"Abbott Elementary," the ABC sitcom about the teachers at a West Philadelphia elementary school, took home two Emmys for its first season.
Sheryl Lee Ralph won for best supporting actress in comedy, while writer, star and West Philly native Quinta Brunson took home the Emmy for best comedy writing. This is Ralph’s first Emmy in her four decade-plus career, while Brunson made Emmys history.
"Abbott Elementary" lost best comedy series to "Ted Lasso." "Succession" won for best drama series. Other big winners included "Hacks’" Jean Smart, who beat out Brunson for best actress in a comedy series, and "Ted Lasso’s" Jason Sudeikis who won best actor in a comedy series. "Squid Game’s" Lee Jung-jae became the first foreign language actor to win for best actor in a drama series.
Ralph, who plays Jim Gardner-loving veteran educator Barbara Howard, beat out nominees in the outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series category including fellow "Abbott" star Janelle James, Alex Borstein ("The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"), Kate McKinnon ("Saturday Night Live") and Sarah Niles ("Ted Lasso") for the win. Ralph had previously won a Tony Award for her role in "Dreamgirls."
Ralph opened her speech by singing Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species.” “I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like. This is what striving looks like. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you,” she said.
Ralph, also known as the first lady of Pennsylvania’s 7th Senatorial District thanks to her marriage to state Sen. Vincent Hughes, portrays teacher Barbara Howard on "Abbott." The character, a veteran educator who shepherds rookies through tough situations, was modeled after creator and Philly native Quinta Brunson’s mom, who herself was a kindergarten teacher.
"Abbott" and Brunson best comedy writing Emmy comes from one of seven nominations the show earned in July. To win, it beat out fellow nominees including HBO’s "Barry," Apple TV+’s "Ted Lasso" and FX’s "What We Do in the Shadows," among others.
During Brunson’s acceptance speech, presenter Jimmy Kimmel continued a bit where he lay on the floor pretending to be passed out. Twitter was not amused by the joke, and criticized the late night comedian for stealing Brunson’s spotlight.
With the award, Brunson becomes the second Black woman in Emmys history to take home an award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. The first was Lena Waithe, who won with fellow writer Aziz Ansari for Netflix’s "Master of None" in 2017.
Brunson is the first Black woman to earn three nominations in the award show’s comedy category — and, at 32, the youngest Black woman ever nominated for an acting award in the comedy category.
The show specifically won for its pilot episode, which Brunson wrote. Brunson, a West Philadelphia native, also created the series and stars as teacher Janine Teagues.
The award is the latest "Abbott" achievement for Brunson, who has had a whirlwind year. Following its debut in December, "Abbott" became the first ABC comedy to quadruple its ratings after its premiere episode, and it went on to become a local favorite thanks in part to its authentic Philly roots and setting.
Brunson herself was also named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in May. Last month, she inked an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group to create new projects for all the studio’s platforms.
"Abbott," meanwhile, premieres its second season on ABC on Sept. 21. The day after airing, new episodes will be available to stream via Hulu, and will later be available via HBO Max.
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