9 Shows Like Abbott Elementary to Watch if You Like Abbott Elementary

Abbott Elementary is still on our honor roll. The Emmy-winning ABC mockumentary comedy, which TV Guide named the Best Show on TV Right Now in 2022, stayed strong throughout its second season, and after it has a great summer, it'll be back to rule the school again in Season 3. Created by star Quinta Brunson, this lovely show about the teachers and staff at a Philadelphia elementary school is smart, laugh-out-loud funny, and full of heart. And in the tradition of great workplace comedies, it has a stellar ensemble cast, including Sheryl Lee Ralph, Janelle James, Tyler James Williams, Lisa Ann Walter, and Chris Perfetti.

If you, like so many, have discovered and fallen for Abbott Elementary and are on the lookout for shows with similar sensibilities, other shows about teachers, or simply more Quinta Brunson, we have a few recommendations below that you can check out.

Watch Abbott Elementary Stream on Hulu

Season 1 of Abbott Elementary is also streaming on Max.

More recommendations:

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• The Best Shows to Watch on Max Right Now
  
• Shows Like The Office to Watch If You Miss The Office
• The Best TV Shows to Watch Based on Ones You Already Love

Parks and Recreation

The ever-optimistic and determined Janine Teagues feels like a younger version of Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), doesn't she? Both women are smart and affable, and neither is deterred by bureaucratic red tape or people saying no. Both want nothing more than to provide a helpful service and will go to great lengths to do so, whether that gets them in trouble or not. Also like Abbott Elementary — on top of the fact that they are both mockumentaries — Parks and Recreation finds the perfect balance between sharp, smart humor, pure silliness, and lots of heart. It's full of wacky characters who are easy to love, and it has incredible cast chemistry. And yes, Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) are one of the greatest TV couples of all time; I said it, and you are welcome.

Superstore

Workplace comedies work so well because with their authentic mix of characters from different walks of life, the comedy is pretty much baked in. For another workplace sitcom full of memorable characters doing the best they can in a less-than-ideal situation, try Superstore. Here, America Ferrera plays smart and exasperated Amy, an employee of Cloud 9, a stand-in for whatever big box store you frequent. Ferrera is surrounded by a deep bench of comedic actors who seamlessly give the show's supporting characters thoughtful layers and moments to shine. The diverse group of characters allows the writers to tackle a whole host of subject matters and mess around with character pairings, all of which surely helped Superstore only get better the longer it was on the air.

New Girl

For another enthusiastic elementary school teacher who does not let the lows of teaching get her down (too much), you can spend time with Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) on New Girl. Over seven seasons, we watched as her can-do attitude and quirky antics spilled over from the classroom into her everyday life. The titular New Girl, Jess moves into a loft with three guys after a big breakup. The premise is simple, but thanks to the funny writing — the show is helmed by Liz Meriwether — undeniable cast chemistry, and a great central will-they-or-won't-they relationship in Jess and grumpy-but-lovable Nick Miller (Jake Johnson), the show is filled with so much humor and heart from the get-go that you can't help but want to spend more time with these people. And once they let Winston "Winnie the Bish" Bishop (Lamorne Morris) get weird, well, the show starts firing on all cylinders. 

A.P. Bio

For another teacher show with a very different, more cynical vibe, watch A.P. Bio. The comedy, which ran on NBC for two seasons before jumping over to Peacock, stars Glenn Howerton as a disgraced Harvard professor who is forced to take a high school teaching job back in his hometown in Ohio. He's stuck teaching an A.P. Bio class but adamantly refuses to teach his students anything and instead uses their smarts to attempt to get revenge on his rival at Harvard. Dr. Griffin isn't the most lovable person, but he has a little heart under all that meanness, and the show boasts a great supporting cast led by Patton Oswalt and Paula Pell. The series finds its footing and a much clearer voice in Season 2.

