Abbott Elementary

Abbott Elementary is an American mockumentary sitcom television series created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It stars Brunson as a second grade teacher at Abbott Elementary. Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, and Sheryl Lee Ralph also star. The series premiered as a midseason entry in the 2021–22 television season on December 7, 2021 and was met with critical acclaim. In March 2022, the series was renewed for a second season.

Abbott Elementary
Genre
Created byQuinta Brunson
Starring
Theme music composerMaker
Opening theme"Hold'em"
performed by Maker
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
ProducerWerner Walian
CinematographyKurt Jones
EditorRichie Edelson
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Distributor
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseDecember 7, 2021 (2021-12-07) –
present (present)

Premise

A group of dedicated, passionate teachers—and a tone-deaf principal—are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where they are determined to help their students succeed in life.

Though these incredible public servants are outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do and fight the odds stacked up against them—like the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children—to give the students the best school life they can offer.

Cast

Main
  • Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, an optimistic second-grade teacher who has a mission to help the lives of her students
  • Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, a substitute first-grade teacher who wants to be a principal and harbors a crush on Janine
  • Janelle James as Ava Coleman, the school's inept principal who enjoys picking on and bullying her co-workers.
  • Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti, a second-grade teacher with questionable connections
  • Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill, an awkward history teacher who supports Janine and her mission
  • Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard, a religious kindergarten teacher whom Janine looks up to

Recurring
  • William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson, the school's eccentric custodian[1]
  • Zack Fox as Tariq Temple, Janine's boyfriend since middle school who is an aspiring rapper
  • Reggie Hayes as Denzel Collins, the school's superintendent

Guest
  • Kate Peterman as Tina Schwartz, an overwhelmed teacher who gets fired for physically attacking a student
  • Jim Gardner as himself, a news anchor on ABC Channel 6 Action News, beloved by the staff
  • Mitra Jouhari as Sahar, Janine's friend who briefly works at Abbott as a volunteer art teacher
  • Orlando Jones as Martin Eddie, Gregory's unsupportive father
  • Iyana Halley as Taylor Howard, Barbara's daughter
  • Larry Owens as Zach, Jacob's boyfriend[2]

