When A Black Lady Sketch Show alum Quinta Brunson created Abbott Elementary, she told Vanity Fair she wanted to buck the trend of “dark” sitcoms. Instead, she wanted to make a “firmly family-friendly show, designed to tap into every audience quadrant.” And so she has: The mockumentary show, about a second grade teacher played by Brunson herself, isn’t just a hit. It’s a hit that’s pulling in Modern Family numbers.
As per Deadline, the show’s first episode of 2022 and its first since its pilot, which aired a month prior, pulled in a total of 9 million viewers after 35 days across linear and digital platforms. The rating among the 18-49 demographic is 2.93, making it the strongest ABC show since Modern Family ended in 2020.
That’s not all:
Overall, after 35 days of multi-platform viewing, Abbott Elementary‘s second episode grew by +5.6 million total viewers over its and soared by +358% among adults 18-49 over its initial rating (2.93 rating vs. 0.64 rating).
Abbott Elementary debuted in early December of last year, but its next batch of episodes were held until the new year. Brunson’s show, which she also sometimes writes, has been said to have a Parks and Recreation vibe — not just the mock-doc format, but a general air of good vibes as nice characters struggle, not always successfully, to make others’ lives better. While Brunson has said she has nothing wrong with shows that remind people that life can get quite unpleasant, her show’s ratings prove that sometimes people need a break.
(Via Deadline)
