While it has never really been easy to launch a new television show, as we all know, there is now way more competition for audience eyeballs than ever before. So, it was a very pleasant surprise when ABC’s freshman comedy, Abbott Elementary, debuted in December and basically became an instant hit. The series recently nabbed an early renewal for Season 2, and now we know that there are some big ways that Abbott Elementary is also crushing the competition outside of TV.
How Abbott Elementary Is Crushing Other Shows Outside Of TV
If you haven’t already availed yourself of the joys of Abbott Elementary, the sitcom, which was created by and stars comedian Quinta Brunson, follows a group of dedicated teachers and their largely clueless principal at an underfunded Philadelphia school as they do everything in their power to make sure their students get the best education possible. It won viewers over upon its arrival, becoming the first comedy debut on the network to quadruple its ratings after 35 days of viewing on multiple platforms, with its timeslot premiere on January 4 bringing in 9 million viewers.
Now, according to Variety, Abbott Elementary is also the most tweeted comedy of this year, with over 1.5 million posts about the show currently on Twitter. And, it’s very easy to see why once you watch the series.
Not only are lots of people already predisposed to be intrigued by a workplace comedy, seeing as how we’ve all had to deal with the many ups and downs of such an environment, but Abbott Elementary weekly delivers the goods. The show uses a The Office-style conceit to get us into the character’s work lives (though these characters are very different from those seen on that mockumentary classic), and we’re treated to a number of easily tweet-able one-liners and potential gifs when it come to the action, along with the very honest commentary on what teachers at schools like Abbott go through.
Two Of The Stars Of Abbott Elementary Are Also Hits On Twitter
Whenever audiences find a new show they want to discuss on social media, they also usually embrace several of the stars for said show, and the same is true for Abbott Elementary. While everyone loves Sheryl Lee Ralph’s kind but no-nonsense kindergarten teacher Barbara, Lisa Ann Walter’s willing-to-do-slightly-illegal-stuff-for-the-kids second-grade teacher Melissa, Tyler James Williams’ unsure about teaching first-grade substitute Gregory, and Chris Perfetti’s awkward and overly earnest history teacher Jacob, two other stars have really become big hits on Twitter.
The first of those is the previously mentioned writer, creator, and executive producer Quinta Brunson, who stars on Abbott Elementary as second year second-grade teacher Janine, who sometimes causes more problems in her sincere efforts to solve the issues at Abbott. Brunson has turned into a hot commodity on Twitter since the show’s premiere in December, with over 360,000 tweets about her, and Brunson’s account gaining 95,000 followers in that time.
Meanwhile, fans have also really come to adore Janelle James and her tone deaf Abbott principal, Ava, who generally cares way more about creating TikTok videos and preparing for a zombie outbreak than making sure her teachers get all of the support they need to do their jobs well. Since Abbott Elementary hit ABC, James has gained 60,000 followers on Twitter, which is a whopping 181% increase for the comedian.
Abbott Elementary’s official Twitter has also made significant gains, with roughly an additional 38,600 followers since the premiere (which is up 728%), so it’s clear that nearly everyone who loves the comedy and is also on the social media platform wants as many ways as possible to interact with the show and other fans. And, that’s a great thing for everyone involved.
Abbott Elementary returns with new episodes on March 22, but for more to watch be sure to check out the 2022 TV premiere dates!