Episodes
No.Title [3]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [3]Prod.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Randall EinhornQuinta BrunsonDecember 7, 2021 (2021-12-07)T11.101442.88[4]
A documentary crew is recording the lives of teachers working in underfunded schools. One of the places they have decided to document is Philadelphia's Willard R. Abbott Elementary School. Conditions at the school are harsh and most teachers do not last more than two years. Second grade teacher Janine Teagues and history teacher Jacob Hill are two of three teachers in a group of twenty to make it past one year. They work with experienced kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard, second grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti, and school principal Ava Coleman. When a teacher is fired for kicking a student, she is replaced by substitute teacher Gregory Eddie. Gregory wants to become the school principal, a role Ava acquired by blackmailing the superintendent. The school sends a request for more money to purchase supplies, including rugs which Janine needs for her class. The request is granted but Ava wastes the money on a new sign. Janine files a complaint to the superintendent but the email is redirected to Ava, who disrespects Janine in front of the entire staff. Barbara, Jacob, and Melissa stand up for Janine. Later, a friend of Melissa's steals several rugs and gives them to the school, pleasing Janine.
2"Light Bulb"Randall EinhornQuinta BrunsonJanuary 4, 2022 (2022-01-04)T12.171533.45[5]
Janine tries to fix the overhead lights at the school, but instead ends up knocking out the power to much of the school. Barbara helps Gregory stand up to a mother who repeatedly brings her son late to his class.
3"Wishlist"Randall EinhornMorgan MurphyJanuary 11, 2022 (2022-01-11)T12.171542.97[6]
Ava helps Janine make a viral video to get supplies for her classroom wish list with much success. Janine asks Ava to secretly make a viral video for Barbara, who also needs supplies but refuses any help. Ava agrees to do this, but Ava's exaggerations of Barbara's story creates an uncomfortable situation when Barbara finds out what has been done.
4"New Tech"Randall EinhornBrian RubensteinJanuary 18, 2022 (2022-01-18)T12.171523.02[7]
A new computer program is unveiled at Abbott for teachers to use to help students with their reading. Barbara has the most difficulty figuring out how to use it, and unwittingly enters information into the program that leads Ava to think that her kindergartners are now able to read at an advanced level.
5"Student Transfer"Randall EinhornBrittani NicholsJanuary 25, 2022 (2022-01-25)T12.171553.06[8]
Janine struggles when a disruptive student from Melissa's class is transferred to hers. Jacob is having difficulty with some of his students who are "roasting" him.
6"Gifted Program"Matt SohnJordan TempleFebruary 1, 2022 (2022-02-01)T12.171562.77[9]
After seeing a smart boy transferring to Abbott, Janine gets the idea to start a "gifted program" at their school. Ava agrees and Jacob is elected to teach the class. However, many of the other students not in the gifted program start to feel left out. Barbara pushes Melissa into going out with the vending machine owner, who resupplies snacks in the teacher's breakroom.
7"Art Teacher"Jennifer CelottaKate PetermanFebruary 8, 2022 (2022-02-08)T12.171572.61[10]
Janine's college friend Sahar is hired as the school's new volunteer art teacher, but Sahar and Melissa butt heads over the latter's Peter Rabbit project, causing Janine to play mediator between the two. Disappointed in the lack of vegetables in the school lunches, Jacob convinces Barbara that they should start a school garden despite having little experience doing so. Experienced in landscaping, a frustrated Gregory secretly tends to their garden to make sure it can thrive.
8"Work Family"Jay KarasJustin TanFebruary 15, 2022 (2022-02-15)T12.171582.31[11]
Upset that Jacob thinks of her as just a "work friend", Janine tries to build better relationships with her co-workers. Barbara and Melissa help Gregory with his teaching methods after his class is found to be underperforming. Janine enlists Tariq to perform at an anti-drug program at her school. Gregory receives a phone call from his Dad, who advises Gregory that he should move on from his substitute teaching at Abbott.
9"Step Class"Shahrzad DavaniJoya McCroryFebruary 22, 2022 (2022-02-22)T12.171593.06[12]
Ava takes over Janine's after-school step class, as the girls prefer Ava's teaching style over Janine. Ava teaches them a fun routine, but then randomly disappears when they are scheduled to perform it for the school. However, Janine finds her, and the routine goes forward. Gregory feels alienated by the other staff members when it is revealed he does not like pizza.
10"Open House"Jennifer CelottaBrian RubensteinMarch 22, 2022 (2022-03-22)T12.171602.64[13]
Barbara's daughter Taylor visits during the school's open house event, leaving Janine feeling envious and vulnerable about her relationship with her own mother. Gregory unravels when he finds out that Ava blackmailing the superintendent was the real reason he lost the principal job. Jacob, Melissa, and Mr. Johnson play poker. It's revealed at the end of the episode that Ava no longer has a hold on the superintendent, who has left his wife and married his mistress.
11"Desking"Melissa KosarMorgan MurphyMarch 29, 2022 (2022-03-29)T12.171612.54[14]
The teachers try to put a stop to a new online trend where the students jump from desk-to-desk in their classrooms. Janine and Jacob finally figure out that they need to make desking "uncool," so the students see Jacob jumping from desk to desk in the gym, where all the desks have been moved. Jacob introduces his boyfriend Zach to the faculty, and Gregory gets some advice from Mr. Johnson.
12"Ava vs. Superintendent"Matthew A. CherryBrittani NicholsApril 5, 2022 (2022-04-05)T12.171622.58[15]
With Ava's job and the school's funding in jeopardy, Janine asks a reluctant Gregory to help her and Ava with an important upcoming presentation to the school board. Ava makes a strong presentation to the school board, but Superintendent Collins denies her request, as he is still angry with her for having blackmailed him the last few years. With Melissa's prodding, Barbara ends up getting the extra funding needed for Abbott by extorting a woman on the School Board who she goes to church with and who is skimming money from church funds. Later, Ava tells Gregory that he will be working full-time at Abbott for the next school year.
13"Zoo Balloon"Randall EinhornJordan TempleApril 12, 2022 (2022-04-12)T12.171632.78[16]
Abbott Elementary takes their annual, year-end school trip to the Philadelphia Zoo with Tariq, Taylor, and Zach serving as chaperones. Tariq gets an opportunity to move to New York to record an anti-drug themed album, but Janine is not sure she wants to leave Abbott to go to New York with him. Barbara ponders about her future when her favorite zoo animal is retired due to old age. Greg tells Janine that next school year he will be full-time at Abbott. Janine ultimately decides to take a "break" from Tariq, and not move to New York with him.

Production
Randall Einhorn directed the first five episodes of Abbott Elementary

On September 3, 2020, an untitled workplace comedy pilot starring Quinta Brunson landed a put pilot commitment at ABC.[17] In February 2021, ABC gave the project an official pilot order.[18] In March, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, and Sheryl Lee Ralph were announced to star.[19] In May, the project was given a series order.[20][21] Filming began on August 16, 2021, in Los Angeles, California, and concluded on November 5, 2021.[22][23] In August, three crew members tested positive for COVID-19 but production was not impacted.[24] In November, William Stanford Davis was confirmed to star.[25] The series premiered on December 7, 2021.[26][27]

On March 14, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season.[28]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 38 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.60/10. The website's consensus reads, "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."[29] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 78 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter said "[it] works 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 "[are] a willingness to deal with class head on, while also finding humor in the characters' situations", and concluded that Abbott Elementary is "crowd-pleasing."[31]

Ratings

Including viewership recorded over a 35-day period through "linear and digital platforms" (known as MP35) after its original broadcast, the pilot episode on December 7, 2021, increased to a 2.4 demographic rating, with 7.1 million viewers. ABC said the 300% increase was its "largest percentage growth for any new comedy premiere".[32] The viewership of the second episode, "Light Bulb", increased by 5.6 million viewers to 9 million after 35 days.[33]

