Summary
One underrated element ofAbbott Elementary’s success is the sitcom’s revival of a trope that I thought was dead and gone.Abbott Elementary’s cast of characterswon over critics and viewers alike when the series began in 2021. Since then, the workplace sitcom has gone from strength to strength, earning impressive reviews while adding increasingly high-profile celebrity guest stars to its cast list.Abbott Elementaryseason 4is my most anticipated TV return of 2024 thanks to the cast’s stellar chemistry, the will they, won’t they romance between Janine and Gregory, and the show’s sharp satirical edge.
AlthoughAbbott Elementary’s season 3 finalefocused on an eventful end-of-year party between the eponymous location’s faculty, most episodes of the series center on the minutiae of school life. Struggles with the school district, office politics, and navigating the underfunded public education system make up the bulk ofAbbott Elementary’s storylines. While these themes could seem dry or dull,Abbott Elementaryuses an ingenious trick to breathe life into its workplace setting. I thought that the show’s format was long gone after a handful of flops in the last decade, butAbbott Elementarymanaged to bring back a sitcom staple.
Abbott Elementary Season 3’s Odd Supporting Characters Served A Secret Purpose All Along
Abbott Elementary season 3 added some surprising new supporting characters to its cast, but episode 13 finally explained why they were important.
Mockumentary Sitcoms Were Once Commonplace
Unlike most contemporary sitcoms,Abbott Elementaryrevived the mockumentary format that was everywhere in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s.The Office,Parks and Recreation, andModern Familyare the most obvious examples of successful mockumentary sitcoms, butArrested Development’s influential sitcom stylealso borrowed from the format. Even elements of non-mockumentary sitcoms, like30 Rock’s fourth-wall breaks orBrooklyn 99’s handheld camerawork, owed a debt to the omnipresent style. I didn’t think that any series could bring back this format after it died out in the mid-2010’s, butAbbott Elementarymanaged this impressive feat.
I wasn’t heartbroken when the mockumentary sitcom era came to an end since the format provided viewers with some classic shows.
2013’s underratedZach Stone Is Gonna Be Famousand 2015’sThe ComediansandThe Muppetswere a trio of high-profile flops that proved the mockumentary format wasn’t a bulletproof guarantee of sitcom success. These failures, along with the success of sitcoms that moved away from the understated mockumentary aesthetic, gradually made the format less popular. I wasn’t heartbroken when the mockumentary sitcom era came to an end since the format provided viewers with some classic shows and hadn’t outstayed its welcome. However, I did think it would be a while before the style was seen on screens again.
Abbott Elementary’s Mockumentary Format Shapes Its Tone
The Series Feels Lived-In And New At The Same Time
WhileAbbott Elementaryseason 3’s celebrity guest starsmight stretch credulity at times, one of the show’s best qualities is its relatively grounded setting. Compared toThe Good PlaceorGhosts,Abbott Elementaryhas a fairly straightforward premise. However, this is what makes the mockumentary format such an inspired choice.Abbott Elementaryusing a dated style was secretly geniussince the social commentary of the series is up-to-the-minute and fresh, but the show visually feels like a classic 2010s sitcom. Viewers could be forgiven for thinking they had stumbled across a classic show from 2010.
This subversive maneuver is the show’s smartest aesthetic choice as it makesAbbott Elementary’s political commentary accessible.
This is central toAbbott Elementary’s success since looking likeThe OfficeorParks and Recreationallows the show to revive the appeal of those earlier shows with a twist. I’ve been consistently surprised byAbbott Elementary’s satirical digs at public education funding, institutional racism, the problems with charter schools, and other timely issues that earlier mockumentary sitcoms sidestepped.Abbott Elementary’s social commentary is razor-sharp but feels more palatable precisely because the show looks like an old sitcom from a decade ago. To me, this subversive maneuver is the show’s smartest aesthetic choice as it makes political commentary accessible.
Abbott Elementary’s Meta Moments Are Refreshingly Rare
The Sitcom Doesn’t Lean Into Its Mockumentary Setup
AlthoughAbbott Elementaryseason 4’s storyline must addressa few unanswered questions, the show has managed to avoid my biggest issue with mockumentary sitcoms throughout its first three years. Namely,Abbott Elementarydoesn’t draw too much attention to its mockumentary formatand avoids feeling corny as a result. There will be no embarrassingly misguided storylines likeThe Office’s infamous Brian the Camera Guy here.Abbott Elementaryseldom mentions the existence of the crew, much likeModern Family.
When the camera crew is referenced, it is via jokes like them losing their equipment and missing months of school to cover for the real-life writer’s strike. Principal Ava mentions the show’s setup in passing during season 3, noting that she has a camera crew following her around when competing with her former sorority sister rival. The question of why the crew has been filming for so long and what they intend to produce from all this footage is unanswered since it doesn’t matter. The mockumentary format is a means to an end and, forAbbott Elementary, a perfect fit.
