Abbott Elementary Season 3 Is Paused For The Writers Strike

For students, the end of a school year is an exciting time. But for viewers of Abbott Elementary, it marks the start of a months-long break from one of TV’s most beloved, feel-good sitcoms. So after the show’s April 19 finale, when will Abbott Elementary return?

If you’ve been keeping up with recent award shows, it’s not surprising that Abbott Elementary Season 3 was given the green light. The show is a critical favorite, earning a bevy of honors — including star and co-creator Quinta Brunson’s Best Actress and Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy at the 2023 Golden Globes. The very next day, Abbott Elementary was officially renewed.

However, the timing of Abbott Elementary’s return is unclear due to the ongoing writers strike. Below, find the cast’s response to the pause — plus, everything to expect from Season 3.

Abbott Elementary Season 3 Cast

You can likely expect the entire Abbott Elementary cast to return for Season 3: Brunson as Janine Teagues, Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard, Janelle James as Ava Coleman, Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti, Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill, and William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson.

Abbott Elementary Season 3 Plot

Even before writing for Season 3 was set to begin, the Abbott Elementary creative team was looking ahead to next season’s storylines. “I think it’d be fun to ask what happens when people have the opportunity to go on to bigger and better things and make massive change, so that's what I’m interested in playing with,” Brunson told Cosmopolitan — adding that she’d love to do a fourth season and beyond.

In the meantime, Season 3 will likely continue the charter schools storyline. “We’re going into Season 3 with some ideas of an aspect — that I won’t spoil — of the school system that we want to explore a little bit more,” co-showrunner Patrick Schumacker told The Wrap. “I think we’re approaching it like The Wire — different facets of this ecosystem.”

Co-showrunner Justin Halpern addressed Janine and Gregory’s future, too. “We don’t look at it as, ‘When are we going to get these two together or not get them together?’ We look at it as, ‘Hey, let’s really pay attention to the characters and grow the characters,’ so that when we make whatever decision we make, you as an audience believe it and feel like it’s real,” he told the outlet. “These are people in their 20s, like, that sh*t’s messy.”

Abbott Elementary Season 3 Potential Premiere Date

In a recent appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Brunson said writing for Season 3 would officially begin at the end of April. You would typically expect the Abbott Elementary Season 3 premiere date to fall sometime in September. However, the writers room is currently closed due to the ongoing writers strike — and the current ABC fall calendar has only programmed repeat showings of existing Abbott episodes. “Everything is in flux because of the strike,” Ralph recently told Today, voicing her support for the movement and explaining that there’s “nothing” to report in terms of production updates.

Brunson also spoke out from the picket line. “If we keep staying strong, then we’re actually going to be able to make this end sooner and get the things that we’re fighting for — I think that’s a very important part of this,” she said, via The Wrap.

In an interview with Democracy Now!, Abbott Elementary writer Brittani Nichols discussed how the strike could affect the show. “We are a show that writes while we air, and so, if this strike goes on for a significant period of time, our show will not come out on time,” she explained. “And that could change the amount of episodes — which people, I’m sure, will be very upset about — it could change the air date, it could change a lot of different things.”

This post will be updated with the trailer, premiere date, and additional plot details as more information on Abbott Elementary Season 3 becomes available