Mr. Johnson likes to say "this is trash," but I don't think any of us would ever call any episode of Abbott Elementary that! The ABC hit comedy is such a gem and brings it every episode. There's a good chance not each one will be a favorite. Though the dedication and quality can be felt with each installment. However, the success of the series and implementing that into each episode isn't as easy as you'd think.
At IndieWire’s Pass the Remote FYC series panel, the show's creator and Janine actress Quinta Brunson talked about how she's amazed some older sitcoms ran for 30 to 40 episodes each season, when Abbott reached 22 episodes for the first time in season 2 then again in season 4, and that was a lot of pressure. Here's what she had to say:
"I cannot tell you how hard it is to not make absolute garbage. You start going [into episode] 22 like ‘Honestly, I could phone it in.’ We’ve seen other shows do it. We don’t want to do that. We want to continue to make good television. We want every episode to be a surprise. We want you to not [say] ‘I’m going to go back to the tired episode of the tired show.’ We would like to keep it compelling.”
Abbott Elementary episodes absolutely are not trash
She and the writers have this in mind, and they are doing it. Though that doesn't mean it all comes easy. Even though sitcoms are somewhat easier and quicker to film compared to dramas, there's still a lot of hard work that goes into them. And as Brunson said, the longer you go for and the longer a season, the more creative you have to be to keep audiences entertained.
What is something that you can bring, every episode, that moves the story forward and doesn't feel repetitive? It's a lot to think about! Though the creative team is definitely rocking it. I mean, just think of that monumental crossover episode with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia! Both shows are under the Disney-owned umbrella, but they're not on the same network and something like that hadn't been done before.
So, as I mentioned above, I wouldn't use Mr. Johnson's catchphrase to describe any of the episodes. Yes, most recently Abbott Elementary season 4 was longer compared to seasons 1 and 3 which were 13 and 14 episodes, respectively. And I'm not going to lie. There were a couple of episodes that weren't bad by any means, but didn't excite me as much as the others.
Even still, the comedy, characters, and writing overall are spot on and that doesn't take away from how great this sitcom is. It's clear by Brunson's comments how passionate everyone is to bring to life quality television. As viewers and fans, that's really all we can ask for!
Abbott Elementary season 5 is expected to premiere in fall 2025 on ABC.