Abbot Elementry

By Brenda Haro Ramirez

From the mind of Quinta Brunson comes Abbott Elementary, a mockumentary following the lives of teachers at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School in Philadelphia. The first episode came out on December 7, 2021 with 12 episodes following through until April of 2022. Quite immediately, the show caught on fire and began trending all over social media - mainly Twitter (as it was formerly known) - and for plenty of good reasons. In the first episode, the audience was introduced to one of the main characters: Janine Teagues played by the amazing Quinta Brunson herself. Janine is the new second-grade teacher at Abbott. She is kind-hearted through and through and never denies to help others out. The audience is also introduced to another character: Gregory Eddie played by Tyler James Williams. Gregory first applied for the position of Abbott’s principal, but was rejected. He eventually became a first-grade teacher. The school is run by principal Ava Coleman (who got the job over Gregory), played by Janelle James. Ava Coleman is a character, to say the least. She is witty, nonfunctional, and overall hilarious. Her quick remarks towards the other characters is one of my favorite things about this show. For example, when Janine talked about how she has only ever been in one relationship for most of her life, Ava was quick to ask if she was Mormon. Following the response of Janine’s “No”, Ava goes on to say, “Oh, you should be ‘cause you need more men.” This play on words is possibly the funniest line ever written for TV. The other characters include Melissa Schemmenti, Jacob Hill, Barbara Howard, and Mr. Johnson - the school’s janitor. Mr. Johnson is my second favorite character, following Ava Coleman. Half the time his commentary does not make sense, but is the reason why it is extremely hilarious. Season 1 received an outstanding 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. With this appraisal, season 2 of the show aired in September of 2022, which further developed the subplot of Janine and Gregory’s slow-burn romance that fans of the show wish would burn faster. Overall, the show is terrific in every aspect: the writers of the show are extremely smart; the actors make the characters, and so many additional features make the show worth-watching. Abbott Elementary is currently streaming on Hulu and Max. I highly recommend this show to everyone on earth.