‘Abbott Elementary’ Showrunner Says Studios Have ‘Eroded’ Writers’ Ability to Make a Living as Guild Authorizes Strike

Taking a stand. The Writers Guild of America officially authorized a strike in May 2023 — several TV shows have already been affected as a result.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “I am Black woman; hear me roar!” The hilarity of Black women on television has been sorely missed and ignored by the Television Academy over multiple decades. However, this year’s slate of outstanding lead and supporting comedy actress seem to be the two spots preventing an #EmmysSoWhite moment from occurring. Quinta Brunson is the front-runner to win her first acting Emmy for her charming turn as Janine Teagues, the optimistic 2nd-grade teacher from ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.” With a beautiful sophomore season in the books and the added benefit of Jean Smart being out of the competition for “Hacks,” she seems perfectly aligned with the Emmy cosmos to land much-deserved recognition. The possible recognition would be long overdue for Black comedians on television.

unable to reach a deal in contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers before Monday’s contract expiration. Picketing began in New York City and Los Angeles on Tuesday.The strike involves a long list of concerns that the writers want Hollywood studios to address, from the low pay involved in writing streaming series to reining in “mini-rooms” used to skirt contractual pay practices to addressing the use of artificial intelligence.When asked about what it would take to find common ground and resolve the writers’ strike, Zaslav replied “a love for the business and a love for working.”“We all came into this business because we love storytelling, we want to entertain and when we’re at our best we get a chance to have an impact on the culture,” he said. “Almost all of us got into this business with a lot of sacrifice in order to be part of that journey and so that’s what’s gonna bring us together.” Zaslav’s comments on the strike come as Warner Bros.

EXCLUSIVE: Abbott Elementary finished out its sophomore season with gold stars all around.

The Writers Guild of America strike is underway with hundreds of TV and film writers taking to the picket lines. Of course, that means writing work has come to a halt on many TV shows such as Cobra Kai, Yellowjackets, and Abbott Elementary, among others. Deadline will update you with latest on delays and potential production shutdowns as a result of the strike, so keep refreshing the page.

Ready for her school picture! Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson brought her A-game to the 2023 Met Gala.

Who could forget Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Emmy acceptance speech last year, where she sang a rousing celebration of her womanhood and artistry, followed by these words: “To anyone who has ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t, come true, I am here to tell you this is what believing looks like, this is what striving looks like, and don’t you ever, ever give up on you.”

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor According to William Stanford Davis, the Illuminati changed his life. In the pilot episode of “Abbott Elementary he appears as the mysterious janitor Mr. Johnson in front of a whiteboard with “ILLUMINATI” written on it in big letters, telling a group of children: “That’s who runs the world, kids.” Proof of the adage there are no small parts, Davis would continue to steal scenes with minimal screen time as Mr. Johnson because a fan favorite. Less than 18 months after that first appearance, the 71-year-old actor finds himself with his first series regular gig, a SAG Award for his work in the show’s ensemble and a favorite meme thanks to all of Mr. Johnson’s random quotes.

Selome Hailu SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for “Franklin Institute,” the Season 2 finale of “Abbott Elementary.” Will they? Won’t they? They won’t, at least for now. Though Janine (series creator Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) finally had their first kiss at a teacher conference in Episode 16 of “Abbott Elementary’s” second season, they chalk it up to a “whoops,” bury their feelings and continue forward as friends and colleagues. There’s a hitch of course: Janine is dating Gregory’s friend, Maurice (Vince Staples). So in Episode 17, the blushing pair head to Bone Town — Maurice’s favorite barbecue spot — to confess their mistake to Maurice and basically break up with him together.

's second season has been building up to what felt like the inevitable: the romantic reveal when Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) finally admit their feelings for one another. But when the moment comes in the season 2 finale titled «Franklin Institute,» it's not at all how one would imagine.On Wednesday's episode, the teachers of Abbott Elementary are preparing for a field trip to the Franklin Institute where they and their students will spend the night.

 star Janelle James is a woman of mystery that prefers to keep it that way. In conversation with  for the cover of its latest issue, the comedian explained that there are many facts about her life that she doesn't believe people need to know, like her age.«I'm grown. I have a 20-year-old son.

