The Best Show You Aren’t Watching: Abbott Elementary

If there’s one question every TV critic hears time and again it’s: “I’ve finished Parks and Rec/The Good Place/The Office/Brooklyn 99/Schitt’s Creek and I need a new comedy. What should I watch?” If someone is looking for a show with a bit of an edge, I tend to recommend The Other Two or Mythic Quest, but if the ask is for a show with the heart of a classic Mike Schurr comedy, well, I’ve finally found a worthy successor to all of those great modern classics: ABC’s Abbott Elementary.

From the mind of the brilliant Quinta Brunson (who also stars as Janine Teagues, a second year second grade teacher in the mold of a Leslie Knope), Abbott Elementary is a workplace comedy set in a Philadelphia elementary school. The colorful cast of characters fit the key roles you might find on any sitcom (for example, Sheryl Lee Ralph is on fire as Barbara Howard, the stern veteran teacher who really has a soft underbelly and Janelle James is hilarious as Ava Coleman, the school’s clueless principal), but the heart of the series isn’t about the comedy – it’s that these teachers genuinely love and care for their students but are hamstrung by a myriad of issues outside of their control while trying to make sure these kids get a chance to succeed at life.

The series, in the vein of Parks and Rec and The Office, is a mockumentary, which means the show does, at times, feel a bit like its forebearers (Tyler James Williams plays Gregory, a long-term sub, who is being set-up as a Jim to Janine’s Pam, complete with deadpan talking heads and the occasional hint to camera that he has more than collegial feelings towards his fellow teacher). But what struck me after watching the first four episodes of the series is how clearly defined its characters are this early (if you recall, both The Office and Parks and Rec stumbled out of the gate and needed to course correct in their second seasons). It’s rare that a series is this strong this early, and even rarer for a comedy, which often needs time to find the right balance within its cast’s chemistry.

Outside of a cast that’s firing on all cylinders, the writing is also absolutely crushing it. The early episodes are able to build up the characters beyond simple archetypes, and the humor doesn’t feel stilted or forced – it’s well-earned. I found myself laughing at multiple points in each episode (something that is shockingly rare with most comedies – actual laugh out loud moments) and wanting the characters to succeed, both for themselves and for their kids. The situations the characters find themselves in are also calibrated well for the setting and story. There aren’t massive set pieces or crazy guest stars. Instead, the stories are using an online site to drum up donations from strangers to help the kids have enough school supplies (a la a Donor’s Choose situation) or needing to change a light bulb because it’s flashing and scaring some of the kids. Each story fits the series and fits the characters.

But, most of all, you quickly fall in love with the characters. You root for Janine to get a rug for her classroom so her kids have a place to sit when they need a break from the stressful nature of their lives. You want Barbara – a truly great teacher – to have the supplies to allow her kids to color and learn their alphabet. And you want poor Jacob (played with the right amount of neurosis by Chris Perfetti) to be able to take a breath and stop being worried about everything around him. Loving these characters is so easy and wanting them to succeed helps to ground some of the more out there comedic moments. That’s a true gift of great writing. And a sign that the series has what it takes to go the distance.

So, if you’re someone who has wondered what to watch now that you’ve made your way through the pantheon of great 21^st century comedy, let me recommend Abbott Elementary. You won’t be disappointed.

Abbott Elementary airs weekly on ABC and Hulu. The first four episodes are currently streaming on Hulu.