Back in School on ABC’s hit series “Abbott Elementary,” Oscar-nominated actor Leslie Odom Jr (“One Night in Miami”) leads a roster of special guest stars for Season 2. The show, produced by and starring Quinta Brunson, will also see appearances by Lauren Weidman (“Euphoria”) and Keila Monterosso Mejia (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), ABC announced Wednesday during its part of the Television Critics Association summer tour.
Odom Jr. will portray Draymond, owner of a string of charter schools in the area, who pays a visit to Abbott. Weidman plays Kristin Marie, a tough-talking teacher at a neighboring school who is very similar to one of Abbott’s own (ahem, Lisa Ann Walter’s Melissa Schematici). Mejia Ashley, a teacher’s aide at Abbott Elementary, whose fluency-together personality contributes to the chaos in the classroom.
The fresh start of three Emmy wins — including Brunson’s historic win for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series — “Abbott Elementary” returns to ABC on September 21, with a premiere the following day on Hulu. The workplace comedy follows a group of dedicated teachers who work under a chaotic and self-involved principal at an under-resourced Philadelphia public school. Despite the odds against them, teachers are dedicated to helping their students achieve excellence.
Brunson stars as optimistic Janine Teagues and also serves as executive producer with Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacher of Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions and Randall Einhorn. The cast was cast by Tyler James Williams as the straight-laced Gregory Eddie, Janelle James as Principal Ava Coleman, Chris Perfetti as the always-anxious Jacob Hill, William Stanford Davis as the janitor Mr. Johnson (who also featured in series regulars). was done) is rounded out. Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph as veteran teacher Barbara Howard. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television.
Speaking to TheWrap in a recent interview, Schumacher teased an upcoming cameo in Season 2, saying, “The show has garnered a lot of attention and celebrities are keen to be on the show. We love that purity of Season 1. And trying to keep that documentary and make it look as real as possible. It’s tempting to succumb to that kind of interest and we have a cameo in the first episode of season 2 that’s a big, Big surprise. But, for the most part, we’re keeping it as close to season 1 as possible.”