The beginning of 2022 has brought forth the official premiere of 4 network sitcoms – two workplace comedies and two friendship comedies. Network series seem to no longer bring in big rewards and are not given the same media attention as the flashy cable and streaming shows that operate independently of FCC standards.
The 4 major US broadcast networks have been so far concentrating on spawning spin-offs from the existing franchises and providing content for the streaming services.
Of the 4 new sitcoms, the easiest to vouch for and the most cheerful is Abbott Elementary on ABC. It is a throwback to the Wonder Years era where you could watch it with your kids or grandparents without a chance of getting embarrassed.
Created by Quinta Brunson, it stars her as Janine Teagues, a teacher embarking on her 2nd year at an elementary school in Philadelphia. She remains optimistic and eager despite facing hardships and realizes how much she still needs to learn to manage a classroom.
Along With Abbott Elementary From ABC, Big Networks Are Active On The Comedy From
All the Big 4 are putting in the necessary efforts on their comedy front. There are CBS’s Ghosts. American Auto, and Grand Crew on NBC. There is finally Abbott Elementary and The Wonder Years on ABC.
While they are yet to reach the stature of classics, they all have the right characters, the tone, and the voice that marks them out for a rise in their graph.
It is a help that the shows are improvising to a certain extent on previous successes. Ghosts have been inspired by iZombie. Featuring Rose McIver, it is the story of a woman who finds that she can see the spirits that haunt the food joint she runs along with her husband.
The Wonder Years is a remake of the coming-of-age classic story, played in the earlier edition by Fred Savage. Here he directs several of the episodes.
The remakes have, at times, used jokes and even plots of the originals. There are echoes of the originals throughout the series. Having the earlier shows as touchstones have helped provide a sort of structural foundation that new comedies desperately need as they figure out the humor part of the show.
Abbott Elementary remains the best of the lot so far. Randall Einhorn, the most prolific director of the series, worked on Parks and The Office. The new actors have fun doing their take on the familiar archetypes.
Abbott Elementary shows that schools provide the perfect background for such sort of dark comedies. The students with their energy help along with the pace of the comedy. It should turn into an exceedingly likable and endearingly funny in a season full of them.
