BY EMILIE WEINBECK, FEATURES EDITOR
One of ABC’s newest shows, “Abbott Elementary,” has gained a lot of positive traction in the last few months since it was released. The mockumentary series follows the lives of educators at an underfunded public school in Philadelphia. The show recently earned a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes and it is easy to see why.
“Abbott Elementary” started on Dec. 7, 2021 and ran until April 12. It was an instant hit and got rave reviews throughout the entire season. At the end of March, ABC announced that the show would be renewed for a second season.
“Abbott Elementary” has earned so many great reviews because of its empathetic yet comedic critique of the U.S. education system. Behind the brains of the show is Quinta Brunson, who used to be a star at Buzzfeed for several years. Brunson also plays one of the main characters in the show named Janine Teagues.
Many educators across the country have been able to relate to this show because of the accurate descriptions it gave of what it is like to be at an underfunded public school. This show came out just in time in the wake of many teachers leaving their jobs due to the lack of support they have felt in the classroom, which has only worsened since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Having an outlet like this for teachers is more important than ever and it is important for them to know that their voices are heard.
Some of the other main characters in the show include Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti and Sheryl Lee Ralph. Season one of the show has 13 episodes each lasting 21 minutes and airing every Tuesday. Very few details on season two of “Abbott Elementary” have been released like which characters will be returning, what new characters will be added, how many episodes the season will be and when it will be aired.
For right now though, there are a few speculations of when the show might air again. Some think it will start in the fall, like the beginning of a new school year, and some think it will follow the same path as the first season and come out in late 2022 or early 2023. Brunson plans on using her Instagram page as her way to communicate updates with fans on what is happening with the next season.
Brunson also plans on continuing to use her platform to donate school supplies to teachers in need as summer school starts up this summer. Brunson started donating school supplies to teachers not long after the show started and the initiative gained a lot of support relatively quickly.
If you have yet to watch “Abbott Elementary” you can find the first full season on Hulu or on the ABC app. If you are also looking to donate old school supplies that you are cleaning out in the coming weeks, consider donating to Brunson’s initiative or a local school in your area.
