Everything We Know About 'Abbott Elementary' Season 2

TV fans weren't necessarily looking for a revitalization of the network sitcom—but then ABC's Abbott Elementary came along. The series created by and starring Quinta Brunson premiered in December 2021 and turned out to be an A+ student of the workplace comedy genre with its own original spin. With its incredible, diverse cast, jokes that deserve a gold star, and the ability to stream it on Hulu, more and more fans caught on to the show every week—recognizing it as one of 2022's best and the comfort viewing they didn't know they needed.

Given what a hit the show was—becoming ABC's highest-rated comedy and the most-tweeted about TV comedy this year—it's fair to wonder if the sitcom will be graduating from kindergarten to first grade (or, if it'll be back for Season 2). That's not to mention the hold the show's central will-they-won't-they already has a hold on us, and our attachment to our new favorite teachers! Because we can't wait for more, we've been doing our homework and rounded up everything there is to know about more Abbott Elementary below.

Yes! In March 2022 before Season 1 had even wrapped up, Abbott Elementary was renewed for Season 2. With the series' glowing report card as its networks' most popular comedy, it was only inevitable that the show would be back for more. The series announced the second season was green-lit on Twitter with a note written by the educator you love to hate, Janelle James' character Principal Ava Coleman. You can read the very funny message here.

While everybody was on summer break in June, ABC announced when school will be back in session. As reported by Variety, Season 2 of Abbott Elementary will premiere on Wednesday, September 21 at 9pm ET on ABC, with new episodes hitting streaming on Hulu the following day. 

Thankfully, none of the cast members should be transferring schools and it sounds like everybody will be back for another year of elementary shenanigans. That means expect to continue learning ABCs, 123s, and valuable life lessons from all of your favorite educators including Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson), Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams), Principal Ava (Janelle James), Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter), Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti), and Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph). Aside from the teachers, we'll probably get more great one-liners from William Stanford Davis' hilarious custodian Mr. Johnson, and it seems likely Ava will get in more kerfuffles with superintendent Denzel Collins, played by Reggie Hayes.

The only characters whom it's unclear if we'll be seeing more of are Janine's longtime boyfriend Tariq (Zack Fox) and Barbara's daughter Taylor (Iyana Halley). The end of the season saw Tariq moving to NYC and Janine saying that she didn't want to go with him and would rather take a break from their relationship, so he'll no longer be a Philly regular. That being said, it seems likely he'll come through on tour or perhaps want to reconcile with Janine at some point. Then as for Taylor, the Season 1 finale saw her getting flirty with Gregory, so it's possible they're in for a little romance (and perhaps the wrath of her very caring, well-meaning mother hen).

Season 1 was pretty confined to the humble halls of Abbott, but since it was such a successful first installment, we can only expect that sophomore year will get to go even bigger. There aren't many official details about what that might look like, but we're guessing the show won't exclusively be set in the classroom and we'll be in for more goofy guest stars.

Although nothing is confirmed, some of the stars have spoken out about what they think will happen. In Elle, Quinta Brunson has said she'd like the show to take "more field trips," both in terms of the literal trips like to the zoo in the Season 1 finale and then just settings outside of the school. The piece also said Sheryl Lee Ralph would love to see Barbara start a choir, Lisa Ann Walter is hoping for a trip to a teaching convention, but like one in "Atlantic City", and, like many of us, Tyler James Williams wants more development from the Janine and Gregory will-they-won't-they. He did also say to Variety, though, that he thinks it'll be awhile before we see that romance flourish and his new flirtationship with Barbara's daughter could be a focus of Season 2—which wouldn't just affect his dynamic with Janine, but Barbara, too.

More generally, we'll probably see themes from Season 1 carry over. Fans may remember the finale ended with Barbara feeling as if she needs some sort of career growth and Janine is now even more independent, since she's single for the first time in years. Then, as always, Ava may or may not be facing consequences of her blackmail and embezzlement schemes.

Whatever is in the works, we're sure it's going to be delightful and see the teachers trying their best in their own, unique ways to enlighten the lives of Philly's youth. As more details become available, we'll continue to update this story.

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