Summary
- The news of Abbott Elementary Season 4 means Janine can continue her job plot in Season 3 without rushing her return to the school.
- By allowing Janine to stay at the school district until the finale, the show can explore the comedic and heartfelt struggles she faces in her new role.
- The renewal of Abbott Elementary enhances the story of Janine and Gregory, giving their relationship more time to develop and making their eventual reunion more satisfying.
The news that Abbott Elementary season 4 is officially happening is great for Janine’s school district storyline as this can allow the sitcom to take its time with the pivotal plot. Abbott Elementary won over both critics and audiences when the show debuted in 2021. A workplace sitcom, Abbott Elementary used a mockumentary approach to chronicle the successes and struggles of the titular underfunded Philadelphia public school. Creator Quinta Brunson starred as Janine, an idealistic young teacher who constantly finds herself at odds with the school’s self-absorbed principal, Ava, and less optimistic, more experienced co-workers like Barbara, Jacob, and Melissa.
While Abbott Elementary seasons 1 and 2 focused on Janine’s attempts to improve Abbott and her slow-burn romance with fellow teacher Gregory Eddie, the show’s season 3 premiere changed things radically. Although Abbott Elementary’s whole cast of characters still appears in season 3, Janine is now working for the school district and temporarily on leave from Abbott. As a result, season 3 of the series splits its screen time between Janine’s attempts to get accustomed to the district’s bureaucracy and the antics of her co-workers in her absence. This surprising change has freshened up the show’s formula.
Abbott Elementary Season 4 Improves Janine’s Season 3 Job Plot
The news that the series will get another season means Janine’s role at the district can last throughout Abbott Elementary season 3. At a Television Critics Association’s Winter 2024 press tour for Disney+, Mr. Johnson actor William Stanford Davis announced that Abbott Elementary has been renewed for a fourth outing. What makes this such great news is that it means the series doesn’t need to rush through Janine’s 12-week internship at the school district. Instead of the sitcom bringing its heroine back to Abbott midway through season 3, the show can improve this plot by letting her stay in the district until the finale.
Since Abbott Elementary season 4 is officially happening, there is no need for the series to bring Janine back too soon. If Abbott Elementary cut her tenure short, it would be easy for Janine's season 3 school district plot to feel like a missed opportunity. Janine has spent years thinking that she could make huge differences if she could only get people in power to listen to her, so it is simultaneously funny, bittersweet, and poignant to see her struggle with her new job at the district. Furthermore, her growing chemistry with her co-worker Manny proves Gregory has competition.
Abbott Elementary’s Renewal Helps Season 3’s Janine & Gregory Story
Gregory takes a long time to adjust to change, so it could take until the end of Janine’s internship for him to realize how much he misses her. season 3 breaking up Janine and Gregory up before the couple could even get together, with Gregory telling Janine that he thought she wanted to put a period on their feelings for each other. The poignancy of this surprise would be undone if Janine returned within a few episodes, whereas Abbott Elementary waiting until season 3’s finale to bring them back together would be much more satisfying.
Abbott Elementary
Cast
Quinta Brunson
Tyler James Williams
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Lisa Ann Walter
- Release Date
- December 7, 2021
- Network
- ABC
