If you’re like most “Abbott Elementary” fans you are already missing the stellar sitcom and are waiting to hear an announcement of when the next season will debut. Well, we finally have word about its third season, and it is very exciting news! According to Variety, “Abbott Elementary” is scheduled to premiere on Feb. 7 with an hour-long special debut.
To celebrate this thrilling announcement, I rewatched the beloved sitcom series and curated a list detailing its most hilarious episodes. Here are five of the funniest “Abbott Elementary” episodes:
5. “Teacher’s Conference” (Season 2, Episode 16)
Seeing the Abbott students and staff outside the classroom is always a joy to watch, and this episode is one of the finest examples of such a situation. In “Teacher’s Conference,” the Abbott staff heads to the Pennsylvania Educational Conference where teachers come together to swap ideas and knowledge to help them become great educators. The “rookie teachers”, as Mellissa (Lisa Ann Walter) calls them, are eager to participate in the conference. However, experienced teachers Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa are more excited to spend their time in the indoor pool facilities.
Janine’s (Quinta Brunson) eagerness and pleasant commentary throughout attending the conference were a delight to watch. But what made this episode stand out was Melissa and Barbara’s laid-back scenes, since the audience doesn’t normally see the two in such a relaxed manner. For instance, the aftermath of their drinking too many “two plus one Math-a-Ritas” is one of the most iconic scenes from the entire series. Overall, seeing more of this amazing teacher duo made “Teacher’s Conference” one of the top “Abbott” episodes.
4. “New Tech” (Season 1, Episode 4)
Having to use technology can sometimes be difficult for someone to navigate if they didn’t grow up in the generation of computers, iPads and smartphones. In this episode, creator Brunson pokes fun at this experience when the teachers at Abbott are introduced to a new computer program, which is intended to help students with reading. While young teachers like Janine are excited to use the platform, old-school teacher Barbara is hesitant and insists on not using it. Barbara’s resistance causes her to override her student’s reading level scores. However, she accidentally sets them to a fourth-grade reading level instead of a kindergartner level. This results in one of her students named Will (Levi Mynatt) having to read out loud to the whole school to show his remarkable progress. From Will’s amazing dance moves to Barbara’s frustration with technology, the hilarity of this episode immediately entices viewers to continue watching the entire series.
3. “Step Class” (Season 1, Episode 9)
As per the title, this episode follows Janine teaching a step class after school. However, once Principal Ava (Janelle James) learns that Janine is running the class, she immediately insists that she and Janine run the club together. While Ava and Janine try to learn to work together, Gregory reveals the shocking secret to Barbara, Melissa and Jacob (Chris Perfetti) during a pizza “eat-off” that he does not like pizza.
Viewers already know that Ava’s satirical commentary about Janine is always amusing. However, the unexpected secret that Gregory dislikes pizza is what makes this episode shine as one of the funniest episodes since it is almost unheard of for someone to hate the beloved Italian dish. Like Melissa says, “How do you not like pizza Gregory, it’s pizza!” With the pop culture references of Lady Gaga and Cardi B and the questioning of Gregory’s taste in food, you couldn’t help but laugh at nearly every scene.
2. “Candy Zombies” (Season 2, Episode 6)
With any sitcom, a holiday episode is a must, and “Abbott Elementary’s” first debut of their Halloween episode exceeded viewers’ expectations. This episode centers around a student dressed as the Marvel Comics villain Thanos, who steals a bag of candy meant to be given out to the kids at the end of the day. When the student distributes candy to all Abbott students during school hours, the children run amok as they consume too much sugar. To stop the school’s chaos, the teachers band together to determine who the culprit is. From the very beginning, this episode brings many laughs with the students’ and staff’s costumes. For instance, the stellar Mr. Johnson (William Stanford) costume from one of the Abbott students was the highlight of the episode since Mr. Johnson himself wasn’t too fond of the outfit. In addition, the “Avengers Infinity War” and “Endgame” plot inspiration was pure comedy as the episode had many references to the popular film series that kept viewers amused throughout the entire episode.
1.“Desking” (Season 1, Episode 11)
What makes “Abbott Elementary” true comedy gold is its students as they routinely bring quick-witted commentary and hilarious facial expressions. You see this in the “Desking” episode where the students start participating in a new online trend where they jump from desk to desk. When the teachers discover this dangerous trend, they try to put an end to it. However, with Janine and Jacob’s terrible problem-solving and detective skills, the students are unfazed by getting caught and are even more eager to participate. This hilarious interaction between the teachers and students was entertaining as the students were outsmarting the teachers. As a result, this episode is the funniest episode of the entire series.
“Abbott Elementary” is available to stream on Hulu or Max.