Abbott Elementary Season 4 Just Missed The Perfect Opportunity To Replicate Its Most-Watched Episode

Abbott Elementary season 4 has had some of the show's best storylines to date, but ABC could have replicated the mockumentary’s biggest success with a timeslot change. The talented cast of Abbott Elementary, led by creator and Janine actress Quinta Brunson, delivers weekly earnest yet entertaining glimpses into the lives of public school teachers in the Philadelphia school system. Harsh truths are delivered with clever quips, masking the sad reality of underfunded schools within Abbott Elementary’s funniest moments. The care with which storylines are created means Abbott Elementary is as important as it is enjoyable.

The workplace comedy strikes the perfect balance between hilarious and heartfelt, with Abbott Elementary including heartwarming scenes that never distract from the overarching conflicts. While Abbott Elementary is a masterclass in writing, it rarely gets the recognition it deserves. Though it’s still undeniably one of ABC’s best series, Abbott Elementary’s ratings fail to reflect the quality of the storytelling. Despite critical acclaim and impressive accolades under its belt, Abbott Elementary has struggled to regain its best numbers. However, there are limiting circumstances that prevent steady growth, meaning Abbott Elementary can't reach its full potential without some help from the network.

Abbott Elementary's Most-Watched Episode Is "Willard R. Abbott"

Season 3, Episode 6 Raked In High Ratings

Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) In Abbott Elementary Season 3, Episode 6, "Willard R. Abbott"

Abbott Elementary hit its peak ratings in 2024 with season 3, episode 6 (“Willard R. Abbott”). Abbott Elementary’s most-watched episode followed the teachers as the school was on the brink of becoming a historical landmark before its namesake’s racist history came to light just before the ceremony. Janine, teamed up with best friend Jacob (Chris Perfetti) and love interest Gregory (Tyler James Williams), searched for another “Willard Abbott” to pass off to the press, ensuring Abbott would get its recognition as a landmark. Once the replacement Willard turns out to be a hoax-spreading conspiracy theorist, the teachers cut their losses.

On the Nielson ratings scale, "Willard R. Abbott" scored 1.43 in the 18-49 demographic, the most coveted age group in network television.

Though Janine has her flaws in Abbott Elementary, this episode was just one example of her gaining perspective in time for the sake of the children. Although Abbott Elementary wasn’t deemed a historical landmark, Janine hung a tribute to Black teachers who worked at Abbott long before they thought it was possible, giving the small crowd of students a speech on why, plaque or no plaque, Abbott Elementary is a place of history. Despite the surplus of comedic relief throughout the episode, Abbott Elementary season 3, episode 6 had one of the most touching conclusions in the entire mockumentary.

Gregory (Tyler James Williams) and Janine (Quinta Brunson) in Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 15.

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“Willard R. Abbott” earned Abbott Elementary nearly 7 million viewers, a dramatic increase from the typical 2.5-3 million viewers earned across season 2. Though Abbott Elementary season 3 was incredibly successful, the rest of the season would halve the ratings of “Willard R. Abbott,” through no fault of its own. It may be a great episode, butthere were extenuating circumstances that made “Willard R. Abbott” the highest-viewed episode in Abbott Elementary.

"Willard R. Abbott" Was On A Special Post-Oscar Broadcast In 2024

The Episode Even Began With An Award-Nominated Guest

Instead of continuing the long-held tradition of Abbott Elementary dropping new episodes on Wednesdays, “Willard R. Abbott” aired after the 2024 Oscars. Since its conception, the Academy Awards have been an institution in the media industry, and millions of people tune in each year to celebrate achievements in film. Following the 2024 Oppenheimer sweep, Abbott Elementary season 3, episode 6 had the coveted timeslot immediately following the Oscars ceremony.

Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lisa Ann Walter as Barbara and Melissa in Abbott Elementary

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Having the post-Oscars slot leaves room to go big and create a monumental milestone episode to air to the ginormous audience lingering after the awards. “Willard R. Abbott” wasn’t the most elaborate or extravagant entry in Abbott Elementary, but it was an important storyline that Brunson wanted to platform. Still, the streak ofAbbott Elementary celebrity cameos continued with its Oscar night hit, including Bradley Cooper in the cold open with jokes playing off his competition during Oscars season.

Abbott Elementary included a character mistaking Bradley Cooper as an actor from Oppenheimer, the film that beat Cooper's Maestro in the main 2024 Oscars categories just before the episode aired.

While many viewers stayed to watch the entire episode of Abbott Elementary, there’s no telling how skewed the true rating of the episode is thanks to it being the Oscars’ follow-up. Inadvertently, the timeslot forces viewers to watch the beginning of whatever title succeeds the Oscars and contributes to its ratings, regardless of how quickly they change the channel afterward. Nevertheless, it’s an irrefutable fact that the post-Oscars slot can broadcast a series to an entirely new audience and even draw in new viewers.

ABC Could Have Set Up Abbott Elementary Season 4 With Another Post-Oscar Episode

The Coverage Could Have Helped Abbott Elementary's Low Rating

Janine (Quinta Brunson) talking to Ava (Janelle James) in Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 15.

Abbott Elementary season 4 has only improved on the mockumentary’s stellar writing and character development in the first half of its season, but ABC constrained the comedy for the latter half of 2024. Though Abbott Elementary season 3 had strong numbers running at 9 ET, season 4 began with a later timeslot, airing from 9:30-10 p.m. ET. As a direct result of the later scheduling, Abbott Elementary became ABC’s least-watched scripted show for the fall 2024 season.

Jacob (Chris Perfetti) and Ava (Janelle James) in Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 14.

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Although it was at the bottom of ABC’s midseason rankings, Abbott Elementary continues to be a streaming hit on services like Hulu, where it often multiplies its night-of viewership in the weeks following its original premiere. The network moved Abbott Elementary up to 8:30 ET for its 2025 listing, but ABC had the perfect opportunity to help Abbott Elementary regain viewership that the mockumentary likely lost as a result of the late timeslot. Abbott Elementary deserves a large platform that is inherently provided by the post-Oscars slot, and the network should have given its mockumentary a leg up.

Actor	Abbott Elementary Character
Quinta Brunson	Janine Teagues
Tyler James Williams	Gregory Eddie
Janelle James	Ava Coleman
Sheryl Lee Ralph	Barbara Howard
Lisa Ann Walter	Melissa Schemmenti
Chris Perfetti	Jacob Hill
William Stanford Davis	Mr. Johnson

Aside from a boost in the ratings for one episode, highlighting Abbott Elementary after the Oscars could have drawn in prospective viewers and shown them what the second half of season 4 will look like. Like its predecessor, Abbott Elementary season 4 has received rave reviews, but its disappointing ratings could jeopardize the future of Brunson’s genre-defining series. ABC had an easy way to make up for shirking Abbott Elementary with its timeslot, but it left the comedy to air on Wednesday night as usual.

What ABC Aired For Its Post-Oscars Timeslot In 2025

School Wasn't In Session This Year

Rather than give Abbott Elementary the coveted position following the Academy Awards, ABC aired the season premiere of American Idol after the 2025 Oscars. While the reality competition is a dramatic departure from the workplace sitcom, it makes sense for ABC to promote American Idol Season 23. The new season comes with a new judge, American Idol season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, and promises to have many more surprises in store.

It would compromise the sitcom’s identity if it abandoned its charm just for a post-Oscars spectacle.

Yet, as deserving as American Idol is, I can’t help but feel disappointed that Abbott Elementary season 4 didn’t have the opportunity to make up for its poor initial timeslot by airing a special episode after the Oscars. Granted, Abbott Elementary’s grounded storytelling is part of what makes it such an achievement in writing, and it would compromise the sitcom’s identity if it abandoned its charm just for a post-Oscars spectacle. Although ABC chose not to promote the mockumentary after the Academy Awards, the care put into making Abbott Elementary gives it a staying power that no award show could disrupt.

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Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays at 8:30 ET on ABC.