I slept on ABBOTT ELEMENTARY initially. I didn’t know anything about it other than it was a network sitcom, but that was enough for my alarm bells to go off. Shows like TWO AND A HALF MEN and THE BIG BANG THEORY catered to the lowest common denominator and used that to skyrocket to success. They also constantly relied on exhausted tropes for laughs. I know I’m the minority here – these were some of the most popular shows on TV. Call me a snob, but I normally prefer my content to be elevated, and not the type to punch down. ABBOTT ELEMENTARY is none of that. It’s smart, fun, inclusive, and asks the audience to laugh along with the characters. Sure, sometimes they use a character as the butt of a joke, but never in a mean way. We’re meant to empathize with them, not scorn them.
My favorite character on ABBOTT ELEMENTARY changes constantly. Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) is both an audience and critic fave with 2 Emmy Nominations and 1 win. BREAKUP started off focusing on Barbara and my heart soared. I love Barbara! She reminds me of my mom and aunt, the latter of whom was a Kindergarten teacher too. But the episode quickly brings in its second major plot, involving another teacher and my 🤩 dropped to a 😊 and stayed there.
Barbara’s story was more interesting to me because it challenged her routine and beliefs to her core. Jacob’s (Chris Perfetti) story shook him as well, but it felt forced. A challenge the writers needed to bring in for him so they could pull something else up later this season to help him. Giving a character a problem for the sake of giving him something to do.
What’s been the biggest negative for me this season is the lack of Janine (series creator Quinta Brunson). If you’ve been watching S3, you know why she’s been somewhat MIA. I adore Janine and I love Brunson’s acting & writing and am excited to see what else she’s got coming up. Perhaps she’s become so popular because of her talent, that she’s off filming a movie? Or perhaps when you’re the creator, writer, AND star of a weekly show, you need to take a step back from one role just to stay sane. I can’t imagine doing all that and yet she does it with finesse and grace. I trust her and her plan for ABBOTT ELEMENTARY, but damn I miss Janine! Janine is the heart and soul of ABBOTT ELEMENTARY. My favorite scenes are her riffs as a teacher with Principal Ava (Janelle James). I also hope the book isn’t closed with Janine and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) either.Â
ABBOTT ELEMENTARY airs Wednesday nights on ABC at 9 pm ET/PT and streams Tuesdays on Hulu.
