Charming jokes, incredible comedic timing, never-ending drama, and quick episodes are the epitome of a perfect show, and the 5 season mockumentary sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” written by Quinta Brunson, encapsulates all of that perfectly.
“Abbott Elementary” follows the lives of five Philadelphia elementary school teachers: Janine Teagues, Gregory Eddie, Melissa Schemmenti, Barbara Howard, and Jacob Hill, plus their one of a kind principal Ava Coleman, as they navigate not only the chaos of their job, but the unpredictability of their personal lives.
Personally, I struggle to begin any television series that has been written in recent years, primarily out of self-defense for the corny dialogue that has taken over modern television. I physically recoil every time a TV series tries to incorporate trends or popular slang into character dialogue.
Thankfully, “Abbott Elementary” is like a breath of fresh air with its witty dialogue, fantastic character building, and a creative take on recent trends. “Abbott Elementary” embraces the cringy commentary of current children and creates normal conversation rather than a parent trying to be “hip and young.”
Brunson does a phenomenal job creating iconic characters, consistent storylines, and overall memorable moments throughout the series. Every moment throughout the series is authentic, captivating you into that sitcom world without relying on obvious jokes to drive the storyline.
It's impossible to get over the main six characters' interactions with one another as they teasingly bully each other. Unless you're Ava talking to Janine, then all there is no true malice intended between the characters.
There is no simple way to describe each character; they all have such rich, whimsical personalities that can only be truly appreciated and understood while watching the show. All their personalities are vastly different, but perfectly compliments not only their charm, but also their faults.
Ava Coleman (played by Janelle James), the infamous principal of Abbott Elementary, unapologetically loves to prioritize herself above her job and carries herself with the utmost confidence. She has a certain energy about her that is almost untouchable, and she makes that fact known.
Ava is also known to have the best comedic timing out of every character. Sometimes she says something entirely out of pocket and has me laughing for minutes on end.
The things she says to the main character, Janine (played by Brunson herself), deserves to be engraved on a plaque and hung at the entrance of the school. One of my favorite insults that Ava says to Janine is “Just because you got a round face like the Teletubbies Sun Baby doesn't mean the world revolves around you.” Truly an icon.
Then there are the characters I feel oddly maternal towards, such as Janine Teagues. She’s sweet, bubbly, and even when she annoys people, she has good intentions. Janine is one of my favorite characters simply because of how much I relate to her chaotic mentality. She tries to make good out of situations that seem impossible to resolve, and even if her first method doesn't work out, she will try again.
Slowly, as the series has progressed, she has begun to mature, but there are still moments where her charismatic personality shines through. I hate seeing her get ripped to shreds by Ava every episode, but I can't help but laugh at the drama ensuing.
Even the characters, such as Mr. Johnson (played by William Stanford Davis), who don’t appear as frequently as other characters are carefully planned out. For the quick moments that he passes by, Mr. Johnson quickly manages to outshine everybody else for the rest of the episode. It makes me glad to see him getting more screen time in this most recent season.
If you are interested in starting this addictive, hilarious show, “Abbott Elementary” is available to watch every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on ABC and every Thursday on Hulu and HBO Max. To keep track of the amount of episodes released each month or simply keep in touch with all things Abbott, follow @abbottelemabc on Instagram!
