'Abbott Elementary' Is Expanding — and Quinta Brunson Is Beyond Excited

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.”

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Brunson said James, 45, is putting her all into the performance.

“It’s great because we’re writing really great stuff for that character, [and] Janelle’s just bringing it — like bringing new layers to Ava,” the Emmy winner said. “When you’re writing it, you just hope for the best, and you know it’ll be great ’cause our cast is great, but Janelle’s just been killing it.”

It won’t just be new family members introduced on the fourth season of Abbott Elementary. The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crew will also stop by for a crossover.

“I think it’s very cool,” Brunson told Us of the special event. “I think it’s unexpected and I think that it’ll be like a delight to the audience of both shows. You know, I think it’ll be very exciting for the people who watch our shows. And if they watch one show and not the other, I think that’s cool too because it’ll make people interested in that show. I’m just excited about it and I think it’s just a fun way to shake up TV.”

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She added that the episode will come “a little bit later in the season, but not too far away.”

While plenty of new faces are arriving at the Philly elementary school, Abbott fans can rest assured that some traditions are back. After having a midseason start last year, the show is back to a 22-episode season, which means holiday episodes are coming.

“We’ll have a Halloween episode and a Christmas episode this year, and that really just makes me happy,” Brunson said.

Abbott Elementary returns to ABC on Wednesday, October 9, at 9:30 p.m. ET. For more on season 4 of Abbott Elementary — from the entire cast — pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.