‘Abbott Elementary’ Returns For A Fifth Season: A Review

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The fifth season of Abbott Elementary premiered on ABC on Oct. 1. The show follows an ensemble cast of teachers, along with the principal, at the titular Abbott Elementary. Set in Philadelphia, the characters navigate the ups and downs of working in public education in an underprivileged area. The comedy manages to turn the struggles of a miniscule school budget into a show that’s both heartfelt and witty. The mockumentary style catches the side-eyes, the muttered sarcasm, and the brief smiles that quickly disappear. The humor feels both realistic and exaggerated at once.

The long-awaited episode, “Team Building,” takes place on the first day back at Abbott: Development Day. In preparation for the first day of school, staff members learn new information about the upcoming year. While her quick one-liners still remain, Ava (Janelle James) is unusually upbeat due to her new relationship with O’Shon (Matthew Law). During her presentation, Ava introduces a new fourth-grade teacher, Dominic (Luke Tennie). He was a former student at Abbott Elementary who was once taught by Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), a kindergarten teacher. 

While Barbara was originally enthusiastic for the new year, her excitement quickly dwindles at this announcement. She has taught at Abbott for decades and has hinted at retirement. The reveal that her former kindergarten student is old enough to become a teacher makes her feel aged and frustrated. It’s not treated dramatically, but her discomfort is obvious in her conversations with Dominic. Moments such as this captures what Abbott Elementary does so well: showing the emotions beyond comedy. It was a touching struggle that highlights how much time has passed for her.

Additional announcements were also made. Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) will now teach sixth grade and Janine (Quinta Brunson) will double her class size. This is where viewers may lose interest; the news of increased class sizes was already featured in an earlier episode. Despite its wit, Abbott can be repetitive, and audiences can lose the thread. The school’s aging infrastructure and lack of resources has been a prominent storyline since the pilot, but it’s often applied very liberally. For instance, I found the opening scene of the ceiling collapse overdone. What once felt fresh is starting to feel predictable. Still, the show can shine if it doesn’t rely on formulaic storylines. 

Before the upcoming year could be further discussed, a district employee arrives unannounced. Due to the lack of trust the district has in Abbott (a reference to last season’s bribery), they requested a completion of trust-building exercises. This group of mismatched personalities being forced into awkward activities is an excellent setup of the show’s humor. Beyond the comedy, Gregory (Tyler James Williams) offers to teach Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) how to ride a bike when he reveals during the exercises that he can’t. The rest of the employees join in to offer additional help and to cheer him on. 

Heartfelt moments, such as that, mirror what Abbott Elementary is at its core: a story about people who can disagree but are still loyal at the end of the day. What continues to make the show work, even when it stumbles, is the chemistry amongst its cast.