Abbott Elementary season 2

The second season of the American television comedy Abbott Elementary created by Quinta Brunson premiered in the United States on ABC on September 21, 2022, and concluded on April 19, 2023. The season consists of twenty-two episodes. Like the first, the season stars Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis and Sheryl Lee Ralph.

Abbott Elementary is presented in a mockumentary format similar to one of The Office and Parks and Recreation, and follows a documentary crew recording the lives of teachers working at the fictional Willard R. Abbott Elementary School, an underfunded, predominantly Black Philadelphia public school.

Like the first season, the season was widely praised by critics and audiences alike with universal acclaim. The season currently holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The success of the series led to a renewal by ABC for a third season in January 2023.

Main

 * Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, a second-grade teacher at Abbott and hopes to improve the lives of her students by making the best of the poor situation the school district makes teachers work in.
 * Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, a substitute for a recently fired first-grade teacher who quickly harbors a crush on Janine.
 * Janelle James as Ava Coleman, the school's tone-deaf principal who consistently bullies Janine and gives the staff reasons to believe she is poor at her job; a job in which she received after blackmailing the superintendent.
 * Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti, a second-grade teacher at Abbott who has questionable connections with the Philly locals, but uses them to help the school.
 * Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill, an eighth-grade history teacher who tries his best to help Janine with her plans to improve Abbott.
 * William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson, the school's janitor who is seen as lazy, but consistent with his job.
 * Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard, a religious kindergarten teacher, adamant about keeping with tradition, and a mother-figure whom Janine looks up to.

Recurring

 * Zack Fox as Tariq Temple, Janine's now ex-boyfriend who moves to New York in hopes of making a name for himself.
 * Kate Peterman as Tina Schwartz, a teacher formerly employed by Abbott who now works at Addington Elementary, a charter school who rivals Abbott.
 * Nikea Gamby-Turner as Chanae, a cafeteria custodian for the school.
 * Lauren Weedman as Kristen Marie Schemmenti, Melissa's emotionally distant sister who works at Addington.
 * Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Ashley Garcia, a teachers aide hired by the district for Melissa.
 * Zakai Biagas Bey as Clarence, a student of Jacob.
 * Courtney Taylor as Erika, a friend of Janine who attempts to improve her social circle, and also becomes one of the first to know of Gregory's crush.
 * Naté Jones as Amber, a parent of a student in Gregory's class who dates him for a brief period.
 * Jerry Minor as Mr. Morton, a colleague of Jacob whom he shares a complicated relationship with.
 * Vince Staples as Maurice, a friend of Gregory who dates Janine after meeting her at a hookah bar

Guest
• Gritty as himself, the mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers who Janine hired for a mixer.

• Lela Hoffmeister as Courtney Pierce, a student at Abbott who is favorited by Ava.

• Leslie Odom Jr. as Draemond Winding, the owner of Legendary Charters who plans to turn Abbott into a charter school.

• Raven Goodwin as Krystal, the parent of a student in Barbara's class.

• Taylor Garron as Tasha Hoffman, a teacher who dislikes Janine.

• Larry Owens as Zach, Jacob's boyfriend.

• Andre Iguodala as himself, a professional basketball player and Ava's boyfriend.

• Blaiz Bahsi Baker as Mya Okafor, a student of Melissa who struggles to read.

• Orlando Jones as Martin Eddie, Gregory's father.

• Shirley Jordan as Delisha Sloss, a member of Barbara's church.

• Ayo Edebiri as Ayesha Teagues, Janine's distant sister.

• Mike O'Malley as Captain Robinson, the captain of the Philadelphia fire department who visits Abbott.

• Shalita Grant as Miss Janet, a counselor sent to Abbott after a small fire breaks out.

• Shwayze as Gabe, a representative from the Philadelphia Mural Arts.

• June Diane Raphael as Elizabeth Washington, a representative from the local news station who visits Abbott to document an award ceremony.

• Brandi Denise as Cassandra O'Neil, the parent of a difficult student in Janine's class.

• Taraji P. Henson as Vanetta Teagues, Janine and Ayesha's troubled mother.

