The sitcom has created several different defining elements that have helped make it one of the longest running types of television. Usually centred around a fixed set of characters dealing with episodic escapades, the sitcom over the years has evolved to branch into a plethora of territories, turning from harmless escapist fluff entertainment into something that can often tackle harsh topics and the cruelness of reality, just with a darkly comedic chuckle on the side. Shows like Seinfeld, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Parks & Recreation, The Office, and Modern Family, laid the groundworks for how modern-day sitcoms could operate and even with their lesser aspects, deserves acknowledge for what they’re contributed, so what makes has the recently ongoing yet incredibly popular ABC sitcom, Abbott Elementary, done to join the group?

Set within a Black Philadelphia public school named Willard R. Abbott Elementary, a group of spunky teachers try their best to keep their students happy and educated despite not having the funding to comfortably do so. These teachers include second grade teacher Janine (played by Quinta Brunson), whose naively optimistic personality often gives the school more stress than it needs, Gregory (played by Tyler James Williams), a new substitute teacher trying to discover if he enjoys this new gig, Melissa (played by Lisa Ann Walter), a Philadelphia-based second-grade teacher with questionable past connections and a confidant street-wise personality, Jacob Hill (played by Chris Perfetti), one of the few white teachers (awkwardly teaching Black history) who’s usually the butt of everybody’s jokes, Barbara (played by Sheryl Lee Ralph), an experienced and highly respected kindergarten teacher, and principal Ava (played by Janelle James), whose inept and self-absorbed manner of running things results in more harm than good. Through various experiences that often put the teachers in strenuous but comically extreme situations, this group of determined educators will push through job-related and personal turmoil in order to provide the best learning experience for kids who would likely be turned away from most other schools.

Premiering as a mid-season entry in late 2021 on ABC for television and Hulu for streaming, Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary-style sitcom which has been renewed for a fifth season after its first four were met with critical acclaim and multiple award wins, with many claiming it helped save network television and revitalized this specific style of sit-com. While it can stumble a bit in its portrayal of familiarly irritating sitcom-tropes, the show provides a wonderfully charming, earnest and likeably unpolished look at what it’s like to be a put-upon grade-school teacher.

One of the original purposes of a sitcom was to act as a form of fantastical escapism, as despite supposedly representing real people with real situations, these shows had the benefit of allowing its characters to get away with practically anything by living in an idealized version of natural life, with shows like Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Seinfeld, etc, getting away with a lot because they had the veil of richness leaning over them, despite pretending they were ”put-upon”. This isn’t to devalue any of the pros that these shows have provided, but it is noticeable (especially among this era) and therefore, more appreciated when one tries to buck that trend. Abbott Elementary acts as a different form of escapism, as it doesn’t have a safety blanket and bluntly addresses its limited funding in a way that can feel genuine, but that manner of addressing the issue and showcasing an environment, lifestyle, and set of people feels very honest, down-to-earth, and enjoyable. There have been several shows about kids in school, but not many show things from the teacher’s perspective, and that very element gives this series a nice pin in its cap and helps make it feel in line with other sitcoms that it’s clearly emulating

While taking inspiration from other mockumentary shows like The Office, which exist in a workplace environment and focuses around satirizing the lifestyle in a comical but mostly cynical manner, Abbott Elementary offers a similar scenario, but does so in a far less cynical way. Despite the circumstances, this series is wonderfully hopeful and endearing, always bringing a warmth to every episode which leads to a very wholesome viewing experience, and it’s that sense of honesty which comes from creator Quinta Brunson (who also stars in the show) that really makes it appealing. It does fall into the trap of containing certain annoying tropes like an overly stretch out romance that is obviously going to happen and the writing style and choice of conflict can feel a little overly modern in parts, but it doesn’t overstep itself and its genuine nature does always shine through. The episodes are short and to the point, acting as wonderful comfort food that allows its audience to simmer down, witness some mayhem, feel a sense of connection with the people, and then move on to something else, it’s structured very well in that department.

