The 10 Most Powerful Characters in ‘Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power,’ Ranked Abbott Elementary is one of the best sitcoms on television right now. Inspired by her mother’s own days as a school teacher, Quinta Brunson’s mockumentary sitcom offers 22-minute episodes filled with all the elements that sitcom fans enjoy, from endearing characters to entertaining storylines. The show has just concluded its third season, with a perfect ending for anyone who has shipped Janine and Gregory, and a fourth season of Abbott Elementary is on the way. Although Abbott Elementary is a popular show on ABC, certain episodes attract more attention from fans and casual viewers. These episodes feature big guest stars, the big end-of-the-year field trip, and major holidays, such as Halloween or Valentine’s Day.
But, there are Abbott Elementary episodes which deserve more attention than they get. Ultimately, these episodes can be considered underrated and might not be as popular. Most of these episodes are from earlier seasons of Abbott Elementary when the show was just getting its momentum going and fans were just getting to know the characters. The most underrated episodes of Abbott Elementary have entertaining plots and reveal interesting insights into the show’s main characters, and their relationships with each other.
10 “Art Teacher”
Season 1, Episode 7
Janine (Quinta Brunson) asks her college friend, Sahar (Mitra Jouhari), to come in as a volunteer art teacher. Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and Janine are excited to work with Sahar on the annual “Peter Rabbit” project. However, Sahar wants to push boundaries, and creates an elaborate art installation in the library out of the books which Melissa paid for with her own money. Meanwhile, Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Jacob (Chris Perfetti) decide to start a vegetable garden at Abbott when they notice the school lunches are lacking in vegetables. Gregory (Tyler James Williams) secretly saves the garden from dying.
“Art Teacher,” directed by Jennifer Celotta and written by Kate Peterman, might not be one of the most popular Abbott Elementary guest episodes, but it is worth a watch. Jouhari is pretty funny as Sahar, especially whenever she interacts with Melissa. In a way, this is kind of a mini college reunion episode for Janine. Abbott Elementary fans get a little glimpse into Janine in her college days in the form of a cute (but somewhat embarrassing) party photo. Fans also get to see another side to the tough Melissa, who just happens to have a soft spot for Peter Rabbit and his adventures. The garden side plot with Jacob and Barbara is entertaining. Watching Barbara and Jacob connect in the garden is enjoyable, but it’s even better when Gregory has to rescue them from killing the plants.
9 “Panel”
Season 3, Episode 8
Ava and Gregory are invited to be on a panel moderated by Tariq (Zachary Fox). Ava is excited about the panel until she runs into her sorority sister, Krystal, who also happens to be a school principal. Ava and Gregory try to out do Krystal and Richard. Barbara, Melissa, Jacob, and Janine need to get recertified for CPR. But, Janine is distracted with her library project. Janine realizes she has until that evening to resolve an issue with her project, or it will not be approved by Superintendent Reynolds (Keegan-Michael Key).
A panel moderated by Tariq (Zack Fox) is the best setup for potential chaos, and Panel puts Ava and Gregory into a challenging scenario, which brings out both their competitive sides. Ava and Gregory’s attempts to one up Krystal and Richard are hilarious. While Gregory and Ava bond over their enemies, it’s kind of stress inducing to see poor Janine run around between her CPR class and resolving her project issue. But, it is worth it because fans get to see Janine pull off something she has worked hard on. However, it’s important to note that this episode comes with a bit of a bonus, almost like a Marvel credit scene. Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) joins his colleagues for a panel on how AI is trash, and his banter with Tariq makes this scene one of the episode’s funniest. If anything, this episode shows just how awesome Mr. Johnson’s character is, and why he needs to be on the show more.
8 “Wishlist”
Season 1, Episode 3
In “Wishlist,” Abbott teachers are busy creating their wishlists for school supplies, and they are hoping that the community will pull through with some great donations. Janine is inspired by another teacher’s TikTok video, and decides to create one so that she can reach more people who could donate items. But, Jacob doesn’t think that it would go viral. Janine asks Ava to help her post the video, and it goes viral. JAnine gets everything from her wishlist. However, the other teachers, like Barbara, don’t have anything. Again, Janine asks Ava for another favor, and Ava creates a video for Barbara. The video is a hit, and Barbara starts receiving stuff from her list, without knowing she is trending on social media. Gregory is struggling to decorate his classroom, and with Janine’s hints, he puts up drawings that his students created.
