Selome Hailu “Abbott Elementary” garnered a lot of comparisons to “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” when it debuted in 2021, and for a good reason. The Quinta Brunson-created ABC comedy utilizes the workplace mockumentary format that made those shows stand out, and more specifically, it shares with them a key creative: director and producer Randall Einhorn. But when it came to developing “Abbott,” Einhorn felt that the device needed some updating.