Some series are born great. Some
series achieve greatness. And some series have been created by Quinta Brunson,
who in less than a year has gone from a mere internet sensation to one of the
most astonishing hyphenates in the history of television – and in the process,
gave us the first classic comedy of the decade.
Last December, after seeing the
pilot of Abbott Elementary I made the bold decision to DVR the final
season of This is Us in favor of watching live this incredible comedy.
It should have been a difficult choice – even in the age of streaming I have forsaken
many superb series because they were running against other shows I was locked
into – but after I saw the pilot of Abbott Elementary, I knew I had to
watch every episode the night it aired. Because Quinta Brunson had created a series
that television – broadcast TV in particular – desperately needed: a workplace
comedy in the mold of The Office and Parks and Rec, but one that
looked much more like the world we live in. And this is one of the reasons Abbott
Elementary became one of the most critically acclaimed series and surprise
hits of 2022. In a world where, now more than ever, the educational system is
being questioned on almost every level, we needed a series that demonstrated as
clearly possible just what it’s like to work in America’s fractured state of education.
And because to look in this mirror for long would be too hard, Brunson did a
huge favor by making it one of the funniest comedies in a very long time; certainly,
the funniest network series since The Good Place debuted in the fall of
2016.
For those who need to be
schooled (sorry) Abbott Elementary refers to the Philadelphia school
where Janine (Brunson) and her weary fellow teachers try to help an
overcrowded, underfunded school and make more with less. Janine has the bright cheerfulness
of an Amy Poehler character, and like Leslie Knope, many of the faculty find her
relentless cheerfulness in the face of relentless adversity slightly irksome
given the mess their school is always in. None of the co-stars fit neatly in
any of the boxes that we relate with so many workplace series; Brunson goes out
of her way to shine the light on every member of her ensemble and give them as
many layers as possible. Jacob (Chris Perletti) is also enthusiastic, and proud
to be an ‘ally’ of so many of the faculty. Seeming initially like he’s trying
to hard, we often see a man who is insecure
(we learned of his homosexuality the same time Janine did) but he always puts
an extra bit of effort in everything. (During summer break he learned sign
language.) Melissa is a working class Italian, who has ‘connections (how did
Lisa Ann Walter become the sole member of the cast not to earn an Emmy
nomination this time out?) but who often hides much of her personal life (she
has an ex-husband) and her actual family (last night we learned her sister
works at a charter school) Barbara (if you only knew from her performance at
the Emmys ceremony, you didn’t know the layers Sheryl Lee Ralph did to earn her
Best Supporting Actress) is the more realistic than cynical teaching lifer, knowing
that her school will always have to do more with less. Ava (Janelle James
continues to steal every scene she’s in) is the principal who is far more interested
in her social media following then doing her job…most of the time. And Gregory (Tyler
James Williams) is the former substitute, now full-time teacher, unable to escape
his stiff behavior around everybody – including Janine.
Janine, as you’d expect, is the
center of the Abbott universe and the series always shines when she is
as the center. Janine has a never give up attitude in an institution which is
always making people give up. Recent events have dulled her luster slightly
(she spent most of the season premiere dealing with the ramifications of her
breakup with her boyfriend – and sole sexual partner) but we all know it’s just
for a moment. In last night’s episode, when the faculty paid a visit to a
charter school across the street, Janine did everything in her power to make it
seem like Abbott is just as good – a pretty neat trick considering last year’s calendar is holding up one of the
walls at their school. Determined to prove
that Abbott deserved better, she made an effort to pitch a computer room for
Abbott (which meant a room with a computer) and as always was forced to
dance before Ava who loves mocking everything she does. (Typically, Ava turned
the pitch for grant money into an episode of Shark Tank and pulled
another student out of class to fill out the panel.) Janine managed to get the
computer she wanted to her enormous surprise…and in typical Abbott fashion
had defeat snatched from the jaws of victory when the cafeteria was found to be
swarming with mice. Naturally, the money in the budget went to an
exterminator and then cleaning supplies. (The students did get something
special…but you should see the episode to know what it is.)
But because Brunson knows the
talent she has on hand, she makes sure everybody in the cast gets their own moments
to be funny and sad at the same time. One of the running gags of last night’s
episode came when we learned that Barbara seems to have a feeling that certain
white actors and actresses are actually African Americans and each cast member
explained what she was getting wrong. (Hey, some people of a certain age naturally
mistake Carrie Underwood for Kerry Washington.) Meanwhile Gregory was
trying to find a way to break up with Taylor, Barbara’s daughter and went through
a debate as to how to do it without hurting her feelings or Barbara’s -which
led to Jaco suggesting ‘petering out’.
He was talked out of it while helping Janine and then told Barbara he
was going to break up with Taylor – only to learn that Taylor had decided to ‘peter
him out’. As you’d expect the series has
Janine and Gregory dancing around each other (I’m assuming they’re the Jim and
Pam of this series) but neither has been willing to go to a certain point yet.
(I’m betting their first date happens by the season finale.)
Abbott Elementary has
already been dominating the awards circuit the last several months, dominating both
the TCA and the HCA with Quinta Brunson taking two trophies for writing and
acting from each organization and winning Best Comedy for each series. In this
sense, their triumphs at last month’s Emmys, while the biggest for any network
sitcom since Modern Family were almost a disappointment even though
Ralph and Brunson each took home a prize and the series deservedly won an Emmy
for Best Casting. I suppose I am duty
bound to mention that this may be the first series I’ve seen on a network show
that doesn’t have a single straight white male in any major role, but speaking
as a straight white male who already thinks this is one of the best series of
2022, should that really be a factor in your choosing to watch it? Abbott
Elementary is the right series for the era we are currently live in, a show
I imagine far too many people can relate to even if they’re not a parent or a
teacher or think they don’t have any connection to the world that this comedy
inhabits. In a way Brunson is using this
show to make a statement about education today, but she is just as determined
to make one of the funniest and most heartfelt series imaginable. The cast and crew of Abbott Elementary will
be walking the red carpets of award shows this winter and for years to come. No matter what you think of the public school
system, you will come away from this series with as much respect for teachers as
for Brunson and her cast.
My Score: 5 Stars.
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