Season 3 - 14 episodes (2024)
Rent Abbott Elementary on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Quinta Brunson
Starring: Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph, William Stanford Davis
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer
Plot
Follows
a group of teachers brought together in one of the worst public schools
in the country, simply because they love teaching.
Verdict
This
season does a great job of introducing new elements so the season feels fresh while still focusing on the teachers with the addition of the district and the restrictions they impose. We've seen the challenges the teachers face, the district is an even broader issue. While we're still shipping the same two characters, the show does play with that by introducing alternatives. This season feels like it's less about the classroom and managing students, as we spend a lot of time outside of the classroom. This still does a great job with the characters, managing to be fun and funny while exploring the underlying issues of underfunded education and the impact teachers and parents have on children.
Watch It.
Review
The big arc this season is Janine (Quinta Brunson) accepting an offer to work for the district temporarily. While she misses the classroom, she's excited about making positive changes for many schools. She has a multitude of ideas and the drive to see them through, but it's clear her heart is still at Abbott. None of her substitute teachers are up to her standards. That creates tension with whether she will stay with the district.
The tension between Janine and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) continues from last season and the will they, won't they question. Shipping two characters is a tried and true sit-com plot device. I don't blame the show, but I have to imagine that next season the show will need to make a decision and evolve that story line.
Episode three may best capture the spirit of this show. Janine realizes the crushing bureaucracy of working for the district with a multitude of forms to complete for any one task while Gregory is horrified that he's the "cool" teacher. She wants everyone to be as excited as she is, while Gregory would rather not interact with the students outside of teaching.
 |
| Sheryl
Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Janelle James, Bradley Cooper, Tyler James
Williams, Quinta Brunson, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis |
Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) seem closer this year, but that could just be a factor of being the veteran teachers. Surprisingly, Melissa and Jacob (Chris Perfetti) discover they have a lot in common. School janitor Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) remains a standout character. The show uses him expertly as comic relief, a character that has done and seen things you wouldn't believe.
This season employs a number of guest stars with Bradley Cooper and Kevin Hart playing themselves. It's fun, but it feels a bit too meta.
Towards the end of the season, Janine has to decide between working for the district or in the classroom. While she cares about her children in the classroom, the district offers her a chance to help many more children. This season has done a great job of changing it up to feel fresh while not changing the core focus of the show. Janine loves teaching, and this season shows us why the district can seem difficult. They have to focus on all the schools, not just one classroom.
This is a great show, and it's easy to forget the core foundation of the show. What happens in the classroom is critical. Underfunded schools damage students, and parents absolutely need to be involved. The show is generally wholesome, but it takes place in an underfunded school, and the impact that has on the students is an underlying issue. It's not often a show manages to touch on so many issues while still being so enjoyable and funny.
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