Abbott Elementary
Abbott Elementary is an American mockumentary sitcom television series created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It stars Brunson as a second grade teacher at Abbott Elementary. Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, and Sheryl Lee Ralph also star. The series premiered as a midseason entry in the 2021–22 television season on December 7, 2021 and was met with critical acclaim. In March 2022, the series was renewed for a second season. Premise. A group of dedicated, passionate teachers—and a tone-deaf principal—are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where they are  determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants are outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do and fight the odds stacked up against them—like the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children—to give the students the best school life they can offer. Production. On September 3, 2020, an untitled workplace comedy pilot starring Quinta Brunson landed a put pilot commitment at ABC. In February 2021, ABC gave the project an official pilot order. In March, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, and Sheryl Lee Ralph  were announced to star. In May, the project was given a series order. Filming began on August 16, 2021, in Los Angeles, California, and concluded on November 5, 2021. In August, three crew members tested positive for COVID-19 but production was not impacted. In November, William Stanford Davis was confirmed to star. The series premiered on December 7, 2021. On March 14, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season. Reception. Critical response. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 78 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Angie Han of "The  Hollywood Reporter" said "[it] works well enough to deliver a consistent good time — and I suspect that given time, "Abbott Elementary" could blossom into something truly special". Han also said the first episodes "[are] a willingness to deal with class head on, while also finding humor in the characters' situations", and concluded that "Abbott Elementary" is "crowd-pleasing." Ratings. Including viewership recorded over a 35-day period through "linear and digital platforms" (known as MP35) after its original broadcast, the pilot episode on December 7, 2021, increased to a 2.4 demographic rating, with 7.1 million viewers. ABC said the 300 % increase was its "largest percentage growth for any new comedy premiere". The viewership of the second episode, "Light Bulb", increased by 5.6 million viewers to 9 million after 35 days.