Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Ratings grow for sitcom about Philly public schools ‘Abbott Elementary’

The show, created by and starring West Philadelphia native Quinta Brunson, premiered in December, and has since quadrupled the debut’s rating.

In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers and a slightly tone-deaf principal are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed.
In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers and a slightly tone-deaf principal are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed.Read moreABC/Prashant Gupta

Popular sitcom Abbott Elementary, which is set in a fictional Philadelphia public school, became the first ABC show to quadruple its ratings since its premiere, according to reports.

The show, created by and starring West Philadelphia native Quinta Brunson, premiered in December, and has since quadrupled the debut’s rating of 0.6 in the 18 to 49 demographic and 2.79 million viewers, shooting up to a 2.4 rating and 7.1 million viewers in little more than a month, Deadline reported.

After 35 days of viewing, the series premiere went up 300% in the demographic to its 2.4 rating, according to Deadline. Abbott Elementary’s premiere saw the largest percentage growth from the debut to the 35-day mark for any of its comedy show’s premieres, ABC told Deadline.

» READ MORE: There’s a new sitcom about Philly public schools. So we asked a city teacher to review it.

The popular sitcom focuses on Brunson’s character Janine Teagues, a woefully optimistic second-grade teacher, and a group of her coworkers who struggle daily with lack of funding and basic supplies for their students.

Although Abbott Elementary is a fictional school, Brunson draws from her own life experience, as her mother was a kindergarten teacher in the Philadelphia school district. Brunson graduated from a now-closed city school, the Charter High School of Architecture and Design.

» READ MORE: Comedian Quinta Brunson says growing up in Philly launched a meme, a book and, now, a network TV show