors a crush on Janine. James portrays Ava Coleman, the school's inept principal. Walter portrays Melissa Schemmenti, a second-grade teacher alongside Janine. Perfetti portrays Jacob Hill, an awkward history teacher, and Ralph portrays Barbara Howard, an old-school kindergarten teacher whom Janine looks up to.

In an interview with ''Insider'', Brunson revealed that her character of Janine Teagues was originally planned to be just a side character in the series, as a staff member of Abbott. During the initial visions of the series, Barbara Howard was meant to be the "driving force" of the series.

In July 2022, just months prior to the series returning for its second season, it was announced that Davis would be promoted to series regular for the season. Additionally, a week before the season premiere it was announced via ''The Wrap'' that the season would see the introduction of various recurring guest stars, including Lauren Weedman as Kristen Marie, Leslie Odom Jr. as Draemond Winding and Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Ashley Garcia, all of whom appeared within the first eight episodes of the season.

The second season also featured a cameo from Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty in the premiere episode, which garnered a large amount of online attention. When asked by the National Hockey League, executive producer Patrick Schumacker stated that Gritty's appearance in the series was "a long time coming." He revealed that Gritty was originally due to appear in one of the early episodes of the first season, but scheduling conflicts delayed the cameo.

Music

The series does not use any original music or score written or recorded for it, instead using pre-existing and/or library music, often used as diegetic music (or source music), often performed "live" by cast members. The previously released song, "Hold'em", performed by Maker, was used as its main title theme.

Release

Broadcast and syndication

In the US, the show airs on ABC and streams on Hulu with next-day availability and Disney+ through the Hulu content hub added by Disney in early 2024. The show also streams on Max after each season completes its broadcast. In Australia and New Zealand the show was first released on Disney+ under the Star content hub on February 16 as a Star Original with a 6 episode premiere with new episodes weekly before airing in several countries in Europe such as UK, France, Italy and Germany.

In Canada, the series airs on Global, with episodes available to stream on StackTV and the Global TV app the next day. The first four seasons are currently available to stream on Disney+ under the Star content hub.

Home Media

The first season was released by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment on the 18 October 2022. The DVD has no special features. The following seasons were released on DVD in region 1 on the 12 of September 2023 and April 1st 2025.

Reception

Critical response

The series has average scores of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and 83 on Metacritic.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 98% with an average rating of 8.3 out of 10, based on 46 reviews. The site's critical consensus said, "''Abbott Elementary'' earns top marks for its empathetic yet sidesplitting critique of the U.S. education system, plus some extra credit for a deftly handled will-they-won't-they dynamic." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Angie Han of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' said " tworks well enough to deliver a consistent good time — and I suspect that given time, ''Abbott Elementary'' could blossom into something truly special". Han also said the first episodes " rea willingness to deal with class head on, while also finding humor in the characters' situations", and concluded that ''Abbott Elementary'' is "crowd-pleasing."

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has received an approval rating of 100% with an average rating of 9 out of 10, based on 23 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Class is back in session and the plucky teachers of ''Abbott Elementary'' remain an absolute delight, with creator/star Quinta Brunson's savvy and sweet sensibility honed to perfection." Meanwhile, Metacritic has reported an average rating of 88 out of 100, based on ten reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has received an approval rating of 100% based on 11 reviews. The site’s critical consensus reads, "''Abbott Elementary'' has done its homework on sitcom longevity, finding fresh complications for its ragtag band of educators while deepening them as well-rounded people rather than comical caricatures." Meanwhile, Metacritic has reported an average rating of 82 out of 100, based on seven reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Ratings

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

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{{ABCNetwork Shows (current and upcoming)

2020s American workplace comedy television series
2020s American school television series
2020s American black sitcoms
2020s American mockumentary television series
2020s American single-camera sitcoms
2021 American television series debuts

American Broadcasting Company sitcoms
American English-language television shows
Best Musical or Comedy Series Golden Globe winners
Peabody Award–winning television programs
Television series by 20th Television
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television shows affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
Television shows set in Philadelphia
Television shows set in Pennsylvania
Television series about educators
Elementary school television series
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series