ABC has renewed the comedy series “Abbott Elementary” for a second season.
The hilarious mockumentary is the brainchild of Quinta Brunson.
The show centers on a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
Brunson stars in the show as Janine Teagues. The show also stars Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, Janelle James as Ava Coleman, Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill, Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti and Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard.
Quite frankly, it would have been a massive shock if the series had not been renewed. The show has been a rating hit for the network—even quadrupling its premiere ratings.
“I always wanted to make a mockumentary. I’m a fan of the style. It’s such a good vehicle for jokes. It’s also a good vehicle for going behind the veil. You have this world that is presented to the public as one thing; it’s what was cool about The Office, most people are like “I know what goes on behind an office.” But those are the most exciting veils to go behind: What does their day-to-day look like? What do they talk about?” she told AV Club.
Brunson shared that she was inspired by some of the popular network television mockumentaries:
“I thought an elementary public school was the perfect setting to go behind. We all think we know what goes on there because we were a student once, but there’s so much going on in the lives of these teachers. It’s fun to have two cameras go behind it,” she explained. “I did originally think of doing it as a mockumentary-style cartoon because I’ve never seen that before. But it was cool we got to do it live-action. We set the goal of making it live somewhere between Parks and The Office.”
We are amped for season 2!