• Hillary Anne Matthews as Docent, a tour guide at the Franklin Institute. Additionally, Reggie Conquest appears as Devon, Ambrit Millhouse reprises her season one role as Alley Williams, Zach Evans, Maise Klompos and James III appear as Tyrone, Megan and Harold, Bella-Rose Love appears as Trinity, Kingston Covington appears as Raheem, Chinedu Unaka appears as Tristan, Bruno Amato reprises his season one role as Gary, Carolyn Gilroy appears as Summer, Maggie Carney appears as Dawn Nichols, Darryl Lee-Canyon appears as Darrell, Nicole Dele appears as Ms. Pinkey , and Christian Crosby appears as himself.

Development
The series was renewed for a second season by ABC in March 2022, just months prior to the first season concluding. In July 2022, the season was confirmed to consist of 22 episodes, nine more than the first. Production companies Delicious Non-Sequitur, 20th Television and Warner Bros. Television returned for the season, with Fifth Chance joining them having not produced the first season. A trailer for the season was released onto YouTube and various series social media accounts on September 1, 2022. Quinta Brunson hosted Saturday Night Live on April 1, in promotion of the series.

The series was later renewed for a third season in January 2023. When speaking of the third season renewal, Channing Dungey, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group had this to say: "'This renewal is a richly deserved feather in the cap of Quinta Brunson, Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Randall Einhorn, as well as the rest of the cast and crew of Abbott Elementary. Each week, this talented group of artists celebrates true unsung heroes — public school teachers. And for some extra icing on the renewal cake, our favorite group of teachers was honored this morning with two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and last night with three Golden Globe Awards. Abbott Elementary is the gift that keeps on giving, and I look forward to many more magnificent episodes of this brilliant, authentic, and just plain funny series.'" Brunson, Halpern, Schumacker and Einhorn are all expected to return as executive producers.

Casting
In March 2022, upon renewal for its second season, all main cast members from the first season were confirmed to return for the second, including; Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, Janelle James as Ava Coleman, Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti, Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill and Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard. In July 2022, just months prior to the series returning, it was announced that William Stanford Davis, who had recurred during the first season as Mr. Johnson, would be promoted to series regular for the second season.

Alongside the return of the first season's ensemble cast, recurring guest star Zack Fox reprised his role as Tariq Temple for three episodes. While multiple one-time first season guest stars also returned, being upped to recurring characters for the second. These actors included Kate Peterman as Tina Schwartz, Nikea Gamby-Turner and Reggie Conquest as Shanae and Devon, as well as Nate' Jones who portrays Amber. The return of her character added complications to the development of the relationship between Janine and Gregory; with notable events from their relationship taking place in "Holiday Hookah", "Valentine's Day", "Teacher Conference" and "Franklin Institute". When asked about their relationship, Lisa Ann Walter stated: "'Well, I mean, everybody wants to know obviously about the romance. I will say that there were a couple of interesting romantic moves that happen before the end of the season. I’m not going to say what, but I think the audience is going to be really happy. Also, they’re just gonna be enthusiastic. Last year, when people were saying, ‘What do you want to see happen?’ and I gave a scenario…that’s gonna happen and I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s coming up, and I loved the episode. It was a big episode. I think it might be my favorite episode this season.'"



A week before the season premiered, it was announced that the season would see the introduction of various recurring guest stars, including Lauren Weedman as Kristen Marie, Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Ashley Garcia, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Draemond Winding. All of whom appeared within the first eight episodes of the season.

The season features a cameo from Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty in the premiere episode, which garnered a large amount of online attention. When asked by the National Hockey League, executive producer Patrick Schumacker stated that Gritty's appearance in the series was "a long time coming." He revealed that Gritty was originally due to appear in one of the early episodes of the first season, but scheduling conflicts delayed the cameo. "'Gritty was always, from the start, a Philadelphia institution that we wanted to incorporate into the show,' 'The show takes place in Philly, and we try, as much as we can, to populate the show with the insider Philly, whether that's Philly slang or actual cameos from locals of note, like Jim Gardner, who's the now-retired anchor of ABC News over in Philadelphia. We try to make it as authentically local to Philadelphia as possible. Gritty was a no-brainer, and also at the top of the list.'"

In July 2022, while production of the second season was still in the early stages of filming, rapper Vince Staples jokingly asked to be cast in the series in a Twitter post to which Brunson replied "1. I'm not done writing 2. Come get your hat". Staples ultimately appeared during the "Holiday Hookah" episode, portraying Maurice, while also featuring Golden State Warriors player Andre Iguodala who portrays himself in a cameo. Staples returned in a few episodes throughout the season, becoming a recurring character. Orlando Jones returned in the season, portraying Gregory's father Martin. Jones' casting was widely praised, due to his physical similarities with Williams, who portrays Gregory.

