What Quinta Brunson Accomplishes With ‘Abbott Elementary’ Is Utterly Inspiring

Think of the highest-rated, most widely-received comedy shows and their creators—many of them are men. And while a tremendous amount of good comes from each of them (Mike Schur—a forever king), we don’t talk about what Quinta Brunson does with Abbott Elementary nearly enough.

At the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, Brunson rightfully took home the award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy, making her the first Black woman (within the specific category) in 42 years since Isabel Sanford’s win for The Jeffersons. The award was presented to her by the indomitable Carol Burnett, creating a historic moment in accolade distribution with women in the genre. With incredible women creators like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Natasha Lyonne, and a few others, women-led comedies aren’t rare in the industry. Still, Quinta Brunson’s viewpoint on Abbott Elementary marks a new, bold steppingstone.

Abbott Elementary isn’t just a comedy that’s genuinely hilarious in an industry where the line between comedy and drama often blurs, but the series is significantly wholesome in how it approaches essential discourse—underfunded school districts, Black communities, and the various means of learning. From the Pilot episode to the Season 2 finale, Brunson focuses the narrative on different personalities without doing anything outright bold to challenge the norms around women-led properties. In many ways, comedy today tends to follow obscure, rarer narratives, often sprinkled with twists the audience isn’t quite expecting. (There’s a reason they’re great—I’m not trying to knock them here.) Yet, Quinta Brunson takes something so simple, seemingly safe and ordinary and makes it tremendous.

A series centered around a few teachers at an elementary school shouldn’t be as engaging and brilliant for adults who aren’t in the field, but that’s where the beauty of Brunson’s vision comes into play. She ensures that Abbott Elementary will stand the test of time through profoundly vital conversations and hilariously thoughtful beats of humor. She paves the road for concise, more grounded stories featuring minorities in a way that wholeheartedly feels right. In many ways, it’s a lot like Brooklyn Nine-Nine—a series that continued to learn through the world, allowing itself to grow and evolve organically. 

At the same time, Quinta Brunson’s warmth as Janine Teagues makes the series more memorable and inviting. She’s consistently pushing boundaries without trying to, but rather, she maintains a kindness through humor that’s still so infrequent in this industry. A series like Ted Lasso did it best with the theme, and Abbott Elementary is going to be remembered in the same vein, taking a simple premise and allowing multiple people the chance to be seen and appreciated. The series isn’t just therapeutic in its approach to influential topics in the world but in addressing different dynamics, challenges, and social constructs. Throughout the series, Brunson addresses genuine and toxic positivity, preconceived notions about various scenarios, and what it truly means to be an educator. Every episode features an effortlessly brilliant little lesson wrapped in a neat bow that’s comforting and familiar yet never too saccharine. The indescribably warm balance between series topics and wholesome, laugh-out-loud humor makes the show worthy of every accolade possible.

On a personal note, I suppose the reason Abbott Elementary is so deeply special is because I, for one, never thought I’d ever want to go back to the place that messed me up for a long time. We all talk about middle school as the awkward years of our lives, but for me, what Quinta Brunson and the entire cast embodied throughout the show helped me heal from issues caused by the treatment I received from teachers in elementary school. By watching the series, I’ve been able to understand that I wasn’t the problem, but rather, I was living in a time where learning disabilities were glossed over and kids were blamed instead of being understood. Thus, every moment of her win matters—for the industry, for kids everywhere who’ll one day watch the show, the characters, and comedy as a genre. Plus, hopefully, this is only the beginning of her deserved success. Because yes, it’s enormously inspiring that she can take a series based on one of the most critical points of our lives and make it uplifting every step of the way, both as a creator and a performer.

First Featured Image Credit: ©ABC