What kind of culture is television reflecting back at us today?

Abbott Elementary

What is Abbott Elementary?

The TV show that I have chosen to discuss in my blog is the popular sitcom, Abbott Elementary. This show is essentially the elementary school version of The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine with the way it is filmed with short interviews and character interaction with the camera and camera crew. I watch this show on ABC almost every Wednesday at 8:30pm, but sometimes I will watch on Hulu the next day. This show began in 2021 and is still releasing episodes for the current fourth season. It has also been renewed for season 5 which I am very excited to continue watching. This show consists of extremely passionate teachers working at an underfunded, public elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The teachers and principal, Ava Coleman who is played by Janelle James are faced with many challenges throughout this series whilst trying to help their students succeed not just in school but in life as well. The episode that I watched is episode 11 called "Strike" from this current season that aired on January 22nd, 2025. This episode consists of the city buses to stop running due to a union strike, causing many students to be absent from school. The teachers, Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson), Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti), Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter), Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph), and Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) all have to work together to come up with solutions and undergo the challenges of hybrid learning. Photo Source - ABC Network

This show does a really great job at relating to a large variety of individuals who may be watching the show. While there are various stereotypes, they are extremely well portrayed and done respectfully. For example, the show touches on how Jacob Hill is gay, but they stray away from making that his only personality trait in the show by focusing more on him just be an extremely helpful and caring teacher and friend who will go the extra mile to help his students as well as his friends be the best versions of themselves. This show relates and reaches out to teachers, principals, other school staff members, parents, students, the LGBTQIA+ community, people who not be able to afford much, public schools in and outside of Philadelphia, people of of color, people who are not of color, various religions, and those aren't even all of the audiences they reach who watch. Abbott Elementary has a way of reaching each and every one of these communities in a very respectful, yet impactful manner. The teachers truly cater to the audience just as much as they cater to each and every single one of their students. 

While approaching multiple serious topics, this show also has some great comedy in it. Which I would consider this its biggest strength because it balances out both aspects extremely well. For example, Gregory's reactions and comedic glances at the camera just make me laugh so hard (Gregory Eddie Reactions). Also, with Barbara being the oldest teacher at Abbott, there is a running joke in season 2, episode 2 called "Wrong Delivery" where she names different celebrities and what they have done, but she mixes up the celebrities. (Barbara Howard Celebrity Moments).

The Teachers of Abbott & Who Plays Them

Second-grade teacher, Janine Teagues hopes to improve the lives of her students by making the best of the situations the school district makes the teachers work in while also crushing on fellow teacher, Gregory Eddie. Janine is played by actress and creator of the show, Quinta Brunson. She was in the viral series "The Girl Who's Never Been on a Nice Date" had launched her into viral fame, which lead her to work with BuzzFeed Motion pictures. She develops shows in traditional and digital entertainment and performs stand up around the country. 

Photo Source - TV Fanatic

6th grade history teacher, Jacob Hill attempts to help with Janine's plans to improve Abbott. He is played by actor Chris Perfetti. He is known for his roles in The Night Of (2016), Looking (2016) and Crossbones (2014). Perfetti has had many roles in a variety of theatre productions such as, Sons of the Prophet by Stephen Karam. He played the role of Charlie. He received a Theatre World Award for Best Debut Performance in an Off-Broadway play from his role as Charlie. Photo Source - Movie Web

Second-grade teacher, Melissa Schemmenti has questionable connections with locals in Philadelphia, which she uses to help the school. She is played by actress Lisa Ann Walter. She is most known for playing the housekeeper, Chessy in the movie The Parent Trap with actress, Lindsey Lohan. She is an actress, comedian and producer. Photo Source - Philadelphia Inquirer

Kindergarten teacher, Barbara Howard acts as a mother figure to Janine, is highly religious and is very hard-headed about sticking with tradition. She is played by actress and singer, Sheryl Lee Ralph. She is known for her roles in Moesha (1996), Its A Living (1980), and Instant Mom (2013). Photo Source - NPR

Gregory Eddie was a substitute for a first-grade teacher that had later become a full time teacher, who also crushes on Janine Teagues. He is played by actor and rapper/singer, Tyler James Willams. He is highly known for his role as Chris Rock in the sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris. He is also extremely well-known as Cyrus DeBarge in the Disney Channel original movie, Let it Shine.  Photo Source - IMDb

Ava Coleman is the principal of Abbott and is also a bit out of touch with the teachers and how to properly run a school. However, she does have some really funny moments and we do get to see her open up with the teachers as the show progresses. She is played by actress, writer and comedian, Janelle James. She can be seen on The Comedy Lineup on Netflix and the third season of Black Monday on Showtime. James also writes and voices a character on Central Park for Apple TV. Photo Source - Entertainment Weekly

The Abbott Elementary Buzz

This show is loved by many, including me. The show recently won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. The show and its actors have also won and been nominated for many more awards (AwardInfo. ). Honestly, I can't say that I disagree with the wins or nominations. I love that Abbott Elementary shows the realness of what it's like for teachers in not just the public school system, but the West Philadelphia public school system. In this article, "TEACHER VOICE: In real life, ‘Abbott Elementary’ wouldn’t have many seasons" (Teacher Article Link) a teacher at a school in West Philadelphia stated, "Five years. I bet “Abbott Elementary” character Janine Teagues will not stay in the teaching profession that long." She then goes on to explain how tough it is being a teacher at public schools nowadays. Looking through the reviews mabe by a variety of critics of this show, it is highly rated by many. It is currently sitting at 4.7 out of 5 stars. On IMDB, many Philadelphia teachers have left reviews stating, "this show is spot on for the experiences I had", "Abbott Elementary is really not that far off", and more (Abbott Elementary Reviews). This show is also sitting at 99% average on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and has an 86% average on their Popcornmeter (Rotten Tomatoes).

I really enjoy keeping up with this show on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. I follow Quinta Brunson and the show itself on all of those platforms to stay up-to-date on new episodes, interviews, behind the scenes, and more. All I ever see is positive things about this series. I have many friends who also watch this show and we love to talk about and watch it together all the time. 

Want to Learn More?

Going to the ABC network website provides more details about the show and everyone that is apart of it. (ABC Network & Abbott Elementary).