Abbott Elementary is a huge hit because it’s hilarious, but also because it’s so real and relatable for anyone who’s ever worked in – or been - to school. How did Quinta Brunson and team create this sitcom magic?
Abbott Elementary’s commitment to specificity is what makes its characters shine. For example: As an optimistic, even naive teacher and the show’s ingenue, Janine is often a vehicle for positivity in the face aging of the school’s challenging conditions.
But so far, the rest of the Abbott Elementary staff remain hostile to too much earnestness from Janine, which is both funny and more realistic-feeling to how coworkers might react to a constantly overzealous colleague.
Also making it stand out in the TV landscape, Abbott Elementary stars a majority female and mostly black cast. This helps it avoid the trap of pressure on the black or female characters to be portrayed as exemplary or perfect – by having such a varied cast of black characters, Abbott Elementary can make race just one of many components of all these individuals’ lives.
And even at its funniest, Abbott Elementary reminds us constantly that teachers’ work is never easy. There’s never enough money and there are no magic solutions.
One of the major driving forces in the series is the lack of school funding, which makes minor conveniences a much bigger deal and raises the stakes for plots that might otherwise be minor throwaway jokes on another show.
We see how hard the teachers work to support and nurture the children they work with, contrasted with how little the school district or people in power seem to care. And that makes the teachers of Abbott classic underdogs who we want to root for.