Quinta Brunson and the gang are back for season three of the hit ABC sitcom, Abbott Elementary. This cast is energized, sharp, and eager to teach us how to love public education using the power of laughter. Janine Teagues (Brunson) is still bright-eyed and hungry for approval, but she is growing new confidence and thicker skin. Ava Coleman (Janelle James, Central Park) is still wringing every drop of hubris from each line of dialogue and each opportunity she gets to mug for the documentary cameras. Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams, Everybody Hates Chris) still grounds the audience with his exasperated stares in response to his coworkers antics, but he is also starting to get in on the fun. Abbott Elementary’s season three premiere delivers everything we want from a marquee sitcom…and more.
Looking for jokes?
We get a complex array of laughs ranging from Janine’s failed experimentation with curse words to Gregory’s delight over a perfectly flat patch of Kentucky bluegrass; heck, we even learn that Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis, Ray Donovan) was once elected to the state senate by sneaking onto the ballot with the same name as a recently-deceased incumbent. He claims that he helped end the Cold War.
Looking for romance?
This premiere reignites the romantic tension between Janine and Gregory and manages to sell the idea that their mutual respect for boundaries and fear of ruining their unique connection is enough to keep them apart. Shippers might find it frustrating to see the couple so close, yet so far; but the series has earned this complication by crafting two characters who can’t help but put the needs of others ahead of their own. We already have everything in place for these two lovebirds to take a romantic risk or two before the end of the season.
These are the beats we expect from the rare modern-day sitcom that manages to establish itself for a long distance run – but this show got here with substance, not formulas. Abbott Elementary is a success because it loves public education and it takes the time to get it right. Teachers across the country (including this reviewer) have fallen for this show because it’s one of the only pop culture properties that treats teachers like human beings instead of magical saviors or lazy, checked-out jokes.
In the season three premiere, the show takes this complexity to a new level. We open on some sarcastic, frustrated chatter as the faculty gears up for another uninspired, buzzword-laden development day. This is par for the course, but what happens next brings us into uncharted territory. Our beloved Janine walks in side-by-side with the district’s administrative stooges. Non-teachers might feel a wave of hope and excitement to see Janine in an apparent leadership position, but teachers in the audience feel a wave of pure horror: has Janine traded her soul and her connection with her students for a snappy suit and a photo op?
In short, no.
Janine is given plenty of screen time to initially reject the position and bemoan the thought of time away from her classroom. While the saccharine schmoozing from the hip, young district reps works some magic on Janine, what really pushes her toward this new role is a surprising and uncharacteristic sense of hope from her mentor, Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph). It’s nice to see Barbara want to believe that her district can finally change, and we are almost inclined to hope as well thanks to some charming and earnest vibes from head district rep, Manny (Josh Segarra, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law).
Unfortunately, there are a lot of red flags. Manny might be vaguely well-intentioned (he warms Barbara’s heart with a story about wishing he could have made his mother’s teaching career “easier”), but he is naive and simplistic; the eye roll he elicits from Janine (kind, patient Janine!) when he admits his total lack of teaching experience speaks volumes. Behind his sweet smile, he and his team are talking about things like “efficiency” and “low-stakes, high-reward” improvements. Similarly, the district reps can’t seem to anticipate the inherent problem with supplying a stack of old tablets, but only two chargers per classroom; they also lose sight of workshopping the pros and cons of Janine’s career day when they are star struck by a video feed of Jalen Hurts, Jason Kelce, and Brandon Graham of Philadelphia Eagles fame. It feels like they are about to drop a social media blast and call it a day.
For readers who aren’t teachers, but recently enjoyed the Barbie film, it may help to think of these young district reps as “long-term-distance, low-commitment, casual” educators. If Ken’s job is “beach,” their job is “buzzword.”
Nevertheless, it would be fun and heartwarming to see a world in which Janine is able to help her new companions see beyond their public relations goals or perhaps inspire them to complete their education and spend time working in classrooms. It seems clear that Janine will ultimately make her largest impact through her hard work and good example in the classroom rather than an occasional professional development opportunity that has been prepared by too many cooks.
Meanwhile, Ava’s brief, but fun, turn as a “serious” administrator (albeit with a bedazzled Harvard shirt) is a successful gag that generates an excuse for Gregory to invite her to the gun-show and attempt a labored, playful seduction (it’s still not enough to get her to back down on the new rules). Sadly, this story beat resolves a bit too quickly; there was enough meat on the bone of that idea to sustain a mini-arc within the season, and it could have provided an opportunity for the teachers to help Ava find a healthier way to channel her natural instincts and strengths toward her role as an educator.
On the bright side, wherever the creative team of Abbott Elementary decides to take this story, it seems clear that teachers will continue to be the biggest heroes of the series.
Speaking of heroes, tough-as-nails Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter) gets a chance to sell a smart relationship story when she turns down a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, who refuses to see and hear her disinterest in entering into another marriage. Seeing her turn down her beau’s grand proposal (via Jalen Hurts) is a powerful reminder of how important it is to respect the relationship definitions and boundaries of the folks you love; it even leads to a mature and respectful breakup a few moments later.
Meanwhile, Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) gets a lot less to do in the season opener, but we enjoy his well-intentioned/heavy-handed attempts to connect with his students, as well as his latest profession of love for best-friend-to-be, Gregory. We look forward to seeing him back in some central arcs as the season progresses.
Abbott Elementary is a smart, confident show, and the season three premiere instills a lot of confidence that there is plenty of magic left in the tank. More importantly, because the show actually cares about public education, there is also a near-endless reserve of complex issues to explore with love and a dose of humor. While the Ava Colemans of the world believe that, “to work is to lose in life,” the creators of this sitcom see all of the good that comes from hard work: both in the classroom, and in their writer’s room.
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checking back often!