In episode 14 of the second season of Abbott Elementary, a black father approaches the black principal to complain that a white teacher is teaching his son black history during Black History Month. The principal, who does everything except run the school, answers him that “paying too low a salary to a white teacher for him to teach black history is almost compensation.” The father is not impressed by the argument, and she tells him that she will watch the lesson (something she has never done before). At the beginning of the lesson, the principal is engrossed in her phone – she has several Tik Tok accounts to maintain. But when she hears from the teacher and the students that the gap between the worldviews of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X was much smaller than the impression created by the whites in order to create tension between the black leaders, she begins to really listen. Principal Coleman continues to come to Mr. Hill’s classes, and for the first time since she fraudulently obtained the administration job, she develops an interest in studies. She sums up the next meeting with the complaining father with the words “What a shame. So handsome but so annoying.”
The storyline I’ve described here is, to the best of my recollection, the most distinctly political in the first two seasons of this witty, smart, human-loving series. “Abbott Elementary” this week won the SAG award (American Actors Guild) for the best comedy series, and this is in addition to the Emmy and Golden Globe awards and many other statuettes that it won before. One of the things that makes it so popular (at least in America) is the fact that it is a political series without being political. Most of the characters in the series are black – from the principal to the server – but this is not because of a didactic commitment to diversity, but because it takes place in an underfunded public school in Philadelphia.
In this respect, “Abbott Elementary” is reminiscent of the masterful crime series “Undercover”. Apparently, these are completely opposite series – but both create such a rich texture of characters that are convincing in their truth and exciting in their complexity, that the fact that almost all of them are black is not the issue, but rather the natural derivative of the cross-section of reality in which they take place. The politics of the series lies in the frequent preoccupation with the school’s budgetary difficulties – compared to well-budgeted schools in other neighborhoods of the city – and how the good teachers do their best to deal with them. And even in the rare case that an episode deals explicitly with politics and the color of the teachers’ skin, as I described above, the conclusion is a statement in favor of the human spirit and against labeling people based on their skin color, even if it is white.
When I started watching the series I knew nothing about it. Already in the first episode I had the impression that the curvaceous and short actress who plays Janine Tiggs, the good-willed teacher with bad taste in clothes, is particularly charming. It wasn’t until later that I discovered that Quinta Bronson was also the self-deprecating creator of the series, which was a happy discovery. Bronson, who based the series on her mother’s experiences as a teacher in the public education system, adopted the mockumentary template known from “The Office”, but filled it with characters trying to do good to the world. It’s not a series of big laughs, but of smiles and sympathy, and I fell in love with each and every one of the characters, and the great actors who play them.
“Abbott Elementary” focuses on five teachers and their daily struggles, and only rarely leaves the walls of the school. Janine’s best friend is Jacob Hill (Chris Perpeti), as mentioned white, and gay. They connected with each other because they are both new teachers and nerds at the level, who try really hard, all the time. The pair of veteran teachers, the devout Christian Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph from “Moisha”) and the tough Italian Melissa Schmanti (Lisa Ann Walter), are more cynical, but they are also dedicated to the cause. Another new teacher, Gregory Eddy (Tyler James Williams of Everybody Hates Chris), is initially characterized as frustrated and aloof because he ran for the principal’s position but improbably lost it to Eva Coleman (Janell James), who has no No qualifications for the position, except for cunning. The self-centered and unethical Coleman, who rubs off on every handsome man who enters her radius (even though she is dating basketball player Andrew Iguodala, who makes a guest appearance) is the funniest character in the series, and has already earned countless gifs. But even she surprises every now and then and does something positive for the school.
Between reading contests, equipment shortages, parents’ days, and dealing with troubled students, Janine and Gregory are the romantic focus of Abbott Elementary. It is clear to everyone that they are attracted to each other, and suitable for each other, but their path to union is strewn with obstacles like other couples, poor timing and tons of embarrassment. Even when they finally kiss, in the second season, they back off. The trick of waving a romantic rod to keep the viewers interested is very used, but it works beautifully, much due to the freeness of the actors. The awkward looks towards the camera, as required by the mockumentary format, contribute a lot of subtext.
I wrote the text based on watching the 16 episodes of the second season that had already been broadcast in the US. The first season was perfect to me, but in the first episodes of the second season I felt that the series lost a bit of its edge. It also escaped from dealing with the problem it created for itself, when at the end of the previous season it seemed that the director On the verge of being fired, and it didn’t happen (because giving up Janelle James is shooting yourself in the foot). But the characters developed and continued to be charming, and Janine continued to spread good energy despite all the disappointments, and after a few episodes I connected with her again. So far It was not a great success in Israel. With the second season coming to Disney+, I hope more people will discover its charm.
The second season of “Abbott Elementary”, now on Disney+