And the person behind the show? Creator, executive producer, writer and star Quinta Brunson has just been named by TIME magazine in their 2022 100 Most Influential People list, putting her alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook, Oprah Winfrey and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. “Smart and funny as hell, in that order. She’s a Swiss Army knife that can—and does—do it all,” LeBron James writes about her. “And while she’s doing it, she’s elevating everyone her work touches.” Brunson has not only taken the show to success, but she and the cast have given back as well, supporting educators and even donating part of the show’s marketing budget to Philadelphia schools. She keeps the show rooted in reality; one of the show’s most endearing features is how true-to-life each character feels. It’s “a Philadelphia public school, all the people you see there,” Brunson said in an interview with Parade.com earlier this month. “There would be a Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), there would be a Jacob (Chris Perfetti), a Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), a Gregory (Tyler Christopher).” So what’s in store for the Abbott teachers and staff next season? Keep reading to find out when the show might return, who Brunson is excited to watch in Season 2, who might make a comeback, how you can binge the whole first season and everything we know now about Abbott Elementary Season 2.
Is there going to be an Abbott Elementary Season 2?
A month before the first season wrapped, ABC shared the good news that yes, Season 2 is a go via a letter from the desk of Principal Ava Coleman (played by Janelle James) herself. “The camera crew I hired to showcase all that I’ve made happen at our beautiful school thinks I’m a star,” the letter begins. “With that said, it is with great pleasure that I share they’ll be returning for the 2022-2023 school year! That’s right—Abbott Elementary Season Two is coming to a screen near you.”
Is there an Abbott Elementary Season 2 release date?
Abbott Elementary Season 2 will premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. Brunson and the rest of the main cast announced the news in a funny teaser video released on Aug. 17, 2022.
What happened in Abbott Elementary Season 1?
As Season 1 opened, Janine and Jacob were still considered newbie teachers at Abbott Elementary School, an underfunded inner-city school. Gregory showed up as a sub, revealing that he’d interviewed for the principal position and got it, but then it was given to someone else—who turned out to be Ava Coleman, the glamorous yet not-really-qualified person who has the job. Seasoned teacher Barbara (Janine calls her “work mom”) and fellow veteran Melissa were both frustrated and amused at the efforts of the newer teachers, eventually warming to them. Barbara and Jacob started an outdoor school garden (that’s secretly cultivated by Gregory) and Janine learns something from Melissa when one of Melissa’s students switched to Janine’s class. Ava kept her job after almost losing it, and at the end of the season they all went on a field trip where Barbara contemplated retirement, Janine lost (and found) a student and ended her relationship of 10 years. For the first time, she uses her “teacher voice,” impressing both Barbara and herself. All the while, Janine and Gregory had a will-they/won’t they relationship, complicated by Janine’s boyfriend Tariq and eventually by Barbara’s daughter Taylor. Still, Gregory revealed that he’ll remain at Abbott in the coming school year so there’s still a chance for them to start something, even if he heads off with Taylor for a date. Barbara distracted Janine and made her day by taking her “work daughter” out for dinner.
Which cast and characters are returning for Abbott Elementary Season 2?
Just like when you were in school, the teachers and staff are largely going to remain the same for the next school year—er, season of the show. That will include:
Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues
Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard
Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti
Janelle James as Ava Coleman
Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill
Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie
William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson
Bummed because when Janine broke up with him, Tariq, played by Zack Fox, hit the road. Will you miss his anti-drug raps and “artistic interludes?” Don’t worry, he may return. “I don’t want to give anything away, but I feel like we will be seeing more of Tariq in the future,” Brunson told Entertainment Weekly in April 2022. “I do think that they are broken up and things are over, but I think we’ll still… Let me not say that! Who knows! Who knows! But I don’t think you’ve seen the last of him.”
Are there spoilers for Abbott Elementary Season 2?
Brunson doesn’t want to spill too much about what’s next for the crew at Abbott, but she does explain that there’s much more to come. “Janine is now on a journey of finding herself,” Brunson told Entertainment Weekly. “She’s been with this person [ex-boyfriend Tariq] for years. 10 years. And for the first time, she is a single adult, and now she has space to discover what that means.” Cool, but what about Janine and Gregory? “I think right now, these are two individuals growing up,” Brunson said in April 2022, “and we’ll continue to see them meet in the middle of that growing up during the second season.” Other than Janine, who is Brunson most excited to watch in Season 2? “I’m excited to watch Barbara,” Brunson told Entertainment Weekly. “What does it look like when kids are coming into your class who identify as they/them for Barbara and older women who may not be used to that? Things like that. How is she going to grow from that? She has to grow too for this new world.” “I’m just excited to see these people grow as teachers, which also means watching them grow as individuals outside of the school,” she added. Wondering about the students we saw in the first season? Viewers “will probably see some of the same students because naturally some of the kids will be moving up a grade,” Brunson told Parade.com earlier this month. “Gregory’s students will wind up in Janine’s class, [and so on.]”
Will there be more seasons of Abbott Elementary after Season 2?
“I would love to be able to make this show for a very long time because I enjoy making it and I enjoy being with these people,” Brunson said earlier this year. With the show trending on Twitter every week and gaining viewers all the time, there are likely to be more seasons in the works.
Is there a trailer for Abbott Elementary Season 2?
A teaser revealing Abbott Elementary Season 2’s release date can be viewed above, but as of this writing, no actual trailer for the show has been released just yet.
How can you watch Abbott Elementary Season 1?
If you’ve heard the hype but haven’t seen the show yet (or just want to pretend the new season has already started) you can watch stream all of Abbott Elementary Season 1 on Hulu. Next, check out 102 fun facts about The Office.