Janelle James is getting real.

 fans, you're in for an emotional ride tonight! Series star Tyler James Williams issues a warning for viewers while on Wednesday's episode of . «A lot of things happen,» Williams tells host Jennifer Hudson about the season 2 finale airing on Wednesday, April 19. «It's going to be good, it's a good one.

Janelle James, the first thing that comes up is that she got her big break from Chris Rock. Wrong! Rock did hire her as a comedian on his 2017 “Total Blackout Tour,” but James says that’s as far as it goes. “He’s done a lot,” she says, carefully choosing words to describe someone who is credited too frequently for her rise. “He’s done enough for me. He didn’t make my career or anything.” She adds, “I was never close with Chris Rock. We went on tour together, and then I didn’t speak to him after that.” And of course, she followed what happened to him at the Oscars, but hasn’t watched his Netflix special. She doesn’t want to be cornered into talking about him or the slap in interviews like this one. “I want to truthfully be like, ‘I ain’t seen it. No opinion!’ I don’t want to be involved.”

Abbott Elementary predicted a walk-off home run from a baseball player less than 24 hours before it happened.During episode Mom which aired in the US on Wednesday (April 12), Baltimore Orioles fan Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) is seen talking with lunch lady Shanae about the score of that day’s Orioles game.“Adley Rutschman hit an opposite-field walk-off homer and Cedric Mullins was a single shy of the cycle,” Gregory remarks (via IndieWire).During the team’s match against the Oakland Athletics on the following day (April 13), Rutschman won the game with a walk-off home run. Gregory, however, was slightly off on the details, as it wasn’t opposite-field, while the overall score also wasn’t the same.Whatta rutschMAN pic.twitter.com/19JkUnUSeS— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 13, 2023Speaking in a post-match interview, Rutschman revealed this was the first time in his life he’s ever hit a walk-off home run.

Since its debut, Abbott Elementary, which follows the lives of a group of teachers at an underfunded school in Philadelphia, has shone a light on the struggles of teachers across America who aren’t receiving the support they need to help students thrive.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Abbott Elementary,” “Better Call Saul,” “Severance,” “Mo,” “Reservation Dogs” and “We’re Here” are among the entertainment nominees as the Peabody Awards’ board of jurors revealed 42 nominees for this year’s Peabodys in entertainment, arts, children’s/youth, podcast/radio, interactive & immersive, and public service. They join the 27 news and documentary nominees announced by Peabody earlier this week. According to Peabody, the total of 69 nominees were culled from a list of 1,200 entries in those various categories; the final nods were chosen by a unanimous vote of 17 jurors. PBS led all total nominees with 13, followed by HBO Max (6), Apple TV+ (4), Disney+ and FX (3 each), and ABC, Channel 4, Netflix, and Vice (2 each). 

Taraji P. Henson has officially made her  debut, and it was an emotional ride! The award-winning actress was the highly anticipated guest star of the season's penultimate episode, aptly titled «Mom.» Henson starred as Vanetta, Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson)'s estranged mother who shows up unexpectedly right before the schoolteacher plans to vacation in Ocean City — Maryland, not Jersey — over the Memorial Day weekend.On Wednesday's episode, Vanetta visits Janine during the school day, telling her that she «grew worried» when Janine didn't answer her call, so she came to check up on her.

, in which our favorite group of teachers share their plans for the upcoming three-day weekend. Jacob (Chris Perfetti) will be helping his boyfriend, Zack, clean out his shoe closet since they are «drowning in swooshes,» while Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) shares that she is going with her husband, Gerald, to a soft jazz cafe for some musical appreciation.

Taraji P. Henson will make her  debut on Wednesday, April 12, and finally, put a face to Janine Teague (Quinta Brunson)'s mommy issues. In a preview clip of next week's episode, Janine is talking to her class when the distinct sound of familiar high heels draws her attention.