While Abbott Elementary’s cast of characters call to mind The Office and Parks and Recreation.

Despite this, the series has managed to quietly subvert sitcom norms since its pilot. Abbott Elementary season 4 is one of 2024’s most anticipated returns, since the show’s recognizable mockumentary format does not stop the series from innovating and surprising viewers on a weekly basis. Abbott Elementary doesn’t need a self-aware deconstruction of TV conventions to work, but the show could still benefit from revisiting one sitcom staple and offering its own spin on this TV mainstay. In a pre-Emmys conversation hosted by People Magazine, series star Lisa Ann Walter suggested that Abbott Elementary should stage a musical episode.

Abbott Elementary’s Lisa Ann Walter Suggested A Musical Episode

Melissa’s Actor Noted That The TV Institution Suits Abbott Elementary

Walter noted that most of Abbott Elementary’s cast are accomplished singers, a lesser-known fact about the stars. Mr. Johnson’s actor fronted a band while Barbara Howard’s actor Sheryl Lee Ralph starred in Dreamgirls on Broadway. Although Walter might have meant the comments as a joke, a musical episode of Abbott Elementary is a genuinely great idea for the show. It is a time-honored format that every sitcom from Community to The Office to Scrubs has attempted. Meanwhile, Abbott Elementary’s eponymous setting makes the sitcom particularly well suited to the TV staple, as it could focus on a school musical.

Abbott Elementary could pull off an entirely diegetic musical where the songs take place within the show’s reality.

While Abbott Elementary season 4’s story is more likely to focus on Janine and Gregory than the school’s attempts to produce a stage show, a musical episode would fit the show’s tone well. Abbott has been home to numerous recitals in the past and the school’s enthusiastic faculty would undoubtedly get in on the action if their students were performing in a musical. In a fun subversion of expectations, Abbott Elementary could pull off an entirely diegetic musical where the songs take place within the show’s reality during the rehearsals of the show, and this would be an intriguing experiment.

Abbott Elementary’s Cast Are All Musically Talented

Sheryl Lee Ralph Is A Broadway Icon

As noted above, Mr. Johnson’s actor, William Stanford Davis, was the frontman of the R&B band The Fabulous Paramount Revue before his screen career began. Outside of her breakout role in Dreamgirls, Ralph also starred as Madame Morrible in Wicked and even enjoyed chart success with her contributions to the Dreamgirls soundtrack. Meanwhile, Gregory’s actor Tyler James Williams impressed in 2012’s Let it Shine, a Disney Channel original movie where he played a meek rapper. Lisa Ann Walter also has an impressive vocal range, meaning Abbott Elementary’s main cast is well suited to a musical episode’s challenges.

ittedly, it would be tough for Abbott Elementary to justify a musical episode, since the show’s tone veers closer to grounded realism than the likes of Community or Scrubs. However, The Office season 7, episode 3, “Andy's Play,” proves this need not be a deterrent. If Abbott Elementary’s determined heroine Janine decided that the school should put on a show, there is no doubt the series could accommodate the slightly unlikely sight of the teachers belting out a few tunes. Already, season 3, episode 5, “Breakup,” gave Ralph a thinly veiled opportunity to impress viewers with her stunning voice.

Abbott Elementary’s Musical Episode Plays With Its Format

The Workplace Mockumentary Is Less Meta Than Many Modern Sitcoms

While “Andy’s Play” proves that the series would not necessarily need to leave its comfort zone to pull off this experiment, it might not be a bad thing for Abbott Elementary to expand into stranger territory. The show’s comedy has been more deadpan than any throughout its first few seasons, but a musical episode is a great opportunity for a series to stretch its creative muscles and try something risky. The most iconic musical episode ever, Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 6, episode 7, “Once More, with Feeling,” was widely acclaimed, and that show's premise seemed to be uniquely ill-suited to musical interludes.

Abbott Elementary’s realism is refreshing after many sitcoms that pushed the boundaries of the genre and played with meta elements. However, other shows have already begun to borrow from the show’s successful formula. FX’s English Teacher isn’t the Abbott Elementary clone that some reviewers called it, but the spikier, edgier single-camera comedy is still another workplace sitcom about a teacher in a mismanaged school. For Abbott Elementary to remain feeling fresh, the show could get away with occasionally indulging in more experimental ideas like a musical episode, albeit one that is justified by the school putting on an in-universe show.

Abbott Elementary Season 4 Doesn’t Need A Musical Episode

The Sitcom Should Hold Off For A Few Years

That said, there is no rush for Abbott Elementary to produce a musical episode. After three seasons, the show is in its infancy when compared to the series that have successfully pulled off such an experiment. Community’s musical episode arrived in season 3, but there wasn’t a single episode of that series that wasn’t a busy, convoluted deconstruction of sitcom trends. Scrubs waited until season 6 to produce its musical outing and that single-camera comedy was much more surreal and strange than Abbott Elementary. The show's closest comparison, The Office, had another four seasons under its belt before attempting a musical.

Abbott Elementary season 4 premieres on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, on ABC.

As such, Abbott Elementary can continue to focus on its characters and their stories for the time being. Already, Abbott Elementary season 4’s crossover episode sounds bizarre and ambitious, judging by Brunson’s cryptic comments. As such, there is no guarantee that the series won’t be undertaking a wild experiment this year even without a musical. However, if the series ever settles into a comfortable groove and its main characters ever find themselves feeling a little too stable and content, the cast’s musical talents could come in handy. Abbott Elementary always has the option of a musical episode, even if it is unlikely.

Source: EntertainmentWeekly