At Televerse 26, I caught up with Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams and Janelle James to talk about the Emmy-nominated ABC comedy Abbott Elementary, their characters, their experiences making the show and, naturally, a little bit of Eagles football.
Quinta Brunson Wants Marcello Hernández on Abbott Elementary
I had to ask Quinta about something that had been on my mind: Marcello Hernández joining the world of Abbott Elementary.
After Quinta previously called the Saturday Night Live star, I wanted to know whether that phone call could eventually lead to Marcello actually appearing on Abbott.
Unfortunately, there’s one major obstacle: Abbott Elementary and SNL are in production at the same time.
But there’s an even better part to the story.
Quinta revealed that Marcello has actually been pressing her to get him onto the show.
So, Marcello, if you are reading this, consider this an official campaign.
And because this is a Philly interview, of course we had to start with my Eagles hat. Quinta immediately recognized the significance; and, yes, the interview almost ended right there. JOKINGLY.
Tyler James Williams Explains How Abbott Breaks the Fourth Wall
One of my favorite things about Abbott Elementary is its mockumentary style and the way the characters interact with the camera.
So I asked Tyler James Williams how that fourth-wall breaking actually works.
His answer gave me a completely different way of looking at the show’s camera operators.
Williams explained that the actors began thinking of the camera operators as characters themselves: the people who are actually there watching what is happening.
Once he started treating the camera operators as part of the world of the show, the process became much easier.
That explanation makes those little Gregory looks into the camera feel even more intentional.
We also went beyond Abbott, talking about Tyler’s experience on Everybody Hates Chris and his reaction to seeing that series continue in animated form.
And, of course, I couldn’t let him leave without asking about The Walking Dead. Williams called it one of the best working experiences of his career and praised Andrew Lincoln as one of the best leading actors in the business.
Janelle James Brings the Ava Energy
Before Janelle James and I even got to the first question, she was already making sure we had the proper lighting.
Main character energy? No doubt about it.
Once we got the lighting situation handled, we talked about one of Abbott’s most entertaining relationships: Ava Coleman and O’Shon.
Janelle acknowledged how much of an impact the pairing has made, especially considering O’Shon isn’t one of the show’s primary characters. She also addressed the possibility of the relationship hitting another bump in the road—and basically reminded us that television needs its drama.
I also asked Janelle about her comedy influences, including Richard Pryor and Kim Wayans, and she talked about how she once admired performers simply as a fan without ever imagining that she’d eventually be part of that world herself.
And then we had to end where we started: with the Eagles.
Janelle even gave us the distinction between Ava’s Eagles fandom and Janelle’s.
Watch my interviews with Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams and Janelle James from Televerse 26 above. You can also download the episode on Spotify and all major podcast platforms.
