Nothing is certain in the world of television, where any combination of personalities, unexpected bits of data, and, above all else, financial pressures can spell doom for even a well-loved and veteran TV show. Still, if there was a safe bet when it comes to TV cancellations and renewals, it probably paid off today, as ABC confirmed that it’s renewed its anchor sitcom, Abbott Elementary, for a sixth season.
This is per Deadline, which notes that the Disney-owned network has gotten in the habit of kicking off its annual spate of renewals and cancellations with Abbott, that rarest of things in network comedy: A critically lauded program that a lot of people seem to actually watch. As such, Quinta Brunson’s series allows everybody at the network to get in a quick win before anything, uh, grimmer has to happen in the less cheerful and/or Emmy-nominated portions of the network’s schedule.
To celebrate the news, ABC tapped Abbott star Sheryl Lee Ralph to record a message celebrating the renewal, which she did so in-character as beloved teacher Barbara Howard. While we, personally, cannot imagine Barbara brooking any kind of metafictional nonsense like this, she did sound pretty excited about getting another season, so, hey, that’s nice.
Abbott Elementary is still in the midst of its fifth season, which kicked off back in October, and is scheduled to run through April. It would be a bit deceptive to call the show the longest-running comedy series on the network, since, up until a couple of weeks ago, it was one of only two sitcoms on the channel, period. (The Scrubs revival has debuted since then; meanwhile, Tim Allen and Kat Dennings’ Shifting Gearsis still in the midst of airing its second season, and will have to wait its turn to see if it’ll survive to get a third.)
Keep scrolling for more great stories.