Abbott Elementary
Tuesday, Feb. 15, 9/8c, ABC
WHEN COMEDIAN QUINTA Brunson began crafting her high-grade sitcom about beleaguered educators at a low-funded Philadelphia public elementary school, creating a lesson plan wasn’t a stretch. “I definitely pulled from my mom’s experiences as a teacher and her interactions with students,” says Brunson (center, front), who writes, produces and stars as plucky second-grade teacher Janine Teagues. “I would check in with her and ask, ‘Does this sound like something relatable to you?’ And she’d say, ‘Oh yeah!’”
The freshman hit’s February 15 episode looks at a different kind of family—the Abbott work clan, which includes (clockwise from lower left) tense sub Gregory (Tyler James Williams), saucy principal Ava (Janelle James) and Janine’s fellow educators, even-keeled Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), raucous Melissa (Lisa Ann…