Note: This story contains spoilers from “Abbott Elementary” Season 5, Episode 1.
“Abbott Elementary” has embraced a central theme each season, whether it be battling with the district, grappling with charter schools or reckoning with gentrification, but last season taught showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker it’s okay not to stick to the plan.
Season 4’s biggest storyline happened much later in the season, when Ava (Janelle James) was fired as principal after taking the fall for the school accepting bribes from the golf course next door — a plot that, despite leading most of the central action for the back half of the season, came together “late in the game” in the writers’ room.
“We really liked the results of Season 4 and … the climax and all of that, so we went into [Season 5] a little bit more open-minded,” Schumacker told TheWrap, noting that clear skies approach was both liberating and daunting. “We have figured out what our main themes are and the general thrust of the season, we just figured it out a little bit later than we normally did.”
Like Ava’s Season 4 firing — and subsequent re-hiring — Season 5 embraces changing roles for its teachers that switch up dynamics and prompt them to look inward. Just as Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) has a new lease on life as she takes on her music class, the Season 5 premiere sees Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) embrace her move to middle school, that is, before Jacob (Chris Perfetti) and Morton (Jerry Minor) scare her with their tales of mean middle-schoolers.
Likewise, the arrival of Abbott’s newest teacher and Barbara’s old student, Dom (Luke Tennie), prompts Janine (Quinta Bruson) to reconsider her role at the school after Barbara quickly takes him under her wing.
“We also just try to continue our character’s growth so that it stays fresh,” Halpern added. “At the start of every year, we’ll be like, ‘Hey, let’s put to bed these types of jokes or these types of interactions with these characters that they’ve grown past.’ We were always trying to find the comedy in newer places by the characters growing.”
The showrunners are also careful about incorporating too much Gen Alpha slang, joking that if it gets to them, “it’s probably lame by that point,” but promised a couple labubu references in Season 5.
While last season’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” crossover presented a massive logistical challenge for Halpern and Schumacker — as they pieced together schedules for the busy cast members — they upped the ante with Season 5 by filming Episode 3 at the Philadelphia Phillies game.
“That was more challenging than the crossover — this was like, ‘Hey, we got to move 60 crew and cast to Philly for four or five days,’” Schumacker said, detailing the three days of production in the city of brotherly love, both outside the stadium, in the empty stadium with about 500 extras, and then on the actual game night. They applauded writer Ava Coleman (a coincidence with the character), line producer Scott Sites and location manager David B. Lyons for pulling the episode off.
The team had to pivot in real time for its post-game scene with Phillies star Kyle Schwarber — which was set to include Barbara making a comment about the player slumping — when Schwarber made history as the 21st player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game.
“Kyle Schwarber was amazing,” Schumacker said. “He had to rehearse his scene before the game. He played the game, and then he shot his scene, where he actually has dialogue after the game.”
Schwarber is just one of the guest stars gracing “Abbott Elementary” this season, with “SNL” star Mikey Day appearing in the Season 5 premiere and other comedians set to appear as well.
“We have some cool people that are known in the comedy world, but maybe aren’t quite known to the world, that I think will be really fun adds to the cast,” Halpern said. “We’re always looking for somebody who lives within our tone, but brings a completely different POV to the show, and we have a couple people that are newer that I really am excited about.”
“Abbott Elementary” airs Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
