Abbott Elementary Season 1 Has A New Home

ABC’s hit comedy series Abbott Elementary, the hilarious mockumentary-style sitcom created by Quinta Brunson, follows a group of teachers and their principal at an elementary public school in Philadelphia. A bit reminiscent of The Office and Parks & Recreation, the series gives a real-world look into the day-to-day lives of our society’s most under-appreciated and underfunded public servants. Because yes, teaching is a public service worthy of all the flowers.

Season 1 premiered on ABC in December 2021 and became the network’s first comedy to quadruple rating. The series has become so popular, it made a real-life impact outside in our communities with a historical contribution to our kids through a partnership with Scholastic earlier this year.

If this initiative doesn’t prove how family-oriented Abbott Elementary is, we don’t know what it will be! But is Abbot Elementary a show for the entire family to enjoy? And how can you watch it? Here’s everything else you need to know.

Abbott Elementary has been renewed for a second season.

Mark your calendars: the second season of Abbott Elementary premieres on ABC on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The renewal was announced back in March by Principal Ava Coleman, played by Janelle James, in the form of a memo shared on the show’s Instagram page.

“To faculty and students, ‘aka my fans,’ she wrote. “The camera crew I hired to showcase all that I've made happen at our beautiful school thinks I'm a star. I mean, are we surprised? No, we're not :),” she added. “With that said, it is with great pleasure that I share they'll be returning for the 2022-2023 school year! That's right - Abbott Elementary season two is coming to a screen near you.”

Where can you watch Abbott Elementary?

New episodes of Abbott Elementary will premiere on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC. After their TV premiere, episodes can also be streamed on Hulu.

Season 1 of Abbott Elementary is available to stream now on HBO Max.

Is Abbott Elementary appropriate for kids?

In a short answer, yes for the most part. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that reviews movies, TV shows, and other sources of entertainment for parents, recommends that Abbott Elementary is best for kids 12 and older.

Common Sense Media notes that some of the show’s highlights include a demonstration of positive role models, positive messages, and diverse representation. The diversity is largely due to its talented cast, which includes Janelle James, Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walter, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams, and William Stanford Davis.

While the series is rated TV-PG, Common Sense Media notes that parents should be aware of some mild profanity like “hell” and “a**.” Age Rating JuJu’s parents’ guide also noted “some violence is present in the series,” but not enough to scare the kids. You can check out the trailer on YouTube to get more of a sense of the tone and humor you’ll find in Abbott Elementary.

Considering that it falls under the “office humor” genre and deals with heavier subjects like underfunded education, but takes place in a school, Abbott Elementary is overall a green light for older kids and pre-teens.

Abbott Elementary is a “true workplace comedy” that celebrates Blackness.

In an interview with The Independent, Brunson shared that despite her show having four Black leads, she wanted the project to be more than about “exploring Blackness.”

“It felt good to not talk about race all day — not because we want to avoid it but because it’s not the focus of these characters,” she said. “When I thought about being in schools, or somewhere where working-class people are, who are not on Twitter, they’re just trying to do their jobs. Despite my mom being an extremely pro-Black person, a woman who used to work with the Black Panthers, she would just go to work and get things done. Clearly, there’s some value to that. I think it’s why people have taken to Abbott. It’s a true workplace comedy.”

The comedy has picked up several Emmy nominations.

Abbott Elementary has been nominated for several Emmys: Outstanding comedy series, supporting actresses in a comedy series (Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph), supporting actor in a comedy series (Tyler James Williams), and lead actress in a comedy series (Brunson).

Brunson made history as the first Black woman to earn three nominations in the comedy categories. At the age of 32, she is also the youngest Black woman ever nominated in the comedy acting category.

Barbara is inspired by Brunson’s own mother.

Fun fact: the character Barbara, played by Ralph, is inspired by a special person in Brunson’s life. “The character Barbara is very influenced by my mother,” she shared with The Independent, “she was really respected, and younger teachers always got very enamored with her.”