ABC’s Best Show Is About To Cross A Major Milestone That Defines Its Future

Published Sep 20, 2026, 2:04 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. The news that ABC’s modern classic sitcom hits the all-important 100th episode milestone in season 6 is even bigger than many fans of the show might realize. The 2020s have not been kind to the network sitcom, despite what the popularity of The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff Young Sheldon might lead some viewers to assume. Although the nostalgic family comedy never replicated the staggering ratings success of The Big Bang Theory itself, Young Sheldon was consistently the most watched network TV comedy of its era. However, while Young Sheldon was successful enough to spawn a spinoff of its own in Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, this wasn’t reflected in the traditional network TV sitcom’s fortunes as a genre on the whole. Since 2022 alone, Going Dutch, The Neighborhood, The Wonder Years reboot, B Positive, United States of Al, Kenan, and Home Economics, among many others, have all been canceled by their networks. Clearly, despite outliers like Ghosts and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, it isn’t an easy time to be a network sitcom. This makes the success of creator and star Quinta Brunson’s acclaimed workplace sitcom Abbott Elementary all the more astounding. The show revives the mockumentary format of Parks and Recreation and The Office to focus on the dysfunctional faculty of the titular fictional public school, an underfunded institution held together by hard work, good vibes, and pure chance. Abbott Elementary has maintained both an astounding critical rating and a massive audience share throughout its run, and its upcoming sixth season promises a massive milestone for the series. Abbott Elementary Will Hit The 100th Episode Milestone In Season 6 Image courtesy of MovieStillsDb Abbott Elementary’s season 5 finale, “Miami,” marked the show’s 93rd episode, meaning the show’s 100th episode will arrive seven episodes into season 6. On network TV, this has traditionally been the threshold for a show to enter syndicated reruns, although it is worth noting that this isn’t a hard and fast rule. 100 episodes became a gold standard as this allowed network to run 20 weeks of weekday reruns without repeating the same episode, making these shows more desirable. Nowadays, network TV shows need to compete with streaming shows, and even genres that have traditionally been famous for their low production values have caught up with this proverbial arms race. Historically, shows like Frasier and Cheers could reach the 100th episode milestone since they only relied on a handful of sets and had low-stakes storylines that didn’t require much in the way of expensive special effects or stunt work. This might seem obvious, but sitcoms as a format were well suited to syndication since, like children’s shows, they typically had standalone, non-serialized episodes that could be rerun in no particular order. This didn’t necessarily mean they were inexpensive, since a lot of these shows eventually became deceptively expensive to produce thanks to their A-list, in-demand cast members. Although Friends and The Big Bang Theory famously only utilized a small handful of almost entirely indoor locations, their main cast’s salaries saw the show’s budget increase exponentially with each new season. However, this investment was well worth it when the shows became massive syndication successes. This is why Abbott Elementary season 6 reaching the 100th episode milestone is such a big deal, as this, combined with the show’s critical acclaim, practically guarantees that Brunson’s sitcom will enjoy a solid future in syndication. The number of episodes required for a show to enter syndication has been lowered to around 88 in recent years, and can go as low as 65 in some notable instances. 100th Episode Milestone Solidifies Abbott Elementary's Syndication Future MovieStillsDB However, shows that went into syndication with so few episodes tended to be more expensive, ambitious shows with bigger production budgets and, as a result, shorter runs. With this being the case, hitting its 100th episode solidifies Abbott Elementary’s chances for syndication. In an era when even sitcoms are embracing flashy special effects and high production values, as evidenced by The Big Bang Theory’s R-rated high-concept sci-fi spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, this marks a major win for old-fashioned network sitcoms. Since the series began, Abbott Elementary has been a critical darling precisely because Brunson’s show seems capable of fusing the familiar comforts of traditional network sitcoms with a thoroughly modern and contemporary writing style. Even more so than comparable workplace sitcoms of the 2010s like Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Abbott Elementary has its finger on the cultural pulse with storylines about worker’s rights, gentrification, COVID-19’s impact on the education system, and America’s crumbling public school system. However, like MASH in its prime, the show’s sharp social commentary can sit comfortably alongside its warm character comedy without either element feeling jarring or out of place. Where shows like ABC’s Scrubs revival can sometimes feel like they are avoiding the uncomfortable realities of US hospital overcrowding, the healthcare system’s failures, and the preponderance of medical debt in the country, Abbott Elementary can seamlessly weave in similarly heavy, potentially tough topics while remaining fun, upbeat and light-hearted. Why Abbott Elementary Is Perfect For Reruns ABC This is what makes Abbott Elementary uniquely suited to reruns, much like MASH. Far too many contemporary sitcoms feel rooted in an imagined past, either literally, thanks to their period settings, or figuratively. Since Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage are both set in the ‘90s, the shows can conveniently avoid anything resembling contemporary cultural commentary, and this can make them feel cloyingly sentimental, schmaltzy, and anodyne in reruns. Similarly, Going Dutch boasted an almost-impressive ability to ignore the reality of US military intervention overseas despite the show taking place on a US overseas military base, while the decision to set Ghosts in an isolated mansion full of spirits from earlier historical eras gives the series a convenient ability to largely ignore real-life issues. In stark contrast, Abbott Elementary embraces the tricky art of addressing real-life social and political ills while remaining fun, and this makes the show ideal for reruns in syndication. Many sitcom viewers will say they watch these shows to tune out real-life issues, but this has not necessarily proven true. The satirical sitcom American Dad reached 400 episodes by skewering US politics, while MASH’s daring anti-war story saw the show become the most-watched sitcom in US TV history to date. Thus, Abbott Elementary’s real-world relevance is a feature, not a flaw, when it comes to the sitcom’s syndication potential. 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