Abbott Elementary Must Drop One Infamous Trope In Season 6 Before It’s Too Late

Published Sep 6, 2026, 2:31 PM EDT Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020. Although Abbott Elementary is one of the best shows on network TV in 2026, that doesn’t mean that the sitcom is immune to outdated tropes, and there’s one hoary cliché that season 6 needs to steer clear of to succeed. Abbott Elementary’s cast of characters make the series a must-watch workplace sitcom and one of the funniest contributions to the genre since the heyday of Parks and Recreation and The Office. Like those earlier hits, Abbott Elementary uses its mockumentary format to give iconic characters like Janine, Gregory, Jacob, Barbara, Melissa, Mr. Johnson, and Principal Ava plentiful chances to address the audience directly between scenes. While this throwback to a style popularized by The Office and Modern Family is a welcome one, no one could accuse Abbott Elementary of relying on nostalgia for laughs. The show feels timely and topical as well as consistently warm-hearted, touching on real-life issues like education underfunding while never sacrificing gags in the process. However, even though Abbott Elementary is one of few truly successful sitcoms of the 2020s, the series isn’t immune to the biggest pitfalls of its format. Like so many classic sitcoms, Abbott Elementary mined the romantic potential of its central couple, Janine and Gregory, throughout the show’s first three seasons before the pair finally, mercifully hooked up in the season 3 finale. However, season 5’s breakup plot was a pointless digression, and one that the upcoming season 6 needs to learn the right lessons from. Abbott Elementary’s Janine and Gregory Must Stay Together In Season 6 There is no shortage of iconic sitcom couples who held out for numerous seasons to maximize the narrative potential of their union, only to eventually get together in an explosively satisfying season finale. Jim and Pam didn’t admit their love for each other until The Office’s season 3 finale, much like Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Jake and Amy, while Mindy and Danny waited until the season 2 finale of The Mindy Project to finally hook up, as did New Girl’s Nick and Jess. As such, it was fitting for Abbott Elementary’s Janine and Gregory to hold off as long as they did. The problem came when the pair broke up late in season 5, a perfunctory plot that felt phoned in and lacking in narrative stakes. After all, what made these two so unique, original, appealing was the fact that they are not like Ross and Rachel, or Ted and Robin, or Cheers’s legendary Sam and Diane. The very fact that Abbott Elementary’s Janine and Gregory are both measured, cautious, sensible perennial planners meant that, once they did get together, their relationship was unlikely to be defined by the “will they, won’t they” on/off breakup dynamics of other sitcoms. To make matters worse, Abbott Elementary has plenty of other romantic relationships to explore, and Janine and Gregory’s brief, low-stakes season 5 breakup only deprived its supporting characters of screen time. Abbott Elementary Season 6 Already Set Up Janine and Gregory’s Best Ending MovieStillsDB Viewers were left asking what happened to Jacob’s love life post-Zack, and how Melissa and Captain Robinson’s relationship was going, while season 5 meandered through a thoroughly unnecessary breakup arc between the show’s heroes. Fortunately, the series seems to have learned its lesson, and any attempts to replicate the tumultuous multi-season romances of Cheers and its spinoff Frasier are clearly set to be abandoned soon. With Gregory mentioning his plans to purchase an engagement ring to O’Shon, Abbott Elementary has effectively set up a way for the series to set the pair’s relationship status in stone. Marrying off Gregory and Janine would be the right call for Abbott Elementary season 6 since, although conflict is the heart of comedy and drama alike, the sitcom’s protagonists are too fastidious for constant breakups and reunions to feel believable. Release Date 2021 - 2026-00-00 Network ABC Showrunner Quinta Brunson, Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker Cast Quinta Brunson Janine Teagues Tyler James Williams Gregory Eddie Directors Randall Einhorn, Jennifer Celotta, Jaime Eliezer Karas Writers Quinta Brunson, Riley Dufurrena, Garrett Werner, Joya McCrory, Kate Peterman, Justin Tan, Brittani Nichols, Ava Coleman, Chad Morton, Rebekka Pesqueira, Brian Rubenstein Creator(s) Quinta Brunson