Finally! A Comedy Crafted for Working Class POC

The infamous Buzzfeed Queen, Quinta ‘B’ Brunson has graced prime time TV with the realistic mockumentary series Abbott Elementary, now showing on ABC and Hulu.

Abbott Elementary

The show has audiences buzzing as it highlights a crisis afflicting a plethora of inner-city schools facing similar struggles: mismanaged and underfunding, lack of resources, higher-level, administration and school boards lacking empathy, and refusing to actively respond to teachers’ concerns- the list goes on.

But as is commonplace in most schools across the U.S., teachers are the underground superheroes, doing the gritty and raw behind-the-scenes work, receiving little pay, and little recognition for their dedication and consistency.

In the series pilot, the narrative of Quinta B’s optimistic character, Janine Teagues, offers the criticism that our school systems are failing teachers and doing an utter disservice to students when resources are withheld or denounced. This directly reflects a national crisis that deserves so much more attention and yet, why is little being done to rectify a huge wrong?

Abbott Elementary dares to be loud, direct, and earnest veiled in subtle humor, similar to that of The Office(U.S. 2005). Shying away from the overly used fourth wall breaking, the series utilizes punchy one-liners that reflect the harsh reality of being a teacher, working with what they have, instead of with what they should be given without having to beg. With a soulfully Black and star-studded cast(Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams, Lisa Ann Walter), the series speaks to Black and Brown teachers who resonate with the daily grind in addition to wearing so many hats. It shows the immense amount of ridiculous pressure teachers endure from teaching and managing students and their behavioral and personal needs to dealing with coworkers who foster an unhealthy and unnecessarily competitive work environment.

At the heart of Janine’s mission as a teacher is doing what’s best for the students above all else.

It is this sense of optimism that burns out in many teachers as their careers grow longer each school year, and the same problems still present as roadblocks across all those years. Abbott Elementary is just a glimpse into a much larger issue of how we treat the pressures and responsibilities of teachers. The world has been in an empathy crisis for far too long and Qunita B has written a masterful understanding of busted inner-city school systems. The series is worth the watch for its truth and comedic touch that offers refreshing takes, dynamic interpersonal relationships, a generationally diverse cast, students of color, and genuine issues that students face(lack of sleep, unsafe/unstable home environments, etc).

Unlike fellow mockumentary shows, Abbott Elementary the camera crew has an organic purpose, following the lives of teachers and the operations (or lack thereof) of city schools to reveal an even larger problem with the system. Additionally, having a prime-time TV series written by another inspirational Black woman is phenomenal! But Quinta B also promotes storylines centered around niche experiences of Blackness and urban upbringings, femininity within teaching, and a more rounded Black educational experience!  

You can find new episodes of Abbott Elementary on Hulu and ABC!