In the Running: Emmy Contenders in Conversation with The Ankler is a special series featuring Ankler Media awards editor and Prestige Junkie host Katey Rich’s chats with top talent from Disney networks and streamers, including ABC, Disney+, FX and Hulu. In the Running is presented by Disney.
Even after five seasons and 30 Emmy nominations, the cast of ABC’s Abbott Elementary isn’t used to the recognition they receive from real-life teachers and educators.
“There’s a connection point there. There’s a release there. There’s also like a sense of commonality in the way that they naturally trust that we get it, that I don’t see with other fan bases for other things,” says Abbott co-star Tyler James Williams. “That’s what’s really beautiful about this — even in the midst of making network TV, we’re still finding ways to deeply affect our audience in a way that when they approach the actor, they see commonality with you. They feel as if you understand their story a little bit more.”
Created by Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary that focuses on a Philadelphia public school and the teachers who work there — including Brunson’s Janine and Williams’ Gregory, whose relationship has made up the show’s emotional core since its debut in 2021. After briefly breaking up this season, the couple is back together and possibly headed toward an engagement.
“In season five, we started to experiment with the characters,” says Brunson, who won an Emmy for writing the show’s pilot (and is also an Emmy winner for best comedy actress). “What can we learn about them that’s new? What new character additions can we give them? So now I think, moving forward in season six, we’re going to apply a lot of what we learned in season five. My goal is to make season six feel like season four felt — very comfortable, very lived in.”
“It’s crazy to be with a character this long, and it’s even crazier to know that there’s a room of [writers] led by Quinta that are also experts on him,” says Chris Perfetti, who plays Jacob on the show. “They are obsessing over his dreams and fears and what his family life is like, just like we all are.”
Since its debut, Abbott Elementary has been praised for its authenticity in depicting the triumphs and struggles of American teachers — while also breaking new ground in how the profession is portrayed onscreen.
“We’ll always be proud of showcasing this group of teachers,” says Brunson, whose mother was an educator for 40 years. “We’ve been able to show a different kind of educator — even educators who are Black and of color, not just one in a school, but the school’s majority. I’m proud to show queer teachers in our world who are just existing, and it’s not about them being queer, but being members of the staff.”
Abbott Elementary ended its fifth season amid the threat of the district closing the school, as it planned to shutter 20 schools citywide. In the end, “Abbott gets spared, but that’s not happening with other schools,” Brunson says. “I’m very proud to show that struggle.” Last month, Philadelphia’s real-life Board of Education approved a controversial plan to shutter 17 public schools — a proposal that will disproportionately impact Black students.
“I’ve always said that teachers change and save lives,” says co-star William Stanford Davis, who plays the school’s custodian, Mr. Johnson. “Teachers should be paid like doctors, and that’s just my two cents.”
But along with its sincere elevation of educators, Abbott Elementary isn’t afraid to make the world just a little “goofier,” as Perfetti puts it. “Our show is pretty stupid sometimes, and I love that,” he says. “I love that we have such a mix of what I think are very intelligent, deep, cutting jokes, with sophisticated punchlines. And then sometimes I jump into a garbage can. Sometimes, we make a fart joke.”
