Did you know the original idea for Abbott Elementary was to make it a cartoon? Yep! Quinta Brunson's first idea for her Emmy-winning sitcom was to make it animated. Clearly, the series evolved from that into the beloved live-action mockumentary it is today. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't think about the possibilities of an animated Abbott world, because the ideas for great spinoffs are endless.
Quinta Brunson Opens Up About How Abbott Elementary Was Almost A Cartoon
While talking about how much it meant to her to be "a sitcom at Comic-Con" ahead of Season 4’s premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, Brunson dropped this tidbit of information about Abbott Elemntary's origins, saying:
Abbott was almost a cartoon, and it wound up being live-action. But, we didn't lose our cartoon roots. I love cartoons, Justin loves, well Pat loves cartoons, Justin loves to make fun of us for loving cartoons.
CinemaBlend was in attendance at Abbott Elementary's panel at San Diego Comic-Con, and you can see the Emmy-winning writer and actress’s full response in the video below:
You can feel the cartoon influence on Abbott Elementary. The sitcom, while grounded in a lot of ways. However, the humor is elevated and the cast is always giving wildly animated reactions to whatever is happening in a given episode. Anytime our favorite guy Gregory gives a wide-eyed look to the camera or Jacob does something silly, like jumps in a trash can, or Ava enacts one of her larger-than-life plans, you can see it. It's a wonderful series because of all this, and I love that it was initially an idea for a cartoon.
My Ideas For An Abbott Elementary Animated Series
I have to confess, the second I heard the Janine Teagues actress say these words in the video above, the ideas for animated Abbott Elementary spinoffs started rattling out of me instantly. Here's a smattering of random pitches I have:
- Trash: The Mr. Johnson Story – An adult animated series about the history of our favorite janitor Mr. Johnson.
- Gregory's Garden Goofballs – An educational children’s animated series for a channel like PBS about gardening as told by Mr. Eddie and his students.
- The Adventures Of Tariq – A cartoon all about the adventures and misadventures of our favorite ex Tariq. From his time rapping for FADE to his role working with the school district to his various other odd jobs, the guy lives a quirky life worthy of animation.
- Summers Outside Of Abbott Elementary – We never see the teachers and students during summer break. So, instead of making it part of the flagship show, we turn it into an animated series that follows the various characters' lives during their three months off. Basically, I just want a cartoon of Melisa and Barbara on a cruise…wouldn’t that be fun?
- Holiday Specials – If we don’t want to commit to a full animated series, let’s do a few animated one-off holiday specials. And can Halloween be first?
Honestly, the ideas are endless when it comes to what they could do with an Abbott Elementary animated spinoff, and I really hope that someday it can happen!
However, for now, let's focus on what we know is coming, because Season 4 of the beloved sitcom will premiere on Wednesday, October 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and big things are happening! Janine and Gregory’s relationship is moving forward, she’s back at the school, and there will be so much fun to have when Abbott Elementary is back in session.
To go back and watch Seasons 1 through 3 of the beloved sitcom, and to ponder more ways it could be animated, you can stream Abbott Elementary with a Max subscription or Hulu subscription.
