Abbott Elementary Season 5 Premieres; Future Uncertain

Abbott Elementary returned for Season 5 on Oct. 1, airing Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET. The premiere episode, “Team Building,” centers on teachers preparing for the new school year and gives William Stanford Davis’s Mr. Johnson a standout storyline, including a bit about never learning to ride a bike despite owning a Tour de France trophy. Lisa Ann Walter’s Melissa has moved up to teach middle-school math, prompting intentionally brutal rehearsal scenes as colleagues ready her for tougher students. The episode introduces a former student returning as a teacher and adds a recurring role for Luke Tennie, suggesting more cast changes ahead. ABC has not yet renewed the series for a sixth season, and creator Quinta Brunson has suggested the show could be winding down as cast members pursue other projects and production demands grow. The season continues to mix humor and heart as the teachers navigate staffing and narrative shifts at their underfunded school.