Fresh off Emmy wins for show creator Quinta Brunson and star Sheryl Lee Ralph, Season 2 of “Abbott Elementary” returns as confident as ever — sharp and searingly funny, but with a baseline warmth that feels meaningful in a world that’s become increasingly cold to the idea that we’re meant to look out for one another.
It’s been a long few months since we’ve had new episodes of this sitcom and its fictional portrayal of life in a chronically underfunded Philadelphia public school. I didn’t realize how much I had been holding my breath for its return on ABC (and Hulu). Watching the first two episodes provided to critics, I laughed all the laughs and choked back all the feel-good tears. It’s such a perfect amalgam of talents both in front of and behind the camera.
In the years since streaming became ascendant, older sitcoms like “The Office” and “Friends” became hits all over again while so many newer sitcoms struggled to catch fire, regardless of where they aired. “Abbott” is a reminder that there’s still value in this format — if you do it right. Even on a broadcast network. Especially on a broadcast network. The show manages to be unflinching but also hilariously self-deprecating about the human condition. That’s quite the balancing act from Brunson and her team of writers.