This isn’t the funniest episode in Abbott Elementary, but it is one with a premise which teachers can definitely relate to. It’s also a kind of commentary on social media, with Ava’s obsession of going viral, and Ava (and Janine) not seeking Barbara’s permission to post a video. There’s some major character development for Gregory in this episode. Gregory sees himself as a substitute teacher until Janine shows him that the kids actually love him because he is a good teacher.
7 “Fight”
Season 2, Episode 12
A fight breaks out among Janine’s students, and she wants to make everyone be friends. Janine decides to ask other teachers for advice on how to handle the situation. Martin (Orlando Jones), Gregory’s father, stops by Abbott and inspects the school’s garden, and Gregory introduces him to the rest of the Abbott teachers. However, during their conversation with Martin, Jacob and Barbara realize that Gregory has been tending to the garden. The success of Abbott’s garden makes Martin realize his son has gained so much confidence by becoming a teacher. It’s fantasy football season.
One of Janine’s biggest character traits is that she wants to solve everything and do anything to help her students. However, in this episode, she finds herself at a loss about how to make her students get along. Throughout the episode, “Fight,” she has a hard time trying to get everyone to be friends; however, Janine eventually receives some smart advice from Barbara, who is like a mother figure to her. This results in the sweetest scene between Janine and Barbara. Barbara manages to “find an open appointment,” and listens to Janine’s worries.
6 “Gifted Program”
Season 1, Episode 6
Janine wants to create a gifted program for students to participate in after they have finished their lessons. All the other teachers are on board with Janine’s idea except for Gregory. However, Janine can’t start the program unless she finds someone to teach. Jacob offers to teach during his free periods, and the gifted program has a good foundation. But, the teachers notice students who aren’t in the gifted program feel left out. Janine doesn’t want to give up on the program, so she decides to rotate the students who participate in it every week. Barbara tries to get Melissa matched up with Gary, the vending machine guy.
Again, “Gifted Program” is one of those Abbott Elementary episodes where there are some humorous moments, but more serious ones are memorable. This episode is pivotal in further developing the relationship between Janine and Gregory. At the end of the episode, Janine considers Gregory to be a friend. Melissa has her moment in this episode as well, by trying to figure out how not to taper down her romantic feelings towards Gary. One of the best laugh-out-loud scenes is an unexpected moment. The students are excited to see the chicken eggs, provided by Melissa, hatch, but they quickly find out that they are snake eggs, and the teachers have to call animal control.
5 “Principal’s Office”
Season 2, Episode 4
In “Principal’s Office,” one of Gregory’s students keeps interrupting his class, and Gregory doesn’t know what to do. Jacob suggests that he send the student to Ava. Gregory takes Jacob’s advice, but finds out Ava doesn’t discipline the kids. He and Ava have a discussion about discipline. Gregory realizes that he needs to take a different approach, and finds a way to keep the student engaged in the lesson without having to send him to the principal’s office. Melissa notices Janine’s lunch doesn’t look that appetizing, and invites her over ot her house so that she can learn how to cook. As Melissa is teaching Janine and Jacob a family recipe, she mentions how she hasn’t spoken with her sister, Kristin Marie, in years. Jacob and Janine want to get Melissa reconnected with her sister, but their plan backfires.
There are a few Abbott Elementary episodes which deal with family conflicts and issues, and this is one of the sadder episodes since it deals with estranged relationships. Fans might have to grab a tissue (or two) for this episode, and keep some in handy as another heavy topic, grief, is handled in one of the best Abbott Elementary episodes of Season 3, “Mother’s Day.” Melissa had to take care of her grandmother by herself without support from her sister, and she explains to Janine that is most of the reason why she doesn’t really want to reconnect with her sister. Although at the end of the episode, viewers see how Melissa really feels as she gets emotional over pictures of her with her sister. Besides estranged family members, “Principal’s Office,” also touches on the topic of discipline in schools, such as the discussion between Gregory and Ava, and how teachers must grapple with what to do with students who misbehave.
