These 14 BTS Facts About "Abbott Elementary" Show Just How Much Genius Goes Into This Show
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Abbott Elementary is in its third season, and the show has been a hit since it first premiered in 2021.
The mockumentary series, which was created by and stars Quinta Brunson as a teacher in the Philadelphia public schools, has won over audiences and critics thanks to its hilarious dialogue, perfect cast, and feel-good nature.
A lot went in to making the show as good as it is, so here are 14 behind-the-scenes facts about Abbott Elementary:
1.Quinta Brunson's inspiration for the show was her mother, a teacher.
"Abbott is definitely based off of my mom's stories. I spent so much time observing her as a little girl. I was actually in her kindergarten class, and then I went to the school where she taught from first to fifth grade," Quinta said on Live with Kelly and Ryan in May 2022. "So I just spent a lot of my time watching my mom. I would go to school with her in the morning and be with her after school til like 5, 6, [or] sometimes 7. I took in so much of her career, and that helped catapult Abbott."
2.Quinta named the show after one of her childhood teachers, Joyce Abbott.
In September of last year, the School District of Philadelphia named Sept. 26 "Joyce Abbott Day" in honor of the teacher's 27 years in the profession. ABC News reported she retired in 2022.
3.Abbott Elementary is filmed to look "warm and inviting," in comparison to The Office's "low ceilings and floor lights."
Gilles Mingasson / ABC via Getty Images, NBC / NBCUniversal via Getty Images
“We wanted the teachers to appear favorably, because they’re doing a thankless task for very little money,” director and producer Randall Einhorn who worked on both shows told Variety in August 2023. “We wanted them to look like heroes. That’s why this looks different than The Office, which comes with low ceilings and floor lights. It’s like a place where you serve time, whereas I really wanted Abbott to feel warm and inviting, a place you want to get back to.”
4.The confessionals are intentionally filmed in the school hallway to show how busy the teachers are.
"In The Office they would do their talking heads sitting down in one of the conference rooms. But the first time [Randall] did the talking heads in Abbott, he had it set up in the hallway with people passing by. That was to help show that these people don’t really have that much time to rest. They’re not bored like they were at The Office, they’re on their feet," Quinta told Deadline in May 2023.
5.Sheryl Lee Ralph first wanted to play Ava (Janelle James).
Pamela Littky / ABC via Getty Images
"I could see it. It would’ve been different, but once again, the magic sauce is Quinta," Sheryl told Vulture in December 2022. "Quinta knew exactly what notes she needed everybody to play. Like you said, being open to new and different things, I am so glad I stayed in that lane because [singing] I have an Emmy."
6.Sheryl initially thought her character Barbara Howard would be "invisible."
"People are like, ‘I’m living for Miss Howard,’” she told The Guardian in October 2022. “I had no idea. Ugh, it just makes me feel so good.”
7.Abbott is one of Janelle James' first major acting roles.
“I had such a specific character in mind when I was writing her, and I had this fear that I wouldn’t be able to find that exact person. And then Janelle auditioned, and it was, ‘We would be doing so much work to get somebody where Janelle is, let’s do less work and hire this person.’ And I kind of had to frame it like that to the network and studio," Quinta told Deadline in May 2023.
8.Chris Perfetti wasn't on the initial casting list for Jacob.
"He did a phenomenal self-tape. We asked people to talk to the camera and just say what they’ve been doing in quarantine. He cut together him doing belly flops on his hotel bed and just being a goof. 'This is what I’ve been doing: I’ve been locked in an Atlanta hotel trying to stay safe while shooting, going bonkers!' And it was so innocent and funny and different and honest. As soon as you watched his little interview, you were in love with him. He just walked in and was like, 'This is me, and I’m gonna fit the role or I’m not.' And he did—if anything, he inspired the role. He brought that to life just by being himself," casting director Wendy O'Brien told Backstage in June 2022.
9.Lauren Weedman, who plays Melissa's (Lisa Ann Walter) sister, Kristin Marie, almost played Melissa.
"They were both so wonderful. Lisa was the one [that] day that got it, but I think everybody loved Lauren so much. So when there was an opportunity to fold her into the mix, it just felt perfect," Wendy told Gold Derby in August 2023.
10.Quinta wanted Daniel Radcliffe to play Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis)'s son.
Nbc / Nathan Congleton / NBC via Getty Images, Disney/Pamela Littky
"For some reason in the room we were like, what if Daniel Radcliffe was Mr. Johnson's son? And there's no rhyme or reason. It's so dumb. And not like Daniel Radcliffe as somebody, like Daniel Radcliffe [himself] is Mr. Johnson's son," Quinta told Entertainment Weekly in February, noting that she's friends with Daniel.
11.Ava's line, "You know they eat the hottest people first. Let me back my tasty ass up," was improvised.
"I couldn't believe they kept it. And they did. And it was hilarious, so I'm so happy," Janelle told Entertainment Weekly in January 2022.
12.Janine is agnostic.
"It’s something we talked a lot about in the room that has not come up. We had talked about her being atheist, which I thought would be hilarious. It would give Barbara a heart attack if she found out. But as of now she’s agnostic. I honestly don’t know if we would be able to present that on ABC. It may not seem a big deal, but for a Black girl in Philadelphia — there are very few agnostic people. There’s a lot tied into why a person becomes agnostic. What is the relationship with the family? How are you treating holidays? So I think it’ll become something that we get to do some great storytelling with," Quinta told the New York Times in March 2022.
13.Taraji P. Henson, who plays Janine's mom Vanetta, put in a request to Quinta to appear on the show.
"I love it. I was a fan. Actually, I requested to be on the show. Quinta and I were competing on Jimmy Fallon's That's My Jam, and I was singing her praises. I was telling her how proud of her I was," Taraji said on The View in April 2023. "I was like, 'Girl, you know, anytime if you need me, call me.' And she called, and I was like, 'Absolutely, I'll do it.'"
14.Finally, Quinta doesn't want to do an episode involving a school shooting.
"I just don't know if I want to dedicate my space to that. I don't want to open up my show to that political violence. I consider it that at this point—even the discourse of it is violent. And although I participate in it outside of my show, and I'm a huge advocate for eradicating gun violence in this country, but I don't think my show has to carry that," she told Glamour in November 2023.
