by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
My rule of thumb for watching a TV show is that I’m going to give it three episodes for hour-long shows, and five episodes for 30-minute shows. For the most part, my barometer for a series hasn’t really steered me wrong. Oftentimes, you can tell pretty early on if a show catches your attention. If it is really special, it’ll capture me in the pilot. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I know the series will be at the top of my queue. The last show to hook me in with the pilot was Abbott Elementary. When it compared “Baby Shark” to “Back That Thang Up,” I knew that it would be in my life for a while.
There hasn’t been a show, let alone one on a network, that has my attention quite like Abbott Elementary. Two seasons in, and I’m still very much on its train.
In this current era when shows are not given a long leash, Abbott Elementary manages to stay true to itself by not steering too far from its formula. By focusing on characters we care about and smart jokes, it doesn’t run into a sophomore slump. Most of the characters get a moment to shine, but the true strength of Abbott Elementary is the way the ensemble cast works together.
Most of the cast members this season have storylines together that help them grow as a team of teachers. Janine (Quinta Brunson, doing double duty as show runner and lead performer) has a wonderful moment with everyone in the cast. She gets closer to Gregory (Tyler James Williams), and they become the central friendship we root for in the series. Right behind them, Janine and Jacob (Chris Perfetti) still maintain a strong relationship, especially after their struggles in Season One where they were both newer teachers. Jacob and Gregory become bros this season, which is a welcome addition to the professional dynamics since they give off Odd Couple vibes. Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) are still the veterans of the group, but their friendship expands more. Both of them start to mentor Janine more, and begin to view her as more of an equal. Even the janitor, Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis), and principal, Ava (Janelle James), develop strong relationships with everyone.
The performances across the board are all outstanding. Brunson, Williams, and Ralph churn out Emmy-worthy performances. All of them have their great comedic moments, but they have their serious ones as well, where they get to flex their dramatic muscle. Janine has an encounter with her mom (Taraji P. Henson) that tests how much she’s grown in terms of being a caring and nurturing individual. Showing an internal struggle that a lot of adults can relate to, Brunson conveys how difficult it is to have to take care of a parent that has irresponsible tendencies. Gregory struggles with both how his dad (Orlando Jones) treats him, and with his dating life. Barbara shows how much she cares for Janine by being a steady maternal figure. She also struggles personally with her husband to the point where it affects her professionally. The growth that a lot of the characters have is outstanding. As show runner, Brunson admirably focuses on developing the existing characters, while resisting the urge to expand the group further with new teachers.
The best part of this second season is Brunson sticking to the plan, and not falling into the pitfalls that sophomore seasons typically see. We don’t have a new teacher to focus on, we don’t have a huge storyline that splits up the teachers, and we don’t have someone who becomes the enemy or villain of the group. It’s refreshing to see a show that just keeps doing what it does best, while still adding more for us to watch and laugh at.
Abbott deserves praise for the storylines that shine a light on the state of public schools in the United States. The big one (it only lasted a few episodes, but that’s longer than any other school-related storyline this season) is about charter schools. A chain of charter schools, led by Draemond (Leslie Odom Jr.), has its eyes set on gaining more of Abbott’s students. Seeing this parallel in real life, Abbott Elementary exposes the hard truths about issues like standards not always translating to success at charter schools, and more opportunities not meaning everyone gets those opportunities. Other education-related topics are teacher appreciation week only being celebrated by students and not by the district, how warn-out teachers still feel the pressure to come in every day even if they’re sick, and how parents can be assets if teachers aren’t quick to immediately judge them based on appearance.
This isn’t to say Season Two isn’t without issues, even if they are admittedly ticky-tack. While most of the characters get a chance to have more of their backstories told, which allows us to learn more, the character I want to learn more about is Ava, who is largely the same character from Season One. And the guest stars are generally all great and, understand what they’re there to do; however, Odom Jr. might be a formidable foe, and I’m wondering if he will be sticking around. I’m also wondering if more serious topics will be coming to the show at some point. We missed out on the COVID mask issues, but there are a lot of big issues going on with our education system that a show like Abbott Elementary can help shine a light on in a satirical way. Either way, these quibbles are nitpicks, and hopefully some of them will get addressed in Season Three.
Abbott Elementary is well on its way to becoming the Emmys darling I thought it would be when I first watched it. It has all the hallmarks of a series that is just starting to enter its prime when it comes to pop culture and awards relevance. Brunson has created a show that has amazing things to say about education, has assembled one of the best ensembles on television, and has some of the comedic chops out there. If it isn’t high up on your queue, drop everything and start Abbott Elementary immediately.
Score: 9/10
Abbott Elementary is currently streaming on Hulu
You can read more from Mike Hilty, and follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Serializd