Viewership and ratings per episode of Abbott Elementary
No. Title Air dateRating
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)		DVR
(18–49)		DVR viewers
(millions)		Total
(18–49)		Total viewers
(millions)		Ref(s)
1 "Pilot" December 7, 20210.62.880.190.790.823.67[4]
2 "Light Bulb" January 4, 20220.63.45TBDTBDTBDTBD[5]
3 "Wishlist" January 11, 20220.62.97TBDTBDTBDTBD[6]
4 "New Tech" January 18, 20220.63.02TBDTBDTBDTBD[7]
5 "Student Transfer" January 25, 20220.63.06TBDTBDTBDTBD[8]
6 "Gifted Program" February 1, 20220.62.77TBDTBDTBDTBD[9]
7 "Art Teacher" February 8, 20220.62.61TBDTBDTBDTBD[10]
8 "Work Family" February 15, 20220.42.31TBDTBDTBDTBD[11]
9 "Step Class" February 22, 20220.63.06TBDTBDTBDTBD[12]
10 "Open House" March 22, 20220.52.64TBDTBDTBDTBD[13]
11 "Desking" March 29, 20220.52.54TBDTBDTBDTBD[14]
12 "Ava vs. Superintendent" April 5, 20220.52.58TBDTBDTBDTBD[15]
13 "Zoo Balloon" April 12, 20220.62.78TBDTBDTBDTBD[16]

References
  1. Dahl, Amanda (March 9, 2022). "St. Louis Native William Stanford Davis Joins Cast of ABC's New Sitcom Hit, Abbott Elementary". laduenews.com. Ladue News. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  2. Jones, Marcus (March 29, 2022). "Abbott Elementary star Chris Perfetti explains how Jacob is 'a total 180' from his usual roles". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  3. "Abbott Elementary (ABC)". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  4. Berman, Marc (December 8, 2021). "Tuesday Ratings: Respectable Live in Front of a Studio Audience Special on ABC". Programming Insider. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  5. Metcalf, Mitch (January 6, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.4.2022 Updated". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  6. Metcalf, Mitch (January 12, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.11.2022 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  7. Metcalf, Mitch (January 20, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.18.2022 Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  8. Metcalf, Mitch (January 26, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Tuesday 1.25.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily.
  9. Metcalf, Mitch (February 2, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY'S Tuesday 2.1.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily.
  10. >Metcalf, Mitch (February 9, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY'S Tuesday 2.8.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily.
  11. Metcalf, Mitch (February 16, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY'S Tuesday 2.15.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily.
  12. Metcalf, Mitch (February 24, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY'S Tuesday 2.22.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily.
  13. Metcalf, Mitch (March 23, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY'S Tuesday 3.22.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily.
  14. Metcalf, Mitch (March 30, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY'S Tuesday 3.29.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily.
  15. Metcalf, Mitch (April 6, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY'S Tuesday 4.5.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily.
  16. Metcalf, Mitch (April 13, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY'S Tuesday 4.12.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily.
  17. Andreeva, Nellie (September 3, 2020). "Quinta Brunson Teacher Comedy Set At ABC As Put Pilot; Justin Halpern & Patrick Schumacker Exec Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  18. White, Peter (February 16, 2021). "ABC Orders Harrity Elementary Comedy Pilot From Quinta Brunson, Justin Halpern & Patrick Schumacker". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  19. Petski, Denise (March 26, 2021). "Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, 3 More Join Quinta Brunson In Her ABC School Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  20. Goldberg, Lesley (May 14, 2021). "Wonder Years, Queens Among Four ABC Series Orders". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  21. Andreeva, Nellie; White, Peter (May 14, 2021). "The Wonder Years, Queens, Maggie & Abbott Elementary Picked Up To Series At ABC". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  22. "issue one thousand two hundred sixty-one" (PDF). Production Weekly. August 26, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  23. "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production – Abbott Elementary". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  24. Andreeva, Nellie (August 25, 2021). "Abbott Elementary Records Positive Covid Tests; Production On New ABC Series Not Impacted". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  25. Del Rosario, Alexandra (November 4, 2021). "Abbott Elementary: William Stanford Davis Joins ABC Comedy As Recur". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  26. Andreeva, Nellie (May 18, 2021). "ABC 2021-22 Schedule: Big Sky On Thursday & Comedy Block In Fall, Black-Ish Farewell In Midseason". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  27. Pedersen, Erik (November 1, 2021). "ABC Winter Premiere Dates: Bachelor, Black-ish Final Season, Three New Series & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  28. Goldberg, Lesley (March 14, 2022). "Abbott Elementary Renewed for Season 2 at ABC". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  29. "Abbott Elementary: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  30. "Abbott Elementary: Season 1". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  31. Han, Angie (December 7, 2021). "ABC's Abbott Elementary: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  32. Darwish, Meaghan. "Abbott Elementary Becomes ABC's First Comedy Debut to Quadruple Its Ratings". TVInsider. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  33. Andreeva, Nellie (February 23, 2022). "Abbott Elementary Episode 2 Nabs ABC's Strongest Comedy Ratings Since Modern Family Finale In MP35". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
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