From the mind of Quinta Brunson, best known for her work with Big Mouth and Buzzfeed, comes Hulu’s “Abbott Elementary,” a comedy sitcom about an underfunded public school in Philadelphia. Brunson stars as the show’s titular character, a second-grade teacher full of passion and new to the craft of teaching in a place where education isn’t necessarily valued. Alongside Brunson, Tyler Williams (“Everybody Hates Chris,” “Dear White People”) plays her potential love interest and a substitute teacher who’s been roped into staying on after the former teacher was removed for hitting a child. Lisa Walter (“The Parent Trap,” “GLOW”) and Sheryl Ralph (“Sister Act 2,” “The Flintstones”) shine as the older, more seasoned teachers whose traditional methods both guide and frustrate Brunson’s Janine Teagues. Rounding out the cast is Janelle James (“Central Park”) as the school’s psychotic Tiktok-obsessed principal and Chris Perfetti as Janine’s teacher best friend, also new to the school scene.
Each episode traverses the issues that inner-city public school teachers face, from broken lights to not enough school supplies. Janine’s sunshiny naivete balances out the hardened cynicism of the older teachers, providing viewers with a fun back-and-forth that forms the comedic foundation for most episodes. Above all, however, Abbott Elementary is heartwarming while exposing the clear racial struggles certain neighborhoods experience in America, with classrooms filled with young Black kids and even a teacher’s staff made up mostly of Black teachers. It opens viewers’ eyes to inequality but still guarantees laughs. While a show about elementary school might make college students cringe at the thought of diving back into that long ago time, I highly recommend this show. The comedy never relies on racial insensitivity and its activism is never in-the-face, but instead a subtle form of support for the show’s messy protagonist.
With a name inspired by Quinta Brunson’s real-life sixth grade teacher, Ms. Abbott, a storyline inspired by years of Brunson’s time in the Philadelphia public school system and her experience with a mother who was a kindergarten teacher for 40 years, the show echoes reality in an attempt to raise awareness about the sad state of education in many cities while still emphasizing the passion and work that teachers put into their students every day. School is something each of us have experienced, a sort of communal experience, so take the time to check this out. Episodes release weekly on Tuesdays.
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