Warning: This content contains spoilers from the 1-hour long episode premiere of season 3
Abbott Elementary, the ABC comedy series about a group of public school teachers, is back for its third season after a long hiatus due to the industry strikes.
The season premiere, which aired on Wednesday, reveals a five-month time jump and new plot twists for the characters, such as Janine’s new job, Gregory’s new love interest, and Jacob’s new dilemma.
The show, created by and starring Quinta Brunson, follows the lives and struggles of the staff and students at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School, a low-income and underfunded school in Philadelphia. The show uses a mockumentary format, with a camera crew documenting the daily events at the school.
The season premiere, titled “Career Day”, picks up five months after the end of season two, which ended with a cliffhanger involving Janine (Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams). The episode explains that the camera crew had their equipment stolen, and that’s why they were absent for the first half of the school year. The episode also shows how the characters have changed and grown during the time jump, and how they deal with new challenges and opportunities.
Janine has left Abbott Elementary and taken a job as a district administrator, hoping to make a bigger impact on the education system. However, she soon realizes that the district is full of bureaucracy, corruption, and politics, and that she has to compromise her values and ideals. She also has to deal with the aftermath of her kiss with Gregory, the charming and charismatic teacher, who has moved on and started dating a new woman.
The episode also features cameos from several professional athletes, such as Jalen Hurts, Jason Kelce, and Brandon Graham, who appear as themselves during the career day event at the school.
It also sets up the main arc and conflict of the season, which is the threat of the school closure and the fight to save it. There are also hints at the possible reunion and resolution of Janine and Gregory, who still have unresolved feelings for each other.
Abbott Elementary is one of the most popular comedy series on ABC, and has been nominated for several awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, and the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Comedy Series.
Abbott Elementary is set to air only 14 episodes for its third season, which can be watched on Wednesdays at 9.00p.m. ET. on ABC and streamed the next day on Hulu.
