Quinta Brunson and Abbott Elementary Have Risen as Broadcast TVs Heroes

Posted by Aldo Pusey on Tuesday, August 13, 2024

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One of the liveliest consumer activations at last month’s San Diego Comic-Con was for ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.” Dubbed “A.V.A. Fest” (A Very Abbott Festival), the experience attracted thousands of attendees — all hoping to hop on a carnival swing, ride a tall slide into a pool of plastic balls, hammer a strength tester and get a free “Abbott”-themed trucker cap. 

It was quite an event for a show that isn’t exactly your typical Comic-Con fare. There aren’t any dragons, superheroes or zombies in the three seasons I’ve enjoyed so far of “Abbott Elementary.” But the ABC comedy has a tremendous following, and there’s no better place to find fans than amongst 150,000 or so people who show up in San Diego. As proof of that, the line to get into “A.V.A. Fest” snaked down the pier behind the convention center all weekend. Let “Abbott Elementary” be a proud outlier. 

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After all, “Abbott” is already a proud outlier in another kind of event — as the Last Primetime Broadcast Live Action Scripted Show Standing at the Emmys. I know, that’s a bit of a mouthful, and a caveat to note that the networks are still holding their own in late-night and in animation. But as someone who has covered this business a few decades now, it’s stunning to remember how much of a novelty it was when just one cable show might sneak into what was otherwise a contest for ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. 

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Among the list of shows that have received five or more noms this year, “Abbott” is alone when it comes to that distinction. NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” still leads all broadcast nominees, at 17, but when it comes to primetime, “Abbott” tops with nine. And beyond that, all other primetime series with five or more nominations are all unscripted: “The Amazing Race,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Voice” (at five each). 

How dire is it for broadcast series? Even awards shows from rival genres land more nominations than almost all of them, with the Oscars (seven), Grammys (five) and Tony Awards (five) all making the cut. 

This is nothing new, of course, in the Streaming ‘20s. There hasn’t been a broadcast nominee in the drama side since 2021, when NBC’s “This Is Us” went off the air. The last time a broadcaster made it into the limited/anthology series race was 2016, for Season 2 of ABC’s “American Crime.” And “Abbott” has been the lone broadcast comedy series nominee since its debut in 2022. 

Wins are even tougher to come by: In drama, it was Fox’s “24” in 2006. And in comedy, it was Season 5 of ABC’s “Modern Family” (capping a five-year winning streak) in 2014. 

“Abbott” hasn’t won the top comedy series Emmy yet, but it’s done well — and in particular, series creator and star Quinta Brunson, who has already won two Emmys for the show: Comedy writing in 2022 and lead comedy actress in 2023. This time out, she’s nommed in both of those categories. “Abbott” stars Sheryl Lee Ralph, Janelle James and Tyler James Williams are also nominated in supporting comedy fields (while Lisa Ann Walter and Chris Perfetti were once again disappointingly overlooked).  

So, let’s give “Abbott Elementary” and Brunson their flowers for fighting the good fight in a competition where you’re already at a bit of a disadvantage: Even with the Hollywood strikes, “Abbott” produced 14 episodes in Season 3 — more than any of its competitors. (And in Season 2, they did a good ol’ fashioned full freight of 22). The ratings demands are different on a broadcast show, as are the standards and practices parameters.  

And yet, Brunson and company are pulling off something special — and thankfully, it’s being noticed by the Academy. (Hey voters, there are other great broadcast series too, let me introduce you to “Ghosts,” for starters.) And even more importantly, as witnessed by that crowd in San Diego, it’s being noticed by fans. Quinta Brunson didn’t ask to be broadcast TV’s hero, but thank goodness she’s here. 

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