With Abbott Elementary going back to school for a fifth season, creator, showrunner and star Quinta Brunson has graduation on her mind.
The Golden Globe winner recently admitted she’s “looking forward to moving away” from roles like that of second-grade teacher Janine Teagues as she also considers how “very time-consuming” the series is for her cast to continue committing.
“We are so fortunate and blessed to be on a network TV show for five seasons, and for people to still be fans,” she told Bustle. “That being said, I have cast members who would love to pursue other projects, and our show is very time-consuming. We shoot about seven months out of the year. That can stop people from being able to do a lot of other things.”
The 3x Emmy-winning series also stars Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti and William Stanford Davis.
Brunson, who created the ABC sitcom in 2021 and has since continued to lead the writers’ room, is also looking forward to getting a chance to act in other people’s projects.
“Right now, I’m receiving scripts, and waiting for that moment that feels like, ‘Oh man, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for,’” she added. “Abbott has been so successful, and I want to use that success to get other people’s projects off the ground.”
Brunson explained, “I’m always interested in playing against type. I think that’s any actor’s dream. Right now my type is ‘Janine’ and ‘teacher.’ I’m looking forward to moving away from that a little bit.”
Ahead of the Season 4 finale, ABC gave Abbott Elementary an early Season 5 renewal in January.
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