Quinta Brunson’s mockumentary, Abbott Elementary, has quickly become a fan-favorite sitcom and is currently airing its third season. The show is a workplace comedy and follows Brunson’s Janine Teagues, a teacher at the fictional Abbott Elementary in Philadelphia. The show has been nominated for 15 Emmys and has won for four, including Brunson’s win Best Leading Actress in a Comedy Series.
There are many reasons fans love Abbott Elementary; it’s fun to watch the antics of teachers like Mr. Hill (Chris Perfetti), or it can be heartwarming to see how much a teacher like Mrs. Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) cares for her school. It’s also quite impressive how comedically talented the young actors who play the elementary students are. Fans have also become invested in the slow-burn relationship that has been developing between Ms. Teagues and Mr. Eddie (Tyler James Williams).
Abbott Elementary is currently airing on ABC with episodes also available on Hulu. The show follows a weekly release schedule, so if you’re caught up and need something to watch before the next episode release we have you covered. Here are five other shows you may like if you love Abbott Elementary.
‘New Girl’ (2011-2018)
A show about a group of friends hanging around their apartment and navigating wacky situations — the premise has worked several times in the past, so it should be no surprise it worked for New Girl. This time around fans can enjoy the silly lives of roommates Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Winston (Lamorne Morris). Everything changed for the trio when they got a new female roommate. Who’s that girl? It’s Jess (Zooey Deschanel).
New Girl premiered on Fox in 2011 and ran for 7 seasons. The show received acclaim for its intriguing characters and hilarious writing, which is very similar to the comedic stylings of Abbott Elementary.
Not only has Brunson cited New Girl as one of her favorite shows, but it also serves as an important milestone in her career: New Girl was her very first acting gig. In Season 7, Episode 6, titled “Mario,” Brunson appears as a waitress at a restaurant where Nick (Johnson) attempts to secure a reservation.
‘Never Have I Ever’ (2020-2023)
Abbott Elementary follows the lives of the teachers, but sometimes it’s fun to watch what the students get up to. Thus I present to you Never Have I Ever. The show follows Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) as she navigates the last three years of high school after losing her father. The show is a funny and heartwarming coming-of-age story.
Never Have I Ever premiered on Netflix in 2020 and ran for four seasons with Mindy Kaling as co-creator. The series has received critical acclaim and has been praised for its South Asian representation. The show is narrated and told from Devi’s perspective, however, Devi’s inner voice is that of tennis player John McEnroe.
‘Freaks and Geeks’ (1999-2000)
We learn from Abbott Elementary how hard the life of a teacher is, but we all know from experience how hard it is to be a teen. If only there was a show reflecting that shared experience in a comedic way. Oh wait there is, and it’s called Freaks and Geeks. This show was created by Paul Feig, director of the movie Bridesmaids, and produced by Judd Apatow. Freaks and Geeks follows the life of eight teenagers as they navigate through school, love, and their futures.
Freaks and Geeks is most notable for propelling its talented cast into stardom. The show stars Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps, Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, Martin Starr, Sam Levine, and James Franco. Most of them started their careers with this show and Apatow has made a habit of casting them in his movies.
Freaks and Geeks was canceled during its first season and although it was scheduled for 18 episodes they only ever made 12. The show suffered from a poor time slot and had to compete with the popular game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. It did receive praise from critics and has become a cult classic.
‘A.P. Bio’ (2018-2021)
The main character of Abbott Elementary, Janine Teagues, is an optimistic and unwavering teacher who is constantly working to better the education of her students. But sometimes it is fun to watch a character who is almost the complete opposite, and that’s Jack Griffin (Glenn Howerton) from A.P. Bio. Jack is a more jaded teacher because he lost out on his dream job of being a Harvard professor. Jack is forced to teach high school biology but believes it is beneath him so he instead spends his time using his students to get revenge.
NBC premiered A.P. Bio on the network in 2018. The show ran for four seasons with the last two seasons releasing directly on Peacock. Featuring stars like Howerton and Patton Oswalt, A.P. Bio is sure to give you some laughs while you wait for the next episode of Abbott Elementary.
‘Community’ (2009-2015)
Community is another show about students rather than teachers, but unlike Never Have I Ever, the students aren’t going through the typical coming-of-age story beats. That’s because these students are adults at a community college. Community is created by Dan Harmon, co-creator of Rick and Morty. So, it should be no surprise that the characters get into some really bizarre situations. The show also tends to be very meta because one character is seemingly aware that he is on a TV show.
In Community, Jeff Winger (Joel McHale), a lawyer who was fired for not having a legitimate law degree, attends the local community college to get one. He joins a study group that consists of Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, and Danny Pudi. Together the study group deals with absurd situations as they chase their respective dreams. Community is another show with a huge cult following and is now streaming on Hulu.
The series premiered on NBC in 2009, which marked the beginning of a six-season-long rocky road. Community went on hiatus halfway through its third season, which spurred a fan campaign to save the show. Part of the campaign included a Christmas flash mob outside NBC headquarters in New York City.
The show eventually aired the rest of Season 3, but afterward, Harmon was fired from his role as showrunner. The fourth season is commonly considered the worst due to Harmon’s absence. Eventually, Harmon would return as showrunner for the fifth and sixth seasons.
NBC canceled the show after Season 5 which seemed like the end until the series was picked up by Yahoo!. The sixth and final season premiered on Yahoo! Screen in 2014. Now, there is a Community movie in the works that will fulfill the series promise of “six seasons and a movie.”
Of course, these are just a handful of the many great comedy TV shows out there. What are your favorite sitcoms? Comment down below another show like Abbott Elementary or check out the Agents of Fandom socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.
