When will ‘Abbott Elementary’ be back? What we know after the end of the actors’ strike.
The actors strike has ended following a tentative agreement between SAG-AFTRA and production studios. Here's what that means for "Abbott Elementary."
Will class be back in session soon for Abbott Elementary?
A historic Hollywood strike ended Wednesday evening after the actors union reached a tentative agreement with major film and TV studios.
But production schedules were still rocked by the industry-wide shutdown. Philly’s own beloved Abbott Elementary was among the long list of TV shows impacted by the strike.
Quinta Brunson, the show’s creator and lead actor, is a member of both the writers and actors unions that were simultaneously striking for more equitable working conditions. The Writers Guild of America Strike ended in September while the SAG-AFTRA strike continued through Wednesday.
That night, Brunson announced by meme that Abbott’s production would resume soon.
Still, the halt in production — which began right as Abbott’s initial writers-room meetings were supposed to begin — caused delays and inevitable changes to the highly anticipated Season 3.
Here’s what we know so far.
There will be fewer episodes for Season 3
When the WGA strike was launched, Abbott writer Brittani Nichols warned that the strike’s length could impact the number of episodes for the season. That’s because episodes are written while the season is rolling out.
According to Forbes, scripted shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, CSI: Vegas, and Abbott Elementary, are working to salvage seasons to have at least 13 episodes, down from the usual 20, 21, and 22 respectively.
Forbes also reported a dispute between ABC and Warner Bros. regarding the number of episodes to be produced for Abbott this season, bouncing between 13 and 17. A final number has not been disclosed.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Brunson confirmed that Abbott’s third season will have “fewer episodes,” citing the strike and the airing schedule.
“We did 22 last season, and that’s a lot of TV, in particular for me because I’m writing and producing and starring in it,” Brunson said. “So for me, I welcomed a shorter season because it was tiring, exhausting work. Love it, but exhausting for me.”
It should return in 2024, but we don’t know when
Brunson, a native of West Philadelphia, told Deadline that the writers have returned and that the show is expected to come back sometime in 2024. Still, we don’t have an air date confirmed.
Traditionally, the show premiered in the fall and the season’s arc would line up with a traditional public-school year.
The show’s timing changes because it’s now mid-school year
Season 2 of Abbott Elementary ended with Janine and Gregory sharing feelings for each other, but Janine’s deciding to focus on herself instead of pursuing a new relationship on the verge of summer break starting.
Now, the pushed-back schedule means writers will be forced to confront a half-year time jump.
“Our season will still be on the school calendar. [But] last year, we started airing in September, when school started. We’re not doing that this year,” Brunson said. “It’s not like coming back to a family show where you can pop in on that family on any sitcom-y thing. It’s really like, what’s going on in the school?”
Brunson added that the hiccup has forced her team to be creative when it comes to “explaining our absence ... in a way that we think engages the audience [and] protects the world we built.”
The cast is returning and Brunson expects them to feel closer than ever
All of Abbott’s beloved teachers and administrators will return to the classroom.
That includes Brunson as Janine Teagues alongside Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Chris Perfetti, Lisa Ann Walters, and William Stanford Davis, according to Us Weekly.
Ralph and Walters participated in an actors strike rally in Philadelphia earlier this year, where participants praised the duo for their representation of Philadelphia and public schools.
Brunson told Deadline that the writers’ and actors’ strikes brought the Abbott team closer together.
“Look, most people are really just happy to get back to work and to feel respected at work,” she said. “Strikes suck. They’re hard. People hurl insults at each other. It gets nasty. But once it’s done, it really feels like both sides are happy with what they accomplished. I know I feel that way with Warner Bros.”
She added that after “months of not talking to executives that I work with all the time, who I trust, it feels they are happy for what was accomplished by the WGA. We’re happy to be back in the room again. So, in a way, it feels like both sides feel like they accomplished something, and that’s really rewarding.”