It’s a rare feat for a half-hour sitcom to reach the 100-episode milestone — but that’s what Abbott Elementary is doing in its sixth season, premiering Wednesday, October 7, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC and streaming next day on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.
“It’s surreal. Doesn’t it feel like we [just] shot the pilot?” Chris Perfetti, who plays history teacher Jacob Hill, asked his co-stars. “It’s moved so quickly because we make the show so quickly.”
For series creator and star Quinta Brunson, who plays second grade teacher Janine Teagues, the number carries real weight. “It’s a big deal,” Brunson said of the 100th episode. “It feels incredible. We’re so honored to be able to give 100 episodes to people… And, every day, we’re kind of learning how special it is.”
Season 6 picks up with the Willard R. Abbott Public School teachers facing what Tyler James Williams, who plays first grade teacher Gregory Eddie, called one of the show’s most meaningful throughlines yet: Gregory figuring out what comes next in his life and career.
“It kind of carried over from Season 5,” Williams said. “It is something that hopefully will anchor some of the season as we go through it. So, I’m definitely looking forward to that.”
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‘Abbott Elementary’ follows a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — who 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.
A Joyful 30 Minutes
Ask any cast member what’s kept the Emmy®– and Golden Globe®-winning series so relevant across six seasons, and the answer is the same: it gives viewers a sense of “joy.”
Lisa Ann Walter, who plays sixth grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti, said it goes back to the show’s earliest days. “When we think back on it, sometimes we’ll talk about what it was in those first months, when COVID protocols were still in place and we didn’t see anybody’s face except for each other’s,” she said. “Everybody was double-masked, and the world was different. But the one thing that stayed the same is that we bring joy, and it’s all I ever wanted to do: make people laugh and make them happy. And we still get to do that.”
That consistency, Walter added, carries meaning beyond the show’s own audience. “It’s great that it inspires other people in our business,” she said. “We give those people hope, which is fabulous.”
A Multigenerational Viewing Experience
While Brunson’s primary goal was to create something “funny,” her secondary goal was to “make a show that people could watch with their family members, because I was having difficulty being able to do that with my family,” she said. “I missed having shows to do that with, so it was part of the intention of creating it. Now, it’s gotten to the point where it’s the reverse — where people are telling me their kids are putting them more into the show. ‘I want you to watch this with me, Mom. I want to watch it with me, Dad.’ That’s a really special feeling.”
Walter has heard versions of that story firsthand. She recalled a mother who told her that she and her teenage daughter had struggled to connect — until the daughter left for college. “The one thing that they had in common was this show,” Walter said. “Now that she’s away at school and their relationship is better, they watch it over the phone every week. I couldn’t wait to tell Quinta that story, because that’s exactly why this show exists.”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, who plays kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard, sees that ritual as central to Abbott Elementary’s broader purpose. “When the family is coming together watching the show, not only do they get to laugh together, but after the show is over, they’re usually talking about something new or different that they learned, and that is very special,” Ralph said. Looking ahead, she added: “These 100 episodes of Abbott Elementary are going to live for a very long time. Just like [I Love Lucy] can be found anywhere, as we go into the future, Abbott Elementary will be found anywhere on screens around the world.”
We have multiple storylines this season that have helped me have a greater understanding of just how important we are to the Disney family, how much they value and appreciate and respect the show, and trust the show. More than any other season, I’ve really felt that this year.
An Important Part of Disney History
Reaching 100 episodes has also sharpened the cast’s sense of where the show sits within The Walt Disney Company’s broadcast history. “We have multiple storylines this season that have helped me have a greater understanding of just how important we are to the Disney family, how much they value and appreciate and respect the show, and trust the show,” Brunson said. “More than any other season, I’ve really felt that this year.”
For Walter, the connection runs deep.
“I felt like a Disney girl my entire career,” she said. “My first movie was with [Disney Legend] Whoopi Goldberg, a Disney movie called Eddie. My TV show in ‘96, ‘97 was on ABC — the year Disney bought ABC. The Parent Trap is Disney… I’m like half a princess!”
William Stanford Davis, who plays custodian Mr. Johnson, has watched that legacy since childhood. “To be a part of the history of this is just amazing, incredible,” he said. “The fact that, as a show, we bring so much joy to people globally, I’m so proud to be a part of this.”
A Well-Defined Cast of Characters
Part of what has carried Abbott Elementary to the 100-episode mark this season is a cast that can describe, in a single breath, exactly what makes their role in the ensemble work.
Brunson called Janine’s defining trait “unbridled optimism,” noting she’s still amazed at how much of it her character has left. Williams said he sees Gregory as “the eyes of the audience” — the fish-out-of-water who’s “attempting to bring some kind of structure to the chaos,” with only limited success. Walter described Melissa as “pragmatic, a truth-teller” who’s “happy to bring the chaos when necessary” and quick to get “hot-headed.” Perfetti called Jacob the school’s conscience, someone who brings “PR energy” while “raising everybody to their highest ideals with moderate success.” Ralph described Barbara as the veteran who’s “been there, done that, had the T-shirt” — someone who loves her annual cruise to recharge, because “everything for her is all about those kindergartners.”
Davis, meanwhile, said he finds the humanity underneath Mr. Johnson’s gruff exterior. “I think under his cantankerousness — that’s a bad word, but it’s a word — I think he has a good heart,” he said. “His reality is different from everyone else’s, but it is his reality. He’s real, and I try to find something honest about this guy every time.” Janelle James, who plays principal Ava Coleman, said her character is an amplified version of her own personality. “Ava is me, turned up to 10,” she said. “She’s always performing within the show, like she’s the ringmaster of this school circus that she runs.” Getting into character, James said, means shifting into “that big-top, ringmaster-type persona” before every scene.
Six seasons and nearly 100 episodes in, that mix of chaos and heart keeps Abbott Elementary fresh. As the cast tells it, the show isn’t done teaching viewers anything just yet.
