The stars of the ABC comedy said fans will get a look into characters' home life in the next season.
The cast of Abbott Elementary promises good things are coming for everyone waiting on season 2! ET spoke with the series' stars on the red carpet for the Abbott Elementary FYC event, where they shared details on the upcoming season and their ideas for future guest stars.