Teachers

It's downright silly that more sitcoms haven't mined elementary schools for comedy. Between the naive kids, stressed teachers, incompetent leadership, and randy (or wise) custodians, the only thing being taught in schools is how to laugh! Ha ha! Anyway, before Abbott Elementary realized the hilarity of public education, the TV Land comedy Teachers schooled us all on how difficult and funny teaching the young people of America is. Though it lacks much of the social and cultural commentary of Abbott Elementary, it carves its own lesson plan by embracing playful vulgarity and absurdity thanks to the humor of its creators, the female comedy troupe The Katydids. If you wish Abbott Elementary would talk a little more about Wiccans and Phish, this is the show for you. -Tim Surette

Rutherford Falls

Abbott Elementary hits the sweet spot when it comes to exploring certain wrongs or frustrations in society (in Abbott's case, in the educational system) with a sense of humor that still allows it to keep its warm and positive tone. Rutherford Falls hits the same one. The gone-too-soon comedy takes us to a fictional town in New England that was built on clashes between the local Native tribe and white colonizers, and it deep-dives into the idea of confronting your legacy — the good and the bad. Much of this is done cleverly through a friendship between Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms), a descendant of the town's founder, and Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding), a member of the Minishonka Nation who moved off the reservation, but is doing her best to keep a small cultural center in the middle of the town's casino alive. Schmieding's Reagan is the heart of the show, and she'll win you over with her charm and perseverance. Like so many characters on Rutherford Falls, she is not without her flaws but is unbelievably easy to root for.

Great News

Abbott Elementary derives a lot of its comedy and conflict from the generational divide — something workplace comedies are built for — and this canceled-too-soon NBC sitcom created by Tracey Wigfield and executive produced by Tina Fey uses that to its advantage as well. Great News stars Briga Heelan as Katie, a news producer trying to make a name for herself when her mother Carol, played by comedy icon Andrea Martin (who steals the show), takes an internship at Katie's news station. The not-always-functional mother-daughter dynamic is the heart of Great News, and the sharp, silly writing (the jokes fly fast here) is extended to the cast of wacky characters who populate the newsroom, including surprising standout Nicole Richie as Portia, the it-girl co-anchor who deftly handles some of the more outrageous lines on the show. 

A Black Lady Sketch Show

For more Quinta Brunson, watch A Black Lady Sketch Show, which pretty efficiently describes itself in its name. Brunson is a cast member in Season 1 (Season 2 premiered in 2021) of Robin Thede's comedy show, which also counts Gabrielle Dennis, Ashley Nicole Black, Laci Mosley, and Skye Townsend among its main cast. The show, which has aired 12 episodes so far, does both biting social commentary and absurd silliness well, sometimes both in the same sketch. The main cast has a great chemistry that stands on its own, but it's also fun to see which guest stars will pop up: People like Issa Rae, Angela Bassett, Nicole Byer, David Alan Grier, and Laverne Cox have all appeared in episodes. And yes, you'll recognize a few familiar faces from the halls of Abbott Elementary.

Boy Meets World

In the pantheon of great TV teachers, the shadow of one Mr. George Feeny (William Daniels) looms large. Mr. Feeny, another teacher from Philadelphia who (many times begrudgingly) loves his students, isn't exactly the center of Boy Meets World — that would be the aforementioned "boy," Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), whom we meet as a sixth grader with a love for the Phillies and a penchant for getting into trouble alongside best friend Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong) — but the sitcom wouldn't be the same without the guiding hand of Cory's teacher and neighbor, Mr. Feeny. (Honestly, ask anyone who grew up watching this show and we will all yell out Fee-nay in the exact same way.) Boy Meets World seems to know that, too, since the show made sure to find ways to keep Mr. Feeny in the lives of its young characters, even as they grew up and went off to college. The series, which ran from 1993 until 2000, is full of those wholesome teachable moments you'd expect, an iconic romance, and laugh-out-loud jokes — all of which easily made the often tricky transition that comes when coming-of-age stories grow up.