Much like a kid entering the fourth grade, Abbott Elementary is growing in season 4 with many fresh faces — and Quinta Brunson tells Us she can’t wait for fans to meet the show’s new characters. Among the newbies on the ABC sitcom will be family members of the teachers at Abbott. “I’m really excited about that,” Brunson, who plays Janine Teagues and serves as showrunner, exclusively told Us Weekly .
“We have family members who you’ve seen already, but I’m so excited to expand not only on the characters whose family we’ve seen already, but characters like Ava [played by Janelle James ], characters like Jacob [played by Chris Perfetti ], just seeing more of their family. I’m really excited about that.” So who raised the boisterous, hustling principal? Brunson, 34, said Ava’s family dynamic might not be what viewers are expecting.
“It’s so interesting. I think you’ll be surprised and understanding at Ava’s family dynamic,” Brunson teased. “If I had to say there was one thread I was most excited about this season, it’s getting to show more Ava — but in a way that we haven’t seen her before — more family, more of her life as it pertains to the school, but kind of like her hopes and wishes and dreams and what she wants for herself.
I think we’ll probably see more growth with her this season than we ever have before, more than any other character, which is so exciting to me.” Brunson said James, 45, is putting her all into the perfor.