Abbott Elementary is a sitcom done in the same mockumentary style as Modern Family and The Office. The series was created by Quinta Brunson, who also stars alongside several other actors, including Tyler James Williams. Tyler grew up on television, first capturing attention playing a young Chris Rock in Everybody Hates Chris.
Tyler plays the role of Gregory and Quinta plays the role of Janine. The two characters are teachers at a public school in Philadelphia. The characters have been teasing viewers about a potential relationship for a long time. While their feelings for one another have always been hinted at, it wasn’t until Season 3 that we saw it finally come to fruition. Now, as Season 5 is gearing up, Tyler has revealed what the future has in store for Gregory and Janine.
Tyler Teased Fans About Where Gregory And Janine Would Go In Season 5
Tyler James Williams spoke to The Hollywood Reporter at the 2025 Disney Upfronts following the conclusion of Abbott Elementary Season 4. When asked about the future of Gregory and Janine, Tyler said things would continue to blossom between the couple. According to the actor, there was still a lot left to explore in their relationship.
“We have to explore the next steps of their relationship, for sure,” Tyler said. “I think now that they’re officially together, there’s things that they have to accomplish and get done together. Like I think we saw in the [season 4] finale of Janine meeting Gregory’s father. They need to meet the families, they need to decide what life looks like for the two of them. We have a lot to explore there.”
When series creator and star Quinta Brunson spoke to Deadline, she said there was a specific aspect of Gregory’s life she wanted to see in Season 5. “I’m really excited to see Gregory’s apartment,” she revealed. “It was something we wanted to do this season that we never got to do, and I’m excited to see it next year.”
Of course, Tyler couldn’t give away any spoilers for Season 4 either. During a 2024 chat with Us Weekly, he explained that the actors worked “really hard to make sure” audiences could sense the shift between Gregory and Janine in Season 4. This came after the two characters kissed for the first time at the end of Season 3.
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“[It is] new and fresh and different from what the previous seasons were. This season should feel tonally different for them,” he said. “[When season 4 starts], this will be the first time that Gregory is in the school having fully disclosed and tried to explore what happened with Janine. Obviously, it’s a workplace and it’s going to make things a little complicated. The biggest thing that I can tease is how do you interact with a coworker that you have now expressed feelings for and definitely had some sort of physical interaction with? That’s really his biggest challenge this year.”
Gregory And Janine Kissed For The First Time In A Cliffhanger At The End Of Season 3
The kiss between Gregory and Janine was the cliffhanger Season 3 left fans with. Loyal viewers were wondering what this meant for their future, both as friends and colleagues. As the fourth season was getting started, Tyler spoke to Us Weekly and detailed how he spoke with Quinta about playing the roles.
“I can tell you right now, we changed the way we did everything. We changed the way we did literally everything,” he told the outlet. “Each year we have to approach them and their dynamic differently — specifically the way they interact. We had a lot of conversations before the season started and then after the season first started as we were sharpening and narrowing things down.”
“How do they interact with each other now? How do they interact with each other physically? How do they interact with each other emotionally?” Tyler continued. “There’s different ways in which they’re going to talk to each other. This will feel like an evolution of Janine and Gregory, similarly to how they have the previous seasons.”
Tyler had been doing his best to throw audiences off in the weeks leading up to the season three finale. During interviews, he said that he thought the two should maintain a platonic friendship. When he appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show, he said, “I don’t necessarily want to see them together.” He explained that audiences rarely see platonic love portrayed on television and that going for a romantic relationship would be too easy. However, Tyler would later admit that he lied on purpose.
“I knew what the finale was, and I was misleading,” he told TVLine. “I kept getting asked about what was happening with Janine and Gregory, and I’m like, ‘Uhhh, they should be friends.’ No, I’ve been waiting to get to this moment just as much as everybody else has.”
Tyler expressed real excitement regarding what the fourth season had in store for viewers. “What we have seen up until this point was a mutual admiration for each other,” he said. “Regardless of where it goes, it’s about how much they really respect and care for each other. That’s the key.”
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When speaking about what made the kiss so special, Tyler said, “We really got a chance to make the audience feel like they’re not supposed to be here — although they want to see everything that they can. There’s something super special about that.”
Gregory And Janine Have A Major Moment With Gregory’s Father In The Season 4 Finale
In the Season 4 finale, the school takes a field trip to the Please Touch Museum. In the episode, Gregory is feeling stressed due to his father Martin’s decision to volunteer as a chaperon. At first, Gregory is looking forward to Janine meeting his father, but he is soon nervous they will clash due to his father’s strict nature. Martin was introduced in an earlier episode and Quinta told Variety why she decided to bring him back. During the discussion, she also gave some hints at what could happen next season.
“We just really missed Orlando, and we felt that was one milestone we were missing with them,” Quinta said. “We had a couple of different options, but one that seemed most tangible for the finale was meeting a parent, and Gregory’s dad is close and in the picture. We probably would make a meal out of him meeting Janine’s mom — a big meal out of it — but we were trying to do something that we’re going to have fun with and that won’t weigh down our story.”
“Because ultimately, this is happening with them, but it really is about the kids, and the eighth graders who are graduating. We wanted to make sure we could fit it in here, get some character growth out of both of them and still focus on the main story.”
Janine decided to wear a suit jacket and behave in a very strict manner to ease Gregory’s worries. However, this causes a bit of an issue, since being playful is what helps keep Janine’s students in line. Martin seems to be thrown by Janine’s character shift at first. But he surprises everybody by showing that he also has a softer side. He starts talking to the kids in a funny voice while pretending to be a squirrel, making them laugh. Gregory was happy to see Janine and Martin working well together on the trip.
Gregory then remembers his father’s strict parenting style, resulting in him not having much fun when he was younger. This causes him to have mixed feelings about Martin’s sudden connection with Janine. Janine doesn’t understand Gregory’s resentment at first, but she encourages Gregory to talk about it with his father once she figures it out.
When Gregory and Martin finally discuss the matter, his father admits he was too hard on him growing up. He tells Gregory that he realizes it was wrong of him to be so tough. A part of Gregory is healed by this conversation. Martin then tells his son that Janine reminds him of his wife, Faith. Unfortunately, she passed away when Gregory was nine years old. Quinta said that this is a part of Gregory’s life viewers could hear more about in Season 5.
“It’s something we’ll definitely talk more about in the future, but it was nice to learn about Gregory’s mom without having to see her or know her place in his father’s life, and how possibly affected him and Gregory,” Quinta said. “We found it charming, but weighted. Loaded. Which is always the balance of doing a sitcom: How do we get this information out quickly? How does not weigh down our entire story? We still want people to be having a good time and enjoying the show, but how we learn a massive thing about our characters and in one or two lines? I feel like it told you a lot about Janine and Gregory’s dynamic without having to have a mouthful about what they do for each other.”
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Gregory eventually realized that Janine had helped his father loosen up and have fun in a way that wasn’t easy for him to do. This realization helps him to finish his discussion with Martin both with empathy. He also feels a huge appreciation for Janine at that moment.
Abbott Elementary
- Release Date
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December 7, 2021
- Network
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ABC
- Showrunner
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Quinta Brunson
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Quinta Brunson
Janine Teagues
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Tyler James Williams
Gregory Eddie
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Sheryl Lee Ralph
Barbara Howard
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Lisa Ann Walter
Melissa Schemmenti
