It’s no secret that Abbott Elementary is one of the best comedies on television right now. The program shows no signs of slowing down in its sophomore season, but “Sick Day” demonstrated another strength the program has.
Cast depth.
This isn’t going to surprise you, but the entire “Abbott” cast is good. All of them. Reference Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Emmy and almost unanimous fan praise for that.
But the Abbott Elementary universe expanded last night, with the Principal Ava Coleman-centric outing that proved that show mastermind Quinta Brunson’s story is so strong that it could completely unload the plot on almost any regular talent.
That shouldn’t discount from Janelle James’ epic scene stealing work. During the last two seasons we’ve gotten these periods where she’s not just the pop culture, name dropping, negligent leader of the school, but the smallest crevice of light that she’s just like the rest of her co workers. We saw it with that scene with her grandmother from last season. And we saw it this week.
My point is that if Quinta Brunson needed to take a Michael Scott exit to work on a spin off or other projects, then the show would still thrive. It’s become that good.
Producers can spot scene carrying talent. Small characters like Ashley Garcia (more Keyla Monterroso Mejia, please), Tasha, and almost every kid with a line, can conduct the energy that feeds the show. We see the compliments on social media every week.
I wouldn’t mind watching the show jump back and forth between Janine and her co workers with episodes that both advance a larger plot (charter schools) and stand alone shows like this one.
Enjoying the season. Until next time.