"Abbott Elementary" was on the Guardian's Top TV of 2022 list and whilst I was a bit nonplussed with the first few episodes, I thought it picked up pretty quickly and ended up enjoying the remainder. I was concerned that as this second run would up the number of episodes to 22 it might dilute the quality, but instead I think the show finds momentum in them and was again really good.
Janine (Quinta Brunson) splits from Tariq (Zack Fox) which causes her to struggle to pay her bills. The school continues to struggle financially too, and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) ends up with a mixed class of second and third grade children, which causes problems with attempting to teach both classes. Ava (Janelle James) comes under increasing pressure to actual undertake her job and even teach a class when Janine is off sick.
It's not exactly a revolution. "Abbott Elementary" is another in the list of generally quite gentle, warm comedies, that are popular at the moment. Even within that structure, and the documentary conceit, (boy do they all love a 'check this out' look down the lens) the show is genuinely funny, and I laughed quite a bit whilst watching it. The 'will they won't they' relationship between Janine and Gregory continues, as does a subplot about a former student, played by Leslie Odom Jr trying to convert the school to a charter school. Janine's family is rounded out a bit with Ayo Edebiri as her sister and Taraji P Henson as her damaged and mendacious mother.
The balance within the show of grounded characters and lunatics is just about right, with both Ava and Mr Johnson managing to take the show into unrealistic flights of fancy without derailing the whole endeavour.
I enjoyed it and am looking forward to season three.