The characters also need to be well structured and handled in order for a sitcom to succeed. While they don’t need to follow specific traits or be incredibly saintly to be identifiable as some sitcoms have truly detestable leads like Seinfeld, 30 Rock or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but it helps when you have a softer edge if you want a large demographic to enjoy you (even years down the road). The characters in Abbot Elementary are not only very likeable, but also feel very believable and like real teachers, which really benefits the tone and attitude this series is going for. The cast is brimming with wonderful comedic timing, but also great chemistry, helped out by the fact that the limited roster makes this small group of teachers stand out more, allowing their direct yet easily identifiable personalities shine through very strongly, so even when they showcase their flaws, they all managed to be very memorable and very likeable. Quinta Brunson acts as the creator, writer, and lead actress, and she brings a lot of innocent likability to the character of Janine but also a lot behind the scenes as well, pulling from her mother’s experience as a teacher to really capture the authentic teaching experience, being stressful, seemingly impossible at times, yet incredibly fulfilling in the right moments.

The rest of the teachers could easily fall into one-note tropes, but none of them do, with the best example of this being with the character of Ava, as not only does Janelle James bring great energy and delivery to her selfish, modern diva attitude (possibly being the funniest of the cast), but the show makes an effort to round her out into an incredibly flawed individual who does have subtle good qualities from certain vantage points, it’s a surprisingly well-handled character that isn’t weighed down by being either too one-note good or one-note evil. Tyler James Williams plays the more straight-faced individual being caught up in crazy situations pretty well, Sheryl Lee Ralph is wonderfully graceful and graceful in her part, Lisa Ann Walter has great comedic timing and brings a nice rougher edge to a pretty squeaky-clean atmosphere, Chris Perfetti takes a character who could so easily be too awkward and forceful and makes him work pretty well, and even a smaller role like the oddball janitor, Mr. Johnson (played by William Stanford Davis) is given enough good lines and acting moments to feel like a part of the main crew despite not appearing as frequently. While most of the supporting cast are nothing that special and are burdened with either acting as walking demonstrations of a lesson or archetypes for an annoying narrative conflict like any additional love interests for Janine or Gregory, it isn’t too much of an issue as the main group are strong enough to hold the series on their own.

Being relatable in a sitcom can be a reason why people keep coming back to see more, as it was even shown that a lot of American sitcoms released during the 80s and 90s thrived as well as they did for said reasoning (even Seinfeld got renewed for another season because its demographic kept the ratings high). A show like Abbott Elementary was apparently big on wanting to break these expected formulas and demographics of old sitcoms, wanting to not only showcase a sitcom of this type featuring predominantly black characters, but one that didn’t do so in a sugar-coated manner. These types of sitcoms were not really shown from the black perspective, and ones that were needed to be about overcoming traditional black problems instead of just allowing them to experience normal problems in a normal sitcom environment (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air may be one of the greatest sit-coms ever invented, but it’s a show that prided itself on presenting and very effectively portraying black issues) so it’s refreshing in that sense to see one not burdened with that element, and one that goes out of its way to colourfully showcase Philadelphia in all its glory.

Since it’s an environment that isn’t traditionally seen in media outside of special occasions, having this school be set in West Philadelphia gives this sitcom its own personal identity, one that feels befitting of the location itself. It’s definitely more reserved, scrappy, and less wealthy, but also feels fun, earnest and capable of teaching things that matter even though they have to fight in order to do so, and the way the sets, classrooms and even students/teachers look reflects this mindset. It has enough awareness in the writing to be modern and capable of portraying current issues like online trends and the over obsessiveness that comes with that demographic, but not in a pandering or false manner, as Brunson’s experience with online journalism allows these current elements to not feel forced. Being about education, it also has the chance to talk about relevant issue in the field, like public schools having low budgets and having to compete with privileged charter schools, the removal and censorship of certain kids’ books, and even the importance of teaching both the good and the bad of history without sugar-coating. It’s not even like the writing is always incredibly chortle-worthy, but it has enough charm, honesty, and wit that it will leave you entertained.

Abbott Elementary is a very stand out show and definitely worth giving a watch, even if sitcoms aren’t as big as they used to be. It has elements that are similar to previous examples in the genre, but what makes it feel different is that it never feels fabricated, being a very real show that is also very uplifting and pleasant, not needing to be cynical or dark to get people’s attention (which is just the best-case scenario). Some of these others shows might be funnier and more impactful, and this show is by no means perfect with certain trope contrivances and plot lines that just don’t feel fun to deal with anymore (if a couple is going to get together, stop dragging your feet), but for a new sitcom to add to the list that will last the test of time, this one is a good current option. It has a great cast, a simple and effective set-up, the writing is modern but not too annoying, and the atmosphere feels very genuine and creates something wholesome out of rooting for underdog teachers trying to do their best, which is always going to be admirable.

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