When Abbott Elementary made its debut as a midseason replacement in early January (after an initial preview in December), it arrived without much fanfare. It didn’t take long, however, for word to spread that this ABC sitcom—which, as of April, had scored a rare 100% rating at Rotten Tomatoes (it has since dropped down to a 98% rating)—was something special. Created by and starring Quinta Brunson (A Black Lady Sketch Show, Miracle Workers), Abbott Elementary is a feel-good mockumentary in the vein of Parks and Recreation.
The series is set at a Philadelphia public school where, like so many real-life public schools, funding is fairly nonexistent, leading the school district’s powers-that-be to feel just fine about delivering the bare minimum to their students. Fortunately, Willard R. Abbott Elementary School’s faculty — including Brunson as second grade teacher Janine Teagues and the always-amazing Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard, the school’s kindergarten teacher and a kind of mentor to Janine — are so passionate about their jobs that they’re not about to let a little thing like a lack of money rob their students of a proper education.
While Abbott Elementary is easily classified as a comedy, it’s also not afraid to challenge the status quo and tackle genuine issues facing America’s public school system, especially in underfunded cities. The series has already earned an Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series for its first season, and will compete for six more, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, and four acting awards, including an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Brunson and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Ralph.
When Will Abbott Elementary Season Two Premiere?
While fans of the series wait to see what additional Emmys the show might take home, they won’t have to wait much longer for its second season to drop. In March, as Elle reports, ABC announced that Abbott Elementary would be returning for a new school year, which is set to commence on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 9 p.m. ET. The new episode will be available to stream on Hulu the very next day.
