Abbott Elementary’s Season 5 Premiere Had A Lot Of Moving And Shaking, And I Need To Talk About One Specific Change

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Be warned: spoilers for Abbott Elementary’s Season 5 premiere are coming up! If you’re behind, you can watch new episodes on Hulu the day after they air on ABC.

It’s back-to-school time, and the new fall TV shows are starting, including Season 5 of Abbott Elementary – which means it’s time to discuss it! There’s plenty to chat about, as a lot has happened over the summer at this Philadelphia school, both in the characters’ personal lives and at work. But there’s one change among the teachers that I especially enjoyed, and I need to share my thoughts about it.

Currently, Janine is adjusting to a larger class and experimenting with different ways of teaching. A new teacher, portrayed by Shrinking’s Luke Tennie, has joined the staff. Barbara discovered she really enjoyed teaching music. Meanwhile, Ava was causing potential problems for HR by openly displaying her romance with O’Shon.

And now, Melissa is starting a completely different job. She used to be a second-grade teacher, but now she’s teaching middle school math – working in the same building as her roommate, Jacob. I’m particularly thrilled about this new opportunity for her. It’s the change I’m most looking forward to seeing.

I was really excited about it right away, because compared to other elementary school teachers, Lisa Ann Walter’s character seems the most prepared to work with middle school students. And her no-nonsense, Philly attitude clashing with the awkwardness of tweens is sure to be funny.

What really hooked me about this episode is how it hints at just how tough things are going to get for her. I was honestly cracking up watching Jacob and Morton try to act like middle school kids – their little simulation of being taught was hilarious! It’s rare to see Ms. Schemmenti on the defensive, but she definitely was during this whole exchange: it was great to watch.

  • Morton: Look, these kids are mean. One told me: ‘That’s why your bitch left you, bitch.’
  • Melissa: I think you’re overdoing it on the b-word.
  • Jacob: I don’t think he’s doing it enough. ‘Hey, why’d you rat out you’re brother and get him locked up?’
  • Melissa: What?!? That never happened!
  • Jacob: And scene. I was being a kid, we live in a post-truth landscape, and these kids hit below the belt.
  • Morton: Which is where you haven’t been touched in years. Snitch, unless you count Sweetcheecks.
  • Melissa: You keep my son’s name out of your filthy mouth.

You realize a situation is really something when Morton and Jacob both agree on it, and they definitely both agree about how tough middle schoolers can be. So, I’m excited to see Melissa get comfortable and ultimately take charge of her classroom (and I know she’s capable of doing so!). I think it’ll be hilarious watching her navigate dealing with tweens for the first time while also trying to teach math, and I really can’t wait to see how it goes.

I really like this development because it represents a significant change among the teachers at Abbott. We’ve previously seen Janine move to a position at the district office, and Ava was let go last season, with Gregory temporarily taking on the role of principal. However, we’ve never witnessed our main group of teachers switch grade levels before.

This is a common situation in schools, and I expected it to occur on Abbott eventually. I believe it happened to the most deserving person. I’m excited to see Melissa navigate middle school students, with Jacob supporting her-he’s really the one with the experience in this area.

This show has the potential to be hilarious, and I’ll definitely be tuning in to watch it on ABC Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, or streaming it on Hulu the following day. I’m eager to see how things unfold as Abbott Elementary’s fifth season progresses.

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2025-10-02 04:09