Quinta Brunson’s hit mockumentary sitcom, Abbott Elementary, is back for a fourth season with its delightful cast of characters who’ve won viewers’ hearts.   

Season 4 of Abbott kicks off with one of the biggest twists since “I can see dead people…”.  A new white student at the black public school we have been following the previous three seasons. The new student acts as a harbinger of what seems to be this season’s big bad… a new golf course. This golf course is funded by the city and only seems to land holes in the teachers’ lesson plans. The construction causes a myriad of problems ranging from low water pressure due to a burst pipe to giving people trouble parking. The parking issue leads to ‘concerned’ deadbeat, Darnell, being late to the fight he challenged Tyler James Williams’ Gregory Eddie to (because of Darnell’s son admiring his 1st grade teacher, Eddie).  

The introduction of the golf course within minutes of the first episode holds the theme at the beating heart of this show right in front of your face: The lack of funding and resources given to public schools and teachers. The city feeds money into this golf course to supposedly increase property value and build new houses, which the current citizens of West Philly “will never see the inside of,” as noted by Darnell. All the while Lisa Ann Walter’s Melissa Schemmenti has snot on her hands thanks to the low water pressure and Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Barbara Howard is “still waiting on those paper towels,” for her classroom. Abbott points the finger at the governing bodies that choose to fund trivial pastimes for wealthy white people, for the sake of improving the city’s aesthetic. All whilst underfunding public school districts and leaving the teachers, parents and students of Abbott out to dry.  

Though Abbott remains focused on the American Education System I find many of the themes relevant here in Britain. Particularly, those regarding funding. We have seen our government sink money into the xenophobic ‘Rwanda Scheme’ and fund Israel’s assault on Gaza rather than our education system and public services. Now tuition fees have been raised, making higher education more inaccessible, and the bus fare cap being raised to £3 pounds will make the simple act of travelling to school or university more expensive.  

However, rather than giving into the doomerism around the state of education Abbott maintains a joyous optimism by detailing the relentless efforts of the staff to provide for their students. History teacher Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) locks himself in room full of students who have been exposed ringworm so that they still get an education that day whilst containing the spread. Gregory discovering connecting with his students is “the best part of the job.” The Christian Barbara Howard lying through her back teeth so the district will service the school’s computers. The same computers she, Jacob and Melissa obtained through blackmailing those in charge of the golf course. Eternally optimistic Janine Teagues, played Brunson herself, working with the district to get funding for extracurriculars and coming out with class pets. Overseeing it all is Principal Ava Coleman, who across the four seasons has gone from not taking her role seriously to scheming and bending over backwards “to get [her] kid’s computers,” and other resources, despite action being her “least favourite thing to take.”   

The first half of season 4 is off to a fantastic start. Gregory and Janine’s romance is still endearing even after they have gotten together, and the cast is a goldmine of one liners and exceptional comedic timing. Abbott’s future looks very sunny indeed. 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons