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Abbott Elementary’s Tyler James Williams, William Stanford Davis Dish on What We Can Expect in Season 2

The sophomore season premieres Wednesday, Sep. 21 on ABC.

Abbott Elementary stars Tyler James Williams and William Stanford Davis are giving viewers a sneak peak as to whatโ€™s in store for their respective characters in the upcoming season of the Emmy award-winning hit show.

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As a refresher, Williams plays the slightly anti-social yet steadfast substitute-turned-full-time teacher Gregory Eddie, while Stanford Davis plays the hilarious and societally skeptical janitor Mr. Johnson. (Davisโ€™ character was upped to a season regular back in July.) Both actors shared that weโ€™ll be taking a deeper look into the personal lives of the teachers and who they as people outside of the school.

โ€œI think with Jacob and Janine, we see them as young, early teachers. But we have yet to see anybody in this world thatโ€™s a first-time, first-year teacher. And with Gregory, we get a chance to see that especially with him being the overachiever that he is,โ€ Williams said to The Root and other members of the press during a roundtable.

โ€œWeโ€™ll get a real glimpse of what itโ€™s like for freshman teachers who wanna come in and change the world and feel like they can do everything better and differently. And then they get knocked on their ass sometimes. So I think weโ€™ll see Gregory have to realize that he canโ€™t do everything perfectly, that itโ€™s not as easy as he thought it was to reform and to change things. But hopefully, we also get a chance to see his resilience and see pick up the building blocks heโ€™ll need for a successful teaching career long-term,โ€ he concluded.

Added Davis, โ€œI think with Mr. Johnson, weโ€™re gonna see a lot of the same from last year in terms of his frankness with everybody, heโ€™s pretty much filter-less. But I think youโ€™re gonna see a little more of his personal life, a little more away from school. And I think youโ€™re gonna see more of him.โ€

Later, when The Root caught up with Williams during the red carpet at this yearโ€™s Emmys, he also divulged about the trajectory of the relationship between Gregory and show creator Quinta Brunsonโ€™s character Janine in the forthcoming season.

โ€œI think, much like you saw in the finale in S Season One, timing is everything. And thatโ€™s really what I feel like Season Two is about, where right as Janine is becoming single, Gregory is going into something. And weโ€™ll just keep playing with that much like it is in real life,โ€ he explained. โ€œThatโ€™s the one thing Quintaโ€™s keeping secret. Sheโ€™s the only one who knows the โ€˜will they?โ€™ or the โ€˜wonโ€™t they?โ€™ I still donโ€™t know. Itโ€™s the super slow burn and I think she really likes the tease so she may keep this up for some time."

Season two of Abbott Elementary premieres Wednesday, Sep. 21 on ABC and streaming next day on Hulu.

Straight From The Root

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