'Abbott Elementary' Is The New Mockumentary That Is Set To Match The Likes Of 'The Office'

The Office has been a much-loved show over the years. The Steve Carell starrer is a mockumentary about a group of office workers at a Pennsylvanian branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The show premiered in 2005 and ran for nine seasons till 2013. It is based on the BBC comedy series of the same name. People loved Carell's character as an incompetent yet warm-hearted, childish boss at the branch with a mix-match of employees each with a characteristic that made them relatable to the people at our own workplaces.

Fans of the hit show finally have another show that seems to match the humor and entertainment the Greg Daniels show embodies. With a similar mockumentary setting, is the sitcom Abbott Elementary created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It follows a group of dedicated and passionate teachers with a slightly tone-deaf principal. Sound familiar? They find themselves thrown together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. These public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded but they love what they do. Even if they don't love the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children, they are determined.

The Chicago Tribune has gone as far as calling it a worthy successor to The Office. The news outlet praised the show for expertly "excavating the small, often petty realities that form any workday — where demoralizing and nonsensical systems are forever thwarting your best efforts — but the show, to its great advantage, is about more than just punching the clock." The pilot of the show premiered on December 7, 2021, with the second airing on January 5, 2022. Brunson has based the premise loosely on her mother's 40-year tenure in the Philadelphia public school system.

There has been praise for the show all-around. The mockumentary genre of shows seems to not be on a decline at all since this style seems to be working for the show. Another mockumentary about public servants that was a hit and another one of Daniels' creations was the Amy Poehler starrer, Parks and Recreation. Abbott Elementary is also a much-needed commentary on the state of public schools in America. “I’d say the main problem in the school district is, yeah, no money,” Brunson’s character in the show tells the film crew. “The city says there isn’t any but they’re doing a multimillion-dollar renovation to the Eagles stadium down the street from here.”

In fact, USA Today covered a story about the daily struggles of 15 teachers across America. "We found that teachers are worried about more than money. They feel misunderstood, unheard and, above all, disrespected," the news outlet noted, adding, "Public school teachers’ economic prospects have worsened dramatically since the beginning of the Great Recession, especially in poorer states." 

Entertainment Weekly also praised the show, giving it a grade of A- and stating, "'No-frills' may not be a welcome descriptor for a public school, but it should be aspirational for TV comedy. Abbott does the most with the basics: a smart conceit, sharp writing, the right cast. Other sitcoms should be taking notes."