On December 7, 2021, Abbott Elementary made its TV debut on ABC. Abbott is a workplace mockumentary in the spirit of The Office and Parks and Recreation that centers on a Philadelphia-based, underfunded, predominantly Black school.
Despite being an upbeat comedy, the show’s episodes frequently make social commentary about how underpaid and overworked teachers are, as well as how the education system may fail both students and instructors.
Quinta Brunson not only devised the program but also stars as the upbeat Janine Teagues. She shares the screen with Sheryl Lee Ralph (who plays Barbara Howard), Lisa Ann Walter (Melissa Schemmenti), Janelle James (who portrays Ava Coleman), Tyler James Williams (who plays Gregory Eddie), Chris Perfetti (who portrays Jacob Hill), and Gritty, who makes a brief appearance.
The program has racked up millions of viewers and three Emmy awards since its premiere. The amusing show has the following 12 facts.
1. Quinta Brunson Based the Series on Her Mom, A Teacher
Brunson would watch her mother, Norma Jean Brunson, who had taught kindergarten for 40 years, in the classroom. She stated to The Wrap:
“When I got the idea for it, I was watching my mom and I was sitting at her desk, What gave me the idea for the mockumentary style, as a fan of it, was I felt I was in the room with her in that moment watching a very beautiful thing happen. But I’m not watching it as a full outsider. I’m in here. It’s personal. I wanted the audience to feel like they were at Abbott, like they worked there, too, and that automatically changes how you look at a teacher show. We would be laughing with our teachers instead of at them. And when they hurt, you hurt, because you’re with them.”
2. Brunson Named Abbot Elementary After Her Favorite Teacher
Abbott Elementary may have been known as Harrity Elementary if not for a legal issue. Mastery Charter Harrity Elementary, the elementary school Brunson attended in Philadelphia, was the inspiration for the name. She was unable to properly name it after a genuine school though.
Brunson changed her mind and chose Joyce Abbott as the name in honor of her sixth-grade instructor. For Good Morning America, Brunson said:
“Her name cleared, So not only was it legally great, it was great that I got to honor her in that way.”
3. Brunson Almost Didn’t Star in the Show
Janine wasn’t the main character when Brunson presented the program; rather, she was a supporting one. Brunson didn’t pitch herself as an actor in the show because Barbara Howard was a greater character. She spoke to Insider:
“There was no me in the project. I just saw it as a pure show idea that I wanted to be made, And then WB said, ‘You’re crazy if you think we are buying the show without you in it,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, okay. That’s fair.’ So, I had to put myself in it.”
4. Janelle James Thinks Ava is “Controlled Chaos.”
James portrays Ava, as a disorganized and inept school principal. (Fun fact: Ava blackmailed the superintendent of the school system to secure the job.) James stated in a New York Times interview that she would characterize Ava as “managed chaos.”
“She is an opportunist. She lives in a moment. This sounds like my dating profile or something. But she is funny; she’s unaware; she’s dedicated to Ava. She’s someone for all the other characters to play opposite against. Everyone else has the kids and the school’s best interests at heart, and I do not. So I create the problems. Janine also creates problems—basically by caring too much. I create problems by not caring enough.”
5. Several People Inspired Ava
Before joining the group, James performed stand-up comedy and wasn’t much of a professional actor. James explained to The New York Times how she got the idea for her act:
“I was specifically thinking about a previous boss that I had who would do what I call ’toxic positivity,’ where she’s saying things with a smile on her face that are horrible, And then after that, I’m basically doing a combination of a couple of my aunts and some of myself, of course.”
6. Brunson Based Janine on an Annoyingly Optimistic Friend
Janine got her cheery temperament from a friend who was a little too cheerful. Brunson spoke with The Wrap:
“When I first met her, I couldn’t stand it, And over time, she became one of my favorite people in the world. Her ability to have optimism when no one else has it—people like her keep the world moving. People like her are who make tomorrow possible, because if everyone was a pessimist, we’d be in the ground already. There’s a difference between being a realist and a pessimist and an optimist. I think I’m way more of a realist.”
7. Brunson Wanted to Show a More Human Side to Teachers
Because Abbott avoids preconceptions, real-life teachers have praised the program. The purpose of the presentation, according to Brunson’s statement to The New York Times, was to highlight that teachers are more nuanced than is typically the case:
“I knew the audience would understand that these teachers’ job is to keep these kids alive and to teach them. They get that. So now you’re more invested in, How are they going to do this? Who are they? What kind of person takes this job? It was important for me to show that in a grounded way. What if we took the approach that teachers are real people instead of heightened stereotypes?”
8. Sheryl Lee Ralph Made History When She Won an Emmy for Abbott Elementary
Only the second Black woman, and 35 years after Jackée Harry’s victory for 227, Ralph became the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy winner in September 2022. Ironically, NBC requested Ralph to play Harry.
Ralph was a little taken aback by the attention since, as she said in an interview with The Guardian, she didn’t anticipate her character as Barbara garnering much notice. “I honestly thought I was going to be invisible,” she said.
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9. James Thinks People Like Ava Because She is “a Real Person.”
When asked why audiences adore Ava so much, James said in an interview with USA Today. She spoke:
“No. 1, she’s hilarious, No. 2, she represents a real person. Everyone has worked with a boss like this at some point. And No. 3, I think people all secretly want to be a narcissistic layabout, you know what I mean? Like, ‘Oh, that person says what she’s thinking all the time.’ Don’t we all wish we could say and do that? Especially in the workplace, I could just tell everybody what I think about them. She fulfills that hidden desire in people.”
10. An Episode of Abbott Elementary Pays Homage to the Parent Trap
Before making a name for herself as the harsh teacher Melissa Schemmenti in Abbott Elementary, Lisa Ann Walter was best recognized for her role as Chessy in The Parent Trap from 1998. Chessy wears a huge denim shirt in the film.
In the second season’s fourth episode, Walter wore a comparable shirt. Elle heard her admit that she had come up with the costume idea.
11. Tyler James Williams Wants Gregory to Be a Good Role Model
Williams stated that he wants young Black people to look up to Gregory in an interview with Teen Vogue. He said:
“That’s my goal, is to push him to the forefront so that when you see somebody who’s not making a lot of money but they’re doing work that fulfills them and is changing the conversation, that’s inherently attractive, It doesn’t have to look like private jets and matte-wrapped $250,000 cars and sh*t to be attractive. My level of success is not how many Birkins somebody bought me; it’s how many people I connect with and love on a daily basis.”
12. Surprisingly, Janine is Agnostic
Unlike Barbara, who is a devout Christian, the show has not addressed Janine’s religious views; however, in an interview with The New York Times, Brunson provided some background information on Janine:
“We had talked about her being atheist, which I thought would be hilarious. It would give Barbara heart attack if she found out. But as of now she’s agnostic. I honestly don’t know if we would be able to present that on ABC. It may not seem a big deal, but for a Black girl in Philadelphia—there are very few agnostic people. There’s a lot tied into why a person becomes agnostic. What is the relationship with the family? How are you treating holidays? So I think it’ll become something that we get to do some great storytelling with.”
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