"Abbott Elementary Season 3" Moving Too Slow?

 

    Do I have some secret love for Abbott Elementary that makes it one of my favourite shows of all time? No, yet every time a new season of the show hits Disney+ in Canada I can't help but mow through it in less than a day. Yet despite that, I always come out wanting more, both in the sense of the number of episodes, and just the general format. I think my main gripe with this season was that it sticks too closely to it's format, and it just feels like the reshuffling of the deck, with the only major change being at the very end. Look, we as fans have been waiting too long for Janine and Gregory to get together, and for them to finally address it at the end of the season, with little else to show for is disappointing. What makes it worse is that I actually enjoyed what Janine did this season. I'm not saying the show's gone stale beyond repair, but I'd be lying if I said I do appreciate the shakeup that they introduced. And honestly, having Janine at the school board was refreshing, for once it really felt like they were doing something for the kids, and that is always a win in my book.

    Now, this may come as a surprise, as I think one of the most common flaws in a TV show is adding too many characters and stretching oneself thin, but this show needs more. Look, the main cast of Janine, Mr. Johnson, Jacob, Gregory, Ava, Miss Howard and Miss Schemmenti, is good, I like the chemistry between them all, but there's simply not enough from them. I need either some serious character growth or changes from them, or for them to add new characters to affect the dynamic. It's simply too stagnant at this point, the only change I've seen is that basically Ava's less useless than she was before, which makers her character kind of tolerable now, which is a win in my eyes. But, by destroying Ms. Schemmenti's love interest, and having Jacob break up with his boyfriend, I'm simply wishing there were more loveable side characters that showed up every once in a while, because it feels like we're losing them.

    I suppose, part of my gripe is that I really don't like Manny, or frankly anyone else from the school board, except for whoever Keegan-Michael Key plays, I love him. I think it's just the way Manny speaks, it sounds kind of fake to me, so I'm just kind of put off by him and automatically distrusting of him. Which is weird because he's a perfectly fine character, but he doesn't really have much of a personality that's ever fleshed out, and mostly just serves to move Janine's arc forward. Speaking of which, why did Janine go back to teaching? I understand sticking to your roots, and struggling with letting go, but at the same time, Janine being at the school board was one of the best things that happened to this show. They just kept on going around in circles with this whole Gregory and Janine thing, and nothing in the cast changes, it's just same-old same-old, year-in year-out. It was refreshing, and they simply threw it back into the trash can, to come back to the exact same premise as season one, but this time Janine and Gregory have finally confessed their love for each other, fun I guess.

    The people need more, it's fine that they're just churning out basically the same thing over and over again, but even other sitcoms that stay largely static introduce new characters, or new plots. Especially one that's this short too, because then what are you waiting for? Another season that will once again navigate the romantic relationship between Janine and Gregory, where they figure out whether or not to keep it private, and how to maintain an appropriate work environment while also harboring serious romantic feelings for each other? It's just too obvious, it's just playing it too safe, and from one of the few modern sitcoms I actually see people talking about, I had hoped for more, especially because unlike sitcoms of the past, this one is significantly shorter on average. This show needs an injection, and I'm just afraid Quinta Brunson is afraid to take that, but I think the show needs it. I don't know how many more fans are going to accept a fourth season where the only real major change is Janine and Gregory's relationship. It's not that hard, I just outlined ways they could freshen up a room they've been staying in for quite some time.

Final Score: 55/100

    It's a bit of an uphill battle for Abbott Elementary, I like the show, but it's so short and frankly is not memorable in the least bit. As soon as I finish binging the show I just end up forgetting character names, and I don't really get excited when new season are announced. I just notice that it's finally on my streaming service and start binging. That could definitely change though, but the team behind the show just need to be willing to take risks. I understand why they don't want to. How many of my reviews talk about how a certain show I love is suffering from stretched-too-thin-syndrome? But I think this show is suffering from the opposite, very rarely do you actually see a show begin to show signs of stagnation, but I think this is a case of it. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually do want to see this show succeed, I think the way it sometimes can serve as a commentary on the education system is great, and frankly, it's very easy for me to consume, and there is merit in creating a product so agreeable and accessible, sometimes I just want to turn my brain off and consume, and this show helps with that. After a while though you can tell when you've basically been watching the same thing though, and I think I'm close to reaching that point with Abbott Elementary.