The upcoming third season of “Abbott Elementary” will feature “enormous changes” compared to previous installments of the ABC comedy, according to star Lisa Ann Walter.
“Quinta [Brunson] will kill me,” Walter said of spilling any Season 3 spoilers while speaking to TheWrap on the Emmys red carpet. “But I will tell you this — enormous changes — lots and lots of stuff — so much that they had to make it a double-long episode.”
As “Abbott Elementary” returns for its third season on Wednesday, Feb. 7, with a one-hour episode, Walter also teased that fans of the show “are going to be really surprised.”
“I would love to hear from your audience, when they watch this, what they think is going to happen just so I can amuse myself, compared to what we actually do,” Walter said.
Brunson similarly teased the upcoming installment of the ABC sitcom, telling reporters that the Season 3 premiere would feature her “dream guest stars” after receiving her Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Walter, who plays second grade teacher and Philly native Melissa Schemmenti in the sitcom, also noted viewers would see more of Melissa’s personal life, though in a “very surprising way.”
As for whether Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) might continue their romance despite their flirtation coming to an abrupt halt in the Season 2 finale, the question is more of a “when” than an “if.”
“The whole world knows that’s gonna happen,” Walter said. “It’s a question of ‘when?’ and maybe not right away.”
Writing on “Abbott Elementary” Season 3 was interrupted by the onset of the WGA strike in early May, which was further delayed when striking actors joined writers on the picket line in mid-July. Following the resolution of the SAG-AFTRA strike in early November, “Abbott” was one of the first shows to get up and running as networks raced to get their spring slate ready.
Walter was in the middle of two back-to-back weekends of stand-up shows on the East Coast when she got the news that production would be starting up the “next week” after the actors’ strike was resolved. Despite having to cancel her plans to head back to set, Walter admitted she was “thrilled” to reunite with her “Abbott” crew.
“It’s like family — we really miss each other when we’re apart,” Walter said. “It took us about a day and a half to shake the rust off and get back in the groove. And once we did we were like, ‘Ah, there it is, we’re back.’”
