Comedy comebacks
‘Abbott Elementary,’ ‘Not Dead Yet’ and more return for 2024
We may still be several months from the start of a new school year, but classes are back in session on ABC. Featuring Philadelphia’s finest (fictional) teachers across a broad smattering of subjects, the network’s foremost public school continues to specialize in comedy. Premiering its third season Wednesday, Feb. 7, on ABC, “Abbott Elementary” joins other fan favourites “The Conners,” “Not Dead Yet” and “Judge Steve Harvey” in the network’s Wednesday night comedy block.
Kicking off the midweek laughs on Feb. 7 is “The Conners,” the well-established spinoff of the popular 198896 sitcom “Roseanne” (and its short-lived 2018 revival), led by controversial comedienne Roseanne Barr (“She-Devil,” 1989). Despite no longer centring on Roseanne herself (Barr was dismissed from the series revival in 2018), “The Conners” has thrived for 90 episodes to date, under the leadership of Emmywinning actor John Goodman (“Barton Fink,” 1991).
Other original “Roseanne” stars who joined Goodman for the spinoff are Laurie Metcalf (“Scream 2,” 1997) as Jackie Harris-Goldufski, Alicia Goranson (“Boys Don’t Cry,” 1999) as Becky Conner-Healy and revival producer Sara Gilbert (“Atypical”) reprising her role as Darlene Conner. Actors Emma Kenney (“Shameless”) and Ames McNamara (“At Home with Amy Sedaris”) — both of whom were hired for the 2018 “Roseanne” revival — return to their roles as Harris and Mark Conner-Healy, respectively.
“The Conners,” which tackles complicated family themes at all stages of life, enters its sixth and final season this year. Series fans can look forward to several of the show’s ongoing plot lines wrapping up, as well as the growth and development of returning players such as Tyler (Sean Astin, “Stranger Things”), who is now dating Becky. No matter how things end for the Conner family, however, executive producer Bruce Helford told ABC that the ending is well planned and deliberate.
“Sara Gilbert expressed to the network that we don’t want to go out without knowing that we are going out with a series finale so we can build to the right ending,” Helford said.
New episodes of “The Conners” begin Wednesday, Feb. 7, and air weekly on ABC until the series finale.
Premiering after “The Conners” is Season 2 of “Not Dead Yet,” the quirky comedy about down-on-her-luck obituary writer Nell Serrano (Gina Rodriguez, “Jane the Virgin”), who is plagued by visitations from her newly deceased subjects prior to the publication of their death announcements in the newspaper. Despite their unsettling drop-ins, Nell always manages to harness the decedent’s energy in order to give them each a sendoff worthy of their life on Earth. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Nell often learns a valuable lesson or two along the way.
The piece de resistance on Feb. 7, however, is the special one-hour premiere of “Abbott Elementary.”
Headed into Season 3 with as much chaos as an elementary school classroom, the four-time Emmy-winning sitcom was created by its star, Quinta Brunson (“A Black Lady Sketch Show”), who recently became the first Black actress in over 40 years to win the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series. Brunson based the series on her mother’s own experiences as a teacher in the Philadelphia public school system. Each episode follows Abbott’s teachers as they navigate workplace politics, the changing economics of their school board and the nuances of their personal lives, all while trying to foster healthy and supportive student/teacher relationships.