Internet sensation Quinta Brunson, along with an astounding writing team, created one of the funniest education-themed sitcoms called Abbott Elementary. Airing once a week on ABC, the workplace TV comedy finds Janine, played by Brunson, and her co-workers attempt to be creative with the extremely limited resources in an underfunded school, something far too familiar with the average teacher today. Additionally, the teaching staff of Abbott face under-appreciation from their principal Ava, played by Janelle James — another reality of teachers today. The show was such a success that ABC has ordered a second season, Brunson in an interview reported by Yahoo! Entertainment.
One of the main reasons Abbott Elementary was so widely beloved and received was the writers’ exposition of real scenarios that teachers face, added with a bit of comedy. The school staff, from the principal to the custodian, are superb. Each staff member has at least one moment per episode that is down right hilarious. Yet some staff members are more serious than funny, making their quips all the more comical. Regardless of the moment — or moments — every staff member is just as vital to carrying the joke as they are to the success of their students. Here’s where they rank.
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7 Jacob Hill
ABC
Jacob Hill, played by Chris Perfetti, is a history teacher who started teaching at Abbott the same year as Janine. While he is more awkward than funny, he has one of the biggest hearts. Even as he attempts to be appropriate, he is more clumsy with his words, but in an endearing way. In each of his interactions with the staff, he is eager to please, but it can be a bit desperate and off-putting. Whether he is trying to make a community garden with Barbara or desking, a trend of students running across the desks, his heart is always in the right place. In addition to his clumsy but endearing ways of communicating, his funniest moment in season one is when he attempts to repurpose a broken printer to prove to the school’s custodian, Mr. Johnson, that it doesn’t have to be thrown away. Upon repurposing the printer into a planter, he waters the plants and the water spills all over the table. The level of disappointment Jacob expresses when he gives up is, sadly, highly comical.
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6 Barbara Howard
Upon hearing about the show, Sheryl Lee Ralph recalls in an interview with W Magazine, that she initially wanted the principal’s role, only to be told by Brunson, “No, absolutely not. You are Mrs. Howard. We need a queen and you are her.” Barbara Howard is the queen of Abbott Elementary. Every teacher looks up to her, Janine wants to be her, and the students respect her. Like Melissa Schemmenti, she is a mentor, though a reluctant one as she just wants to teach, get her nails done, and spend time with her lovely husband. Her funniest moments are her facial expressions when Jacob or Ava say or do something awkward.
5 Melissa Schemmenti
Portrayed by the beloved Lisa Ann Walters, Melissa Schemmenti is the complete opposite from The Parent Trap’s Chessy. She is a no-nonsense, tough Philly gal who is one of the more seasoned teachers at Abbott Elementary. Melissa is also the resident “hook up lady” who always has a guy, which is a running joke throughout the series. In the pilot episode, Melissa is able to acquire new rugs for the staff, but when Janine asks for the supplier’s name, Melissa glares at her. Melissa is great for one-liners, like when she tells Janine you can open a Panera’s box full of problems. While her quips add to each episode, her purpose in the series is to be one of the mentors to the younger teachers.
4 Janine Teagues
Miss Teagues is a lot like Jacob: well-meaning but clumsy. However, in all her attempts to be accepted, she has several comical, albeit awkward, moments throughout the series. One instance is early in the series when Janine is attempting to calm down her class. Barbara enters the room, says one word, and you could hear a pin drop. Janine then tells Barbara, “Usually by the time I count to twenty, they start to quiet down.” Another funny moment is when Janine reminds a student about properly addressing her by saying, “Erica, I told you to call me Ms. Teagues. I’m an adult, though we are almost the same height.” One of the funniest moments is Janine attempting to fix the school’s lighting, which causes a power, which she, in turn, continues to make worse despite the staff telling her to give up.
3 Gregory Eddie
Played by Tyler James Williams from Everybody Hates Chris, Gregory “Greg” Eddie is one of the funnier characters of the show, often looking straight into the camera like many characters on The Office when things are outrageous. While one of his best and funniest scenes is when he begins dancing at the assembly, there is an entire episode full of back-to-back funny moments. In episode 9, Jacob, Melissa, Greg, and Barbara discuss their favorite pizzas. After Jacob drives to Baltimore to get Gregory his favorite pizza, he reveals he doesn’t like pizza. In the season finale, he is given clam chowder in a bread bowl and is not excited by any part of it. His facial expressions and flat speech make each episode especially funny.
2 Mr. Johnson
The school custodian, Mr. Johnson, played by William Stanford Davis, is the second-funniest staff member at Abbott Elementary. In addition to the literal messes he has to clean up, he is typically the staff member to call out Jacob or Janine for their meddling. On one occasion, he is asked to fill in for a teacher and writes the word, “Illuminati” on the board saying, “That’s who runs the world!”. Another instance that’s laugh-out-loud funny is when Gregory comes for advice and Mr. Johnson says,“ If you think I’m some sort of Black Yoda, hmm…then correct you would be, Padawan.”
1 Ava Coleman
Possibly the most realistic portrayal of a principal, actress Janelle James plays Ava Coleman impeccably. Despite being the least helpful principal, she carries the show’s funny moment. Whether she is filming a TikTok in the middle of the day or leading the step team, Ava is always camera-ready. Though what seals her comedic moments is her charm. She is the ultimate funny woman of the series. Truly, there are too many funny moments of Ava’s to cover as she steals each scene, albeit intentionally.