On February 6, 2023, it was confirmed that Ayo Edebiri would recur as Ayesha, Janine's sister. Who is at first only mentioned in various episodes and appearing in a FaceTime call during "Valentine's Day", Edebiri returned as Ayesha for a more expansive role later in the season. In addition to the introduction of Ayesha, on April 1, 2023, it was announced that Taraji P. Henson would be introduced as their mother Vanetta, with her first appearance set during the penultimate episode of the season.

Filming
In a tweet made by Quinta Brunson, it was revealed that production on the second season had commenced on July 18, 2022. Like the first season, the interior scenes of the series are filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, with exterior shots of the series being filmed in front of Vermont Elementary School in Los Angeles. Brunson confirmed in a tweet that filming for the season finale episode took place on January 24, 2023. Filming for the season ultimately concluded six days later on January 30, 2023.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has received an approval rating of 100% with an average rating of 8.7 out of 10, based on 22 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Class is back in session and the plucky teachers of Abbott Elementary remain an absolute delight, with creator/star Quinta Brunson's savvy and sweet sensibility honed to perfection." Meanwhile, Metacritic has reported an average rating of 88 out of 100, based on ten reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Days before the season premiered, Daniel D'Addario of Variety praised Abbott Elementary by stating, "Abbott does the teachers at its center justice, and is proof of Brunson's ability to put familiar forms to worthy and delightful ends. Like a good student, the series colors, vividly, within the lines." In response to the season premiere, Samantha Nelson of IGN stated, "Abbott Elementary defends its spot as one of the funniest and most heartwarming shows on television with its Season 2 premiere. A new school year provides a great opportunity for characters to grow and change, facing new challenges with the same mix of clever quips and earnest enthusiasm that makes the sitcom's ensemble cast so loveable."

The season's twentieth episode, "Educator of the Year", was noted for its demonstration of teachers' vulnerabilities and insecurities. In the episode, Janine meets with the mother of one her students to discuss the student's disruptive behavior in class; after some challenging communication, the mother blames Janine and calls her a bad teacher. The scene, which portrays a distinctly more serious tone compared to the rest of the show's comedic stylings, contributes to the show's campaign of building empathy for teachers laboring to meet their students' needs. While primarily being an instance of Janine striving for perfection in her job, it also offers an example of how lack of support from students' parents can be yet another obstacle for the success of education.

Audience response
The season, just like the first, received overwhelming support from fans and celebrities alike; including Keke Palmer and Henry Winkler. The most notable support being from actor Brian Tyree Henry, who responded to a joke made about him during the "Wrong Delivery" cold open. He sent his supports sending flowers and a written note to Brunson personally; Henry was mistaken for actor Brian Austin Green by Barbara Howard during the scene. In addition, media personality, rapper and host of the The Joe Budden Podcast Joe Budden acknowledged his name being mentioned during the "Read-a-Thon" episode, stating in a Twitter post; "Nah don't gas me.. I love that show lol."

Ralph was an honorable mention for "TVLine Performer of the Week" for the fifteenth episode in the season, "Fire", with the authors giving praise to her performance and stating, "This week's Abbott Elementary gave Emmy Award winner Sheryl Lee Ralph another chance to show off her impressive comedy chops. - Ralph brought the typically composed teacher to the brink, delivering increasingly hilarious and ridiculous declarations with determined energy (“I never listen to Chaka Khan's ‘Through the Fire’ when it comes up on my Pandora. I'm every woman, not a pyromaniac”)."

Ratings
The season premiered on September 21, 2022, following premiere episodes of The Conners and The Goldbergs. The second season moves it's time slot from Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. (EST) to Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. (EST). The premiere episode "Development Day", received a total of 4.30 million viewers after 35 days of multi-platform viewing, 73% higher than the pilot which garnered 3.67 million viewers in total. The episode became the highest viewed episode of an ABC series since the series finale of Modern Family. "Read-a-Thon" would later top the viewership of the first episode, bringing to 4.34 million viewers after 35 days of multi-platform viewing.