Abbott Elementary ended its 13-episode freshman season with huge ratings and a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, proving its one of TV's best comedies. With this, the teacher-centric sitcom was renewed for a second season. Much of its success is owed to the vision and direction of its creator and star, Quinta Brunson. Of course, the humble Brunson has given credit to ABC for helping the show find an audience so quickly. On the heels of the first season's excellent ratings, the comedic actress is opening up about her plans for Season 2.
Abbott Elementary's Season 1 finale brought in 2.8 million viewers, according to Variety. But it didn’t just score with linear viewing, either. It apparently jumped up 200% in multiplatform viewership. Those views added 3.1 million for an overall total of 5.9 million. Of course, the non-linear numbers aren’t surprising given the comedy’s reach outside of TV.
After crafting such a massive hit, Quinta Brunson doesn’t seem to feel any pressure as she and her team prep for Season 2. She revealed that the writers’ room is already at work planning out new episodes. While speaking with E! News, the star teased what fans can expect during the workplace comedy’s sophomore season:
We're kind of going with the flow, seeing what feels natural to us to bring back from the first season and what to elaborate more on.
With writing for the second season only in the preliminary stages, the showrunner wouldn’t reveal any new details about who or what the episodes will center on, which makes sense. You don't want to give away all of the secrets so soon, of course. I'd expect some fresh stories, though, which continue to show just why the mockumentary is different from The Office. Despite not getting too deep into details, she did hint at some possible new additions to the workplace comedy. The producer said about new teachers, staff and secondary characters popping up in Season 2:
I'm sure we'll find more opportunities to bring new people in but for the first season, we were just writing really strong characters.
As Quinta Brunson put it, the show's biggest strength thus far is its strong cast. I mean, let's be honest, the school faculty are a great combination of personalities, from the optimistic Janine to the streetwise Melissa to the tone-deaf Ava. Those conflicting personalities alone make the series worth checking out.
She also shouted out Zack Fox’s Tariq and Orlando Jones’ surprise, but spot-on, cameo as Gregory’s dad as prime examples of strong characters. So she’s less about simply getting big names but more about finding the right actor for the right role. It’ll be great to see who pops up in the new season.
Seeing that Abbott Elementary Season 2 is expected to arrive for “the 2022-2023 school year," one would assume that the show could return this fall. The wait is going to be tough but, if Quinta Brunson only continues to improve on what made the first season so special, it'll be worth it.
In the meantime, you can watch all of Abbott Elementary Season 1 with the use of a Hulu subscription. You can also check out CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule for more on what's headed to the small screen this year.
