'Abbott Elementary' will return for a fourth season on ABC

The third season of "Abbott Elementary" may have only just started, but fans of the ABC sitcom can already begin looking forward to Season 4.

"Abbott Elementary," the Emmy-winning mockumentary by West Philly-native Quinta Brunson, has been renewed for a fourth season by ABC. The news was announced Saturday at the 2024 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour by William Stanford Davis, who stars in the series as the titular Philly public school's enigmatic custodian Mr. Johnson.

"Because we all deserve a little more Abbott in our lives," ABC wrote on Instagram. "#AbbottElementary will be coming back for Season 4!"

The second season of "Abbott Elementary," which finished airing in April, delivered a 3.56 rating among the age group of 18-49 years old after 35 days of viewing across platforms. This marks the strongest season average for an ABC comedy since the 2019-2020 season and ranks "Abbott Elementary" as ABC’s No. 1 multiplatform series, according to the network.

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Along with killer ratings, "Abbott" also continues to rake in the industry's most illustrious awards. At the recent Emmy Awards, "Abbott Elementary" received eight nominations. Brunson won outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her performance as plucky second-grade teacher Janine Teagues.

News of a fourth season comes on the heels of the special hour-long Season 3 premiere of "Abbott Elementary," which aired Wednesday. The latest season is already bringing about some changes for the beloved "Abbott" staff, played by Brunson, Davis, Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti and Sheryl Lee Ralph. 

Rather than beginning the third season at the start of the school year, as the show did previously, "Abbott Elementary" picked up midyear to reflect its February premiere. The new season was delayed due to last year's Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. For this reason, Season 3 will also be shorter than Season 2, containing just 14 episodes compared to 22.

In the Season 3 premiere — which featured surprise Zoom cameos by Eagles players Jalen Hurts, Jason Kelce and Brandon Graham during the school's career day — viewers learn that Janine has traded her beloved classroom for a role with the School District of Philadelphia. In her new gig, Janine works alongside a trio of well-meaning district representatives played by Josh Segarra, Kimia Behpoornia and Benjamin Norris.

The second episode, which airs on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, will handle the revelation that Janine's ex, Tariq (Zack Fox), is dating the mother of one of the school's students, while teacher Gregory Eddie (Williams) reluctantly deals with his new status as the "cool teacher." ABC also teased details for the third episode of the season, airing Feb. 21, which will see Abbott staff attempting to revamp the school's outdated drug policy after a student is caught smoking, while Janine reluctantly prepares the new substitute teacher taking over her class.

"Abbott Elementary" airs at 9 p.m. Wednesdays on ABC, and new episodes can be streamed the next day on Hulu.