Abbott Elementary Season 2: Binge, Fringe, or Singe?
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Binge, Fringe, or Singe? is our television series that will cover the latest seasons, miniseries, and more. Binge is our recommendation to marathon the reviewed season. Fringe means it won’t be everyone’s favourite show, but is worth a try (maybe there are issues with it). Singe means to avoid the reviewed series at all costs.
Warning: Major and minor spoilers for Abbott Elementary season 2 are in this review. Reader discretion is advised.
Season 1 of the Philadelphia-based elementary school sitcom Abbott Elementary swept all of the television awards it could muster, and it was a lot for a mere, thirteen episode season. Nonetheless, Quinta Brunson’s comedy was an instant hit, and there was a question about how it would fare with its first properly-full season: what would twenty two episodes look like in comparison? Now that Willard R. Abbott Elementary School has been built and its characters — teachers, students, staff, and all in between — have been established, we needed to see where the story would go from here.
I’m happy to report that, yes, season 1 was good, but season 2 of Abbott Elementary is great. The hype is real. If the sitcom was picking up accolades for a pretty good start, lord knows what it will achieve with a genuinely strong season of the 2022-2023 television calendar. We’re not just watching characters and experiencing the occasional progression this time around. We’re engaged in full stories, already-shifting arcs, and running gags that never feel forced. Of all of the sitcoms that pass as mockumentaries that have preceded either version of The Office, Abbott Elementary feels like one of the more sincere, organically rich proteges. This is thanks to the knowledge that Brunson and company have possessed the entire series thus far: workplace comedies aren’t just about the characters, as it’s all in the name (the environment has to ring true or leave enough of an impression on the audience); no one works with cliches but rather real people that happen to stick out for whatever reason.
The characters on Abbott Elementary are likeable, hilarious, and, most importantly, real.
Abbott Elementary is packed with characters (and not too many, thankfully) that all matter. I resonate more with some people more than others, but that’s the kind of mixed bag you’ll get with this show: not one with hit-or-miss characters, but one full of great roles that will speak differently to viewers depending on who they are. Every character will have their own fans that love them the most. For me, it’s Sheryl Lee Ralph’s wise-yet-feisty Barbara Howard who is so elegant when she isn’t being silly. Besides, she’s apparently a fellow CPAP machine user, and I felt seen. In fact, the characters on this show are so relatable, whether you work in education or are just a human being that can identify with so many workplace or social traits. Many similar shows try to garner this sort of authenticity, but they go about this in the wrong way. Abbott Elementary never feels artificial, no matter how off-kilter it gets.
A lot has happened in season 2. Janine and Gregory (the latter now a full time teacher) continue their waltz of will-they-won’t-they. Principal Ava Coleman actually starts taking some accountability for her actions and even wants to start learning (hey, I’m all for some positive change). Barbara exposes some areas of teaching she doesn’t feel confident in and opens up to her younger peers. Jacob isn’t only treated like a dork but is welcomed (at least a little more) by his cohorts. Melissa isn’t always gruff and can accept defeat once in a while. Again, the only major shifts have been occurring between Janine and Gregory (and also independently of one another). That’s kind of nice, actually. How often to series shoehorn in problems and nonsense just to have stuff going on? Abbott Elementary is comfortable enough with having the minimal amounts of drama to make the show have a pulse and not be too much of a comfort-show doormat, but it also doesn’t feel the need to create chaos for “plot”. It recognizes how much story can come from the workplace and its various walks of life, whether its funding concerns, struggling students, or the threat of Abbott Elementary becoming a charter school.
Season 2 of Abbott Elementary goes bigger and gets better, boding well for what lies ahead for the sitcom.
Additionally, I love how Abbott Elementary doesn’t only go for the obvious solutions or aim for what feels “best” for a feel-good sitcom. Despite how much I’m sure we all want Janine and Gregory to wind up together, it would be too quick and too safe for that to happen. With how the series complicated that obvious showmance, we get a much more interesting outcome at the end of this season: a friend-zoning purgatory out of fear of destroying a wonderful work environment. Sure, Abbott Elementary keeps a bit of the same-old going so we have familiarity, like Mr. Johnson being abstractly nuts, Janine trying to always save the day with optimism (with mixed results), and Jacob trying to fit in and sticking out like a sore thumb instead. But too familiar isn’t a good thing, especially in a school setting. The whole idea is that we become better people when we learn, and that’s what Abbott Elementary is all about. It’s never too late for you to break out of your comfort zone. You’re never too old to become accepting of someone else and/or others. Education is about growth, but that includes the teachers and staff as well.
These progressions continue outside of the classroom as well, as teachers have to deal with their own personal goings-on, they become friends that see each other in new light outside of the school, and Philadelphia is embraced and experienced as a whole (and there are a lot of references to the city, from locations to cameos like former 76er and four time NBA champion Andre Iguodala, who could only be dating Ava). It’s all about learning and taking on the next stages of life, which Abbott Elementary has yet to do, but you can tell that there are the proper building blocks to get us to these places. Janine has had friction with her irresponsible mother, for instance. Jacob may want to take the next step with his partner eventually. Will Gregory ever take up that opportunity at his father’s landscaping business? His garden at Abbott continues to thrive, so he’s clearly good at it. Season 2 was just enough progress to get us to a new place and wondering about the future of the series in a positive light. It’s fun to binge watch Abbott Elementary, but it feels even better to spend over four months visiting our new friends on a weekly basis: a long-form tradition I thought would be dying in the age of streaming. The network sitcom formula isn’t dead yet; it just takes a series as bright and promising as Abbott Elementary to remind us that it can still thrive when handled correctly.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.