4 “Fire”
Season 2, Episode 15
“Fire” is one of those Abbott Elementary episodes which makes a big impression because an event occurs which impacts the entire school. Just as the title suggests, Abbott Elementary experiences a fire. Melissa is really excited to see the fire truck and talks to the firefighters about how she always wanted to be a firefighter. A therapist is hired to talk with the students and staff, and she mentions to Gregory that it seemed the fire was causing Barbara a lot of anxiety. It turns out that the cause of the fire was Barbara because she lit a candle. However, Barbara finds out that the fire isn’t really the cause of her anxiety.
In this episode, Ava does probably the most Ava thing and runs out of Abbott Elementary. She doesn’t return to school at all, which might not be a big surprise considering her personality. It’s cool to see how Gregory handles being in charge of the school. Ava’s quick exit is a lighthearted moment in an Abbott Elementary episode, which mostly centers on Melissa and Barbara’s responses to the fire. Abbott Elementary fans who haven’t seen this episode will be interested in learning why Melissa didn’t become a firefighter, and how Barbara is afraid to confront the truth behind her anxiety.
3 “Breakup”
Season 3, Episode 5
Jacob realizes that he wants to break up with his boyfriend, Zach. Jacob has a hard time with his breakup from Zach, and seeks comfort in hanging out with Gregory. Barbara’s choir is looking for a space to rehearse, and Ava allows them to use Abbott’s gym. However, Ava notices that there is some adversity in Barbara’s choir over who is the lead singer. Barbara believes that she should be able to have a chance at singing lead vocals. Ava decides to hold a concert at the school, so Barbara can sing her heart out.
Some Abbott Elementary fans might think this is one of the worst episodes of season 3, but it isn’t a bad episode at all. Some Abbott Elementary fans might think Jacob is a “cringe character,” but he isn’t. If anything, this episode encourages fans to embrace all that is Jacob. Abbott Elementary fans who really love Jacob will get a kick out of this Abbott Elementary episode. There are some very quotable lines in this episode from both Jacob and Gregory, and it’s quite funny to see them interact with each other. It’s not too often Abbott Elementary episodes show Ava and Barbara teaming up together, and this dynamic duo should have some more time in the spotlight, as their comedic timing together is impeccable.
2 “Gregory’s Garden Goofballs”
Season 3, Episode 3
In this Abbott Elementary episode, Gregory becomes uncomfortable after some students start hanging out with him in his classroom during his lunch break. Jacob has a student who needs an ASL interrupter, and Janine decides to work with him to hire someone. Concurrently, Barbara is surprised to find out Tariq is dating the mother of one of her students. Tariq tries to be a good father figure for the son of the woman he is dating.
“Gregory’s Garden Goofballs” is a heartwarming episode which gives Gregory a great main storyline. This is one of the best Gregory episodes. Yes, the ones which show the chemistry between him and Janine are wonderful, but there’s something special about seeing Gregory’s journey to becoming the “cool teacher” at Abbott. Gregory’s interactions with his students in this episode are priceless. At first, he doesn’t want his students interrupting his lunchtime, but then he realizes how important it is for him to be a positive influence in their lives. It’s awesome to see how far Gregory has come in his teaching career, and Abbott Elementary fans will enjoy seeing him settle even further into being a role model for his students. It’s frustrating for fans to watch Janine and Jacob run into barriers trying to get an ASL interpreter, but as they always do, they power through obstacles and are able to hire an ASL interpreter for Jacob’s student.
1 “The Light Bulb”
Season 1, Episode 2
In “The Light Bulb,” Janine notices that the lights in the back hall are flicking and takes it upon herself to try to change the light bulbs. The result is a partial power outage. She ignores her colleagues’ pleas just to “let it go,” and tries to mess with the electrical box. This time, she causes a full power outage, and the students and Abbott teachers head to the gym. One of Gregory’s students keeps showing up an hour late to school. Gregory doesn’t know how to have a conversation with the student’s mother, and he asks Barbara for advice.
“The Light Bulb” is only the second episode of Abbott Elementary’s first season, but it’s one of the first season’s best episodes. Gregory and Janine both get solid advice from Barbara and Melissa respectively. The more experienced teachers show the new generation how it is done. Melissa gives Janine advice on how to take care of herself and leave your “house problems at home” while Gregory learns how to get through awkward conversations. It’s a wholesome episode with great life lessons for Abbott Elementary fans (and teachers) alike. Plus, there is the debut of the “after-school crew,” and Mr. Johnson showing up to save the day in his fishing gear.
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