SPOILER ALERT:This post contains details from the Season 4 finale ofAbbott Elementary.
DEADLINE:You had a full-season order again for Season 4, after the shortened Season 3.
For instance, Janines trajectory and her and Gregorys relationship, but I feel like it was okay.
Tyler James Williams and Quinta Brunson in ‘Abbott Elementary’Disney/Gilles Mingasson
We did what we had with those 14 episodes, which was honestly a fun challenge.
How did you approach that in the writers room?
So it meant leaving the school a couple of times.
So it felt like just a fun opportunity to have that happen here.
Throughout the season, we just look for those little moments to really help them advance.
But we didnt want them to be a couple that fight or disagree a bunch.
DEADLINE:I think thats a good point about toxicity in on-screen relationships.
How did you stop yourself from falling onto that crutch of creating problems for them as a narrative tool?
BRUNSON:I think like for us … their jobs come first.
For these two characters, thats kind of baked into who they are.
So that really helps us not to go to those places for storylines.
Honestly, it just created a lot more space for things like Melissas relationship and then OShon and Ava.
It was so fun building OShon and Ava this year.
DEADLINE:Ava had so much character development this season.
BRUNSON:I was so excited to do that.
That was the plan from day one, to build Ava out a little bit more.
Another benefit of having 22 episodes, I think.
All of that was built up over the past three seasons.
We just had a ball doing that.
Janelle was very excited about it.
Shes had a lot of that in her for a long time as well.
When she got fired, I was like Wait a minute … dont do that to her!
And you see her do really great things for the school in unconventional ways.
you might only get to that point of, Wait a second.
to How dare you fire Ava was really rewarding.
BRUNSON:I cracked up during it in the edit every single time.
I was cracking up like I never saw it before.
Its so pure and simple.
Something about the whole episode.
It feels very just calm and light and charming to me.
But that moment in particular is just so sweet and simple and cute and childlike.
Honestly, that was a pitch from someone in the writers room.
I feel so bad I cannot remember who, because we were breaking that all together.
We were in the middle of the episode, like, what do we have these kids do?
That was a fun one.
I love when that happens.
So that was a pitch from someone in the room, and I just loved it.
I thought it was great.
I had no idea how charming it would be, though.
BRUNSON:It very much needed, especially after a long year.
You brought up my favorite scene.
I havent seen that episode since the edit, so I forgot how much I love that.
DEADLINE:I was just about to ask you what were some of your favorite moments from this season.
I loved that episode so much, and I loved how we brought it back in AVA Fest.
That was Episode 5.
So by Episode 20, you kind of forget about it.
I love a well earned callback, or pulling a thread from way back when.
Another fun thing about having 22 episodes and rounding out a season.
So that was one of my favorites.
I actually really enjoyed Barbaras trajectory.
It was very slight, but it was there, her getting to try a new thing.
But the music class, to me, it was just very special.
So that was really fun.
Im the wrong person to ask this, because I love all the storylines.
DEADLINE:I actually had forgotten about the Gregory-Darnell beef until AVA Fest.
It was such a good callback.
BRUNSON:Thats what was so great about it.
It gets me every time.
BRUNSON:Nope, and I think Ava has always read people and can like suss people out.
Shes not doing it in just a mean way now.
Yeah, but it is what it is.
Youre valued, and what you do is valued, but you have to learn to communicate it.
DEADLINE:What are you most excited about for Season 5?
BRUNSON:Im going to say something really small and simple.
Im really excited to see Gregorys apartment.
