Mockumentaries have become a staple tool for storytelling that cuts through any inhibition in filmmaking. Over the years, many such mockumentaries have found their home in the hearts of millions of people. Shows like ‘The Office’, ‘Parks And Recreation’, and ‘Modern Family’ reigned the sitcom spaces for a long time. But, in 2021, on ABC Quinta Brunson brought a different milieu with her show ‘Abbott Elementary’.
The school-based mockumentary looks superficial despite the subject it deals with. It is an under-funded school based in Philadelphia where students are mocking professors, the Principal knows more about ‘Love Island’ than the students, and there are some whimsical teachers. Despite this farce, the heart of the series is in the right place and it has already become the audience favorite. Not only audiences are liking it, but the esteemed award ceremonies are also acknowledging the brilliant writing of the series.
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What Is ‘Abbott Elementary’ About?
The world has become fast and the gap in accessibility to your own family has widened. Television was that one time when everyone would gather together to watch sitcoms. However, now with the advent of streaming platforms, people have stopped that ritual. Everyone watches something that they find favorable and tasteful. Gore, sex, and violence have been seen as the central themes in most of the shows and movies. But, Quinta Brunson wanted to make an effort to revive that family experience when she created ‘Abbott Elementary’.
It is a show about a government-funded (underfunded) school in Philadelphia that is clinging to the smallest of funds to provide better learning to its students. However, the way they have sketched this narrative is plausible. They do not make themselves the victim of the system rather they, reluctantly, take the matters into their own hands. Why reluctantly? It is Janine Teagues played by Quinta, who has this ideal, utopian concept to transform the broken system, single-handedly.
However, the other veteran teachers, Ms. Howard and Ms. Schimmenti guide her in blending their years of experience with her juvenile, novice attempts. There are two other teachers and a Principal. Ms. Coleman, the Principal has no clue what she is doing, but she somehow straddles through her life as an influencer and a teacher. She does it well. Then, there is a white, liberal teacher Jacob, who is again wanting to single-handedly end structural racism.
Quinta Brunson was inspired to write this story when she visited her mother’s school for the Parents-Teachers Meeting. She was irked when a parent showed up late to the meeting and thought that was why she couldn’t show up early. Her mother replied, “This was the time that this parent could get here”. She also included an episode inspired by this in Season 1 titled ‘Open House’. The name of the show comes from her sixth-grade teacher Joyce Abbott. It became the highest-rated sitcom on ABC after the final episode of ‘Modern Family’.
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The Show Has Been Creating Ripples During The Awards Season
Awards season has begun with pomp and some stellar moments from the awards show. There have been some path-breaking television and movies that have become the awards darling. Shows like ‘The Bear’ and ‘The White Lotus’ have created ripples with some great storytelling in their respective genres. However, ‘Abbott Elementary’ has created a significant buzz during the awards season.
Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Tyler James Williams have been some strong frontrunners. During the Emmy Awards, she created history by becoming the only second female writer to have won the award for the ‘Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series’ category. During that night, Sheryl Lee Ralph also swept the award for the ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series’ category.
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