As far as RT scores for long term series, it doesn’t get much better than “Abbott Elementary”. The series is sitting at a 99% score with 3 perfect seasons out of 4… and with mostly traditional 22 episode seasons, which is even more impressive. The series has went from a new, quirky successor to “The Office” to a pop culture phenomenon,. ‘Abbott’ has featured a score of high profile celebrity appearances and even took part in a double crossover event with the cult classic show “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”.
Series Creator Quinta Brunson did not have a long resume before ‘Abbott’ took off, working on multiple failed pilots and shorts stretches on a few comedies. Brunson seems to have struck gold with ‘Abbott’ and has her finger on the pulse of a highly volatile television landscape. Season 5 expectations are obviously high, as season 5 of a lot of beloved shows are often ranked higher than most. The team at “Abbott Elementary” decided to try a new concept for Wednesday’s season premiere with all of the teachers at the school, but no kids. Warning, beyond this point there are heavy spoilers for people who are not up to date on ABC’s “Abbott Elementary”.
The team at “Abbott Elementary” decided to try a new concept for Wednesday’s season premiere with all of the teachers at the school, but no kids.”
The opening gag reveals we’re joining back up with the gang for Development Day, which Is a day before the school year where teachers get together to gameplan for the year. The gag itself was about old donuts and was surprisingly a bit stale for a series who has excelled at pulling viewers in with their intro scenes, but the episode does only get better from there. Veteran teacher Barb (Sheryl Lee Ralph) is on a super positive kick, which leaves Quinta Brunson’s character Janine feeling out of place. Just when the day appears to be over after a few of Ava’s ramblings, the district rep Craig (Mikey Day) steps in to remind Abbott that they are still in trouble after their bribery scandal in season 4, amongst other troublesome behavior by Principal Ava (Janelle James) and the school altogether.
Craig forces the staff at Abbott to play cliche team making games and communication activities, a recipe for disaster. The first exercise reveals one of the most entertaining storylines, that beloved janitor Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) doesn’t know how to ride a bike. This hilarious revelation sparks a whole side story where Gregory (Tyler James Williams) teaches Johnson how to ride a bike and gives him the most ridiculous of pep talks. Barb has an interesting development as one of her former kindergarten students has just started as a teacher at Abbott. Dominic, who is payed by “Shrinking”’s Luke Tennie, is kind and respectful but his presence makes Janine feel like her role at the school is unclear now that she is not Barb’s clear successor. This leads to some highly insecure and erratic behavior where Janine tries out being a grump for the majority of the rest of the episode. This turn of events creates some truly hilarious moments where Brunson flexes some of her acting muscles.
A major change in the story is when it’s announced that Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) has moved from 2nd grade to middle school math. Melissa’s roommate and confidante, Jacob (Chris Perfetti) is shocked at the news and spends the rest of the episode trying to convince Melissa how hard it is to deal with growing teenagers. These scenes are some of the funniest in the episode as semi-homeless teacher Mr. Morton (Jerry Minor) helps Jacob similar events what it’s like to be constantly ridiculed by pre-teens/teens that you can’t talk back to. Their brilliant comedic efforts do not go to waste as Melissa second guess herself and tries to back out of the move, until Ava denies her. This could end up being a major storyline, as Melissa is a fan favorite and she’s very used to having things her way/ Could one of the kids gets her to snap?
Ava is finally in love with her new boyfriend O’Shon (Matthew Law) and is somewhat lost in her own bubble throughout the episode, even for Ava’s standards. Sadly, the episode lacks any Tariq (Zack Fox), who tends to steal a good portion of the scenes he is in. The synopsis for next week’s episode reads: “Melissa tries to outsmart her students; Tariq causes chaos in Janine’s class, and a new guidance counselor joins the school.” AT least we know Tariq will be back and causing trouble as usual in the episode titled: “Cheating”.
Overall, the episode was a solid entry into the franchise, but likely not near the top 10 in terms of overall laughs. Each characters journey without the kids to take away screen time was rewarding, but the kids are maybe part of what makes the show so special. The premiere did a good job of tying up all the storylines, while setting up a bigger problem for the rest of the season when Janine finds out that the HVAC system is falling apart. Is it possible we see Frank from ‘Always Sunny’ again?
Janine and Gregory’s relationship is almost non-existent in the premiere , which makes us winder if the relationship will fizzle out in the season? The cast all seem happy where they are so a breakup us unlikely, but not out of the question.
What do you think? How was the “Abbott Elementary” season 5 premiere? Will Mr. Johnson get into more mischief now that he can ride a bike? Will Jacob and Melissa’s living situation last? Will the new teacher Dominic have significant screen time? Is Mr. Morton going to find a place to live?
