Quinta Brunson‘s character Janine is feeling the pressure as a teacher on Abbott Elementary — and everyone is noticing the toll it is taking on her.
In Us Weekly‘s exclusive clip from the Wednesday, March 4, episode of the hit ABC series, Jacob (Chris Perfetti) checks in on Janine (Quinta Brunson), asking, “Everything OK, bud? You are staring at that coffee maker like it just broke your heart.”
Janine replies that she forgot to start a fresh pot of coffee. “It’s fine. I’m just going to drink the leftover groundwater,” she says. “I don’t have the energy. My class is off the walls. What is the word for over overwhelmed?”
Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) and Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) express concern for Janine in the clip. Janine, however, tries to remain optimistic despite the professional challenges.
“The problem is the sheer volume of children,” she notes. “And also the children’s volume. Anyway, I am now off to the basement to see if I can find more desks.”
According to the official synopsis, Wednesday’s episode shows as “Janine asks Ava for a classroom aide, and the school seeks out a new gym teacher. Meanwhile, Dominic confides in Jacob.”
Abbott Elementary, which debuted in 2021, focuses on teachers in a Philadelphia public school. After premiering on ABC, the sitcom quickly became critically acclaimed and picked up many accolades, including Golden Globe and Emmy awards.
In addition to Brunson, 36, Perfetti, 37, Walter, 62, and Ralph, 69, Abbott Elementary stars Tyler James Williams, Janelle James and William Stanford Davis.
Before season 5 premiered, Perfetti reflected on how the show has found ways to introduce fresh story lines.
“We can’t really make people laugh with the same jokes over and over again. So it’s always been a priority of our writers to try and delve deeper into who these people are,” he exclusively told Us in October 2024. “[For example] when you meet [a character’s] family, you just get to show and paint with all of these colors that we’re not really used to seeing.”
Perfetti continued: “I’m just so glad that we’re doing it because a sitcom is kind of like a trap for two dimensionality. So keeping it fresh and keeping it relatable and keeping it real while keeping it funny is obviously very helped by our mockumentary format. But it’s always been a top priority.”
Ralph also hinted to Us about what to expect on the show.
“I can tell you absolutely nothing because I know absolutely nothing [about Barbara’s arc]. Be very afraid,” she teased in September 2025. “After the first season, I knew in my heart, in my mind and in my spirit that there would be a season 5.”
At the time, Ralph reflected on her legacy after a 40-year career in Hollywood.
“My legacy is about the life I’ve been able to lead,” Ralph shared with Us. “It would be my children. My children are my greatest legacy. I met Cicely Tyson on a plane once. She said, ‘Sheryl, you are going to do wonderful things, but your children will be some of the greatest things you ever do.’ I don’t know how she knew that, but that was a truth that I am living now.”
Abbott Elementary airs on ABC Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Hulu the next day.
