"Abbott Elementary" started summer vacation when the season one finale aired Tuesday, April 12.
The final scene shows Janine Teagues, played by the show's creator and executive producer Quinta Brunson, getting choked up when reflecting on the past school year.
Many viewers were likely equally as choked up to see the 13-episode freshman season come to an end. The mockumentary-style show set at a public elementary school in Philadelphia captured hearts — and audiences, becoming ABC's highest-rated comedy since "Modern Family," and, with over 1.5 million tweets, the most-tweeted comedy show of the year as of March 18.
Brunson told TODAY last month that her secret sauce for creating this hit show was putting her "heart on paper" via storylines she cared about. She knew others would, too, if given the chance to see them —but she didn't expect the show to catch on so fast.
"I (didn't) expect people to kind of catch on this season until (it was) streaming. I'm just shocked. This rarely gets to happen for a sitcom, where everyone is going home (to watch) the first season," Brunson said.
The record-breaking ABC comedy earned a 97% Rotten Tomato rating for the season and the network announced last month that it is funding a second school year — err, we mean season.
After the finale, Brunson thanked fans on Twitter, and teased more episodes.
Here's what to know about season two, including how the finale sets up new storylines.
The release date hasn't been announced yet — but we have a good guess
ABC announced season two by posting a note to viewers from Principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James), the school's incompetent yet entertaining administrator.
The letter said the show would be returning for the "2022-2023 school year."
We can look to last season for an indication as to when season two will come out: Season one premiered in Dec. 2021, and it ended when the season finale aired in April 2022. So we may be getting more episodes in the fall.
The cast will return
Right now, all the main cast members are expected to return: Brunson as Janine and James as Principal Coleman, along with Sheryl Lee Ralph (Barbara Howard), Lisa Ann Walter (Melissa Schemmenti), Tyler James Williams (Gregory Eddie), Chris Perfetti (Jacob Hill) and William Stanford Davis (Mr. Johnson).
We'll likely see Barbara's daughter, Taylor (Iyana Halley), as a recurring character, given her romantic connection with Greg. Reginald C. Hayes will likely reprise his role as superintendent as needed.
The top-notch child actors, who bring energy and joy to the show, will also return — it wouldn't be Abbott Elementary without them, but Abbott Teacher's Lounge.
Something we'll look for in the trailer? More Janine and Greg's love story
The trailer hasn't been released yet — but when it is, we'll keep our eye out for more of those looks Janine exchanges with Greg, the substitute teacher with whom she has a connection.
The entire first season built romantic tension between Greg and Janine. Now, fans want to see them together. Right now the flirty vibe has been oscillating, at best. At first it was one-sided, with Janine not really seeing how Greg was flirting with her. But just when she started to catch on and reciprocate, he started seeing Barbara's daughter, Taylor Howard ... which we guess isn't as bad as Janine's 10-year long relationship with Tariq (Zack Fox).
Fans are tired on the tension and just want to see a workplace love story that rivals Jim and Pam from "The Office."
The finale shows Greg and Janine's relationship taking yet another turn. During a field trip to a zoo in Philadelphia, Greg tells Janine he landed a full-time teaching position at Abbott Elementary after substituting for most of the school year.
The news comes just as Janine is looking for stability in her life. She recently learned her boyfriend Tariq got a job in New York and expects her to move with him. Just as Janine and Greg start flirting, Taylor interrupts by offering Greg clam chowder — a dish he disdains.
Janine and Greg give each other a knowing glance, highlighting their obvious connection.
At the end of the field trip, Janine breaks up with Tariq because she wants to stay in Philadelphia at Abbott (with Gregory). Season two will explore what a newly single Janine is up to.
We predict plots for getting better funding
Abbott Elementary is an underfunded school in the inner city of Philadelphia. The teachers have to make do with the little resources they're given — and often, it's not enough.
Much of season one of "Abbot Elementary" follows the teachers' attempts to get resources. Moving into season two, we're likely to see more examples of this kind of teamwork.
Their plans are often thwarted, or at least complicated, by Principal Ava Colman. In the first episode, Ava secures $3,000 for desperately needed classroom rugs and other supplies — only to spend the money on a sign with her face on it for the building.
Ava continues to create problems. She embezzles from the school by adding her own items to the teachers' wish-lists, and then blackmails the superintendent (Reginald C. Hayes) after she catches him having an affair.
When the superintendent leaves his wife, Ava loses her blackmail opportunity. As a result, she has to give an actual presentation for funding — and her requests are denied by the superintendent, who says he will never give extra funding to the school.
Luckily, Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) steps in. For 10 years, she had been applying for a school grant to no avail. Then, she uncharacteristically blackmails a school board member. Her Ava-like actions work, and Abbott finally wins the grant.
After all this, season two will likely feature the teachers scrounging for more funding.
Barbara Howard deserves a promotion
Barbara is a veteran kindergarten teacher. The season one finale sees her torn between two possible paths: Retiring after 30 years of teaching, or moving up to a more senior role.
During the field trip in the finale episode, Barbara is eager to visit a snake that's been at the zoo as long as she's been teaching — only to find out the snake has retired and is on a reservation somewhere. She takes this a sign it's time for her to retire, too.
She's all ready to leave teaching until a kid goes missing and she has to spring into action, telling each teacher where to go and what to do. She handles the situation far better than the ineffective principal, Ava, does.
When the kid is found thanks to her plan, Barbara realizes she is still valuable. She wants to feel that way about her work all the time. Since the revelation comes after she assumes even more responsibility, why not give her a more senior position in season two? Barbara for principal!
