Well after seeing this show being raved about by critics and it’s still holding a 100 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I decided to give this freshman ABC comedy, Abbott Elementary, a shot.
I can tell you right off the bat that it was enjoyable. It made me smile and made me chuckle, but it’s certainly not the best comedy I’ve ever seen, personally. I would imagine if you’re a teacher that this show would speak to you a lot more than it did to me, but luckily for me, not an overabundance of time was spent with the students. Instead, it focused on the relationships between a small group of teachers at an underfunded elementary school in Philadelphia.
What made the show neat was that it’s lead, Janine, was played by the shows creator, Quinta Brunson! She plays a very eager and excited second-year teacher who is constantly trying to go above and beyond for the school, her co-workers, and the students. Most of the time this leads to epic failures, but something good usually comes out of her efforts by the end. Rounding out her ensemble are an eclectic group of teachers: Melissa Schemmenti, Jacob Hill, Barbara Howard, and Gregory Eddie. Melissa and Barbara have a lot of experience under their belt, and Melissa’s quirk is that she is likely connected to a local mob, while Janine views Barbara as the mother she never had. Gregory will likely be a love interest down the line, while Jacob is a fellow second-year teacher almost as eager to impress. This group is led by a severely underqualified principal, Ava Colman.
A lot of the frustrations in the season come from the lack of funding the school has. In various scenarios, this causes Janine to accidentally cut the school’s power out, gets her into hot water with Ava, and leads a camera crew to barge in on Barbara’s class. Quinta Bruson is hilarious, as she also was in the most recent season of Miracle Workers, but a lot of my big laughs came at her expense. I specifically remember cackling when she got stuck on a ladder and then in the season finale when she got stuck on a hot air balloon. Something about her fear of heights really tickled my funny bone.
Now, Brunson was not the only familiar face to me in this cast. Melissa Schemmenti is played by none other than The Parent Trap‘s favorite nanny, Lisa Ann Walter! That was a trip. But perhaps an even bigger shock was learning that Gregory Eddie is played by young Chris Rock in Everybody Hates Chris, Tyler James Williams. Mind blown! Like Lisa looks like she hasn’t aged and I feel like Tyler shouldn’t be old enoguh to play an adult! I digress. The supporting cast in this series really brings it all together and it’s clear that their communal struggle really brings them together. I hope other schools’ teachers have bonds like this.
I say if you’re looking for a light new comedy and you like The Office or Parks and Recreation-style shooting, then give Abbott Elementary a go!