At 33, Quinta Brunson has earned the right to brag about her accomplishment with “Abbott Elementary”, a comedy that she conceived.
Aside from wearing the hats of executive producer, writer and actor, she is able to share in the success of the show which bagged several accolades from Primetime Emmy wins to Critics Choice Awards, among many others.
Interestingly, the workplace mockumentary series was inspired by Brunson’s mother.
She said: “She was a huge inspiration. I’ve watched my mum teach for many, many years. I was in her class in kindergarten. And I went to the school where she taught for the next five years and I got to see behind the scenes of being a teacher.
“And throughout the rest of my years of being a student, I’ve watched her being an educator. And it inspired me. I knew the world very well and I knew there was a comedy in there.”
Brunson admitted that her work for BuzzFeed Video lent itself to the type of show she ended up with.
“Previous experience with viral videos helped in some way. I definitely think it assisted with making a sitcom because making videos for BuzzFeed was about anyone in the world being able to share those videos.
“I think (TV) network is a similar space because you want any audience member to access the show and to be able to enjoy it. And even at BuzzFeed, we were inspired by older sitcoms so it’s all kind of a cycle of making things for large audiences.”
The plan was not about a mass overhaul of the genre. No. Brunson was focused on storytelling by taking a space she could relate to and enhancing it with well-etched characters and situations.
She added: “‘Abbott’ is just a sitcom in a long line of sitcoms. I think that it is special to people because of what it blends together. It’s not about revamping.”
The series, which is set in Willard R. Abbott Elementary School, unpacks the struggles of working at an underfunded school. Teachers find themselves going through a baptism of fire by ensuring the students flourish despite the school’s tough circumstances.
The teachers include Janine Teagues (Brunson), a second-grade teacher with an optimistic disposition. She works alongside Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams), a now full-time first-grade teacher who carries a torch for Janine.
Then there is Ava Coleman (Janelle James), the maladroit school principal who gets a kick out of tormenting the staff, especially Janine.
Other colourful characters include Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Anna Walter), a second-grade teacher with dubious connections, Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti), the history teacher who is an allie of Janine, and Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph), a mentor of Janine’s.
Brunson added: “I was fortunate fto be able to keep most of the outlook. I think in the beginning after the pilot process I was pretty firm on what I wanted it to be. I think we had one character who never made it to the pilot but that kind of happens in development.
“There were enough main characters to focus on. It always goes back to the story. With ‘Abbott’ in the writers’ room, it was important to find unique stories. To go back to what gold we can dig out of our minds. I think things feel stale if you have seen the exact same story in another series.
“So with ‘Abbott’, I always go to what is the corner of the school that we haven’t touched yet. I try and focus on mining interesting stories for our audiences to get excited by.”
When asked about the will-they-won’t-they scenario playing out with Janine and Gregory in season 2, she admitted: “I think the one part about sitcoms is you don’t have to be crazy out of the box with them. We like watching the journey.
“With Janine and Gregory, I thought the one cool thing that we could do was focus on these characters as individuals. Their growth as individuals. They are 26-27. That comes first before their relationship.
“First season, it is really about Janine growing as a teacher. And then it is her individual issue about her relationship with her boyfriend and her mother, then the school is third and then Gregory.
“Gregory this season is about him solidifying his future as a teacher. Figuring out the things within himself he needs to adjust, change and grow with to become a better teacher.”
Although Janine is the drawcard in the series, it wasn’t what was originally pitched.
Brunson explained: “Yeah, the character had to be fleshed out. It initially revolved around Barabara. Janine was a side character. When we took the mockumentary format into consideration, Janine got pulled into the forefront. At the time, I was not playing Janine.
“So a lot of her characteristics like being optimistic became a lot bigger. Naturally, when you flesh someone out, you go into what is their background, what is their family like…
“We had to figure it out right away with Janine, which was fun to do.
“I wanted to make her fun to play. Weirdly, I find it to be a very challenging character. I am not as optimistic as her.”
Before the interview ended, Brunson maintained that the idea wasn’t to reinvent the wheel. It was more to tell a story that hasn’t been done before.
“Sometimes we are going to be really, really goofy and sometimes we are going to be the opposite of goofy. I think we are still doing that in unpacking the reality of a public school.”
In staying true to her vision and personal observations, Brunson has become celebrated as a trailblazer in the industry. At her age, it is no small feat. And she doesn’t take the responsibility lightly either.
∎ “Abbott Elementary” is streaming on Disney+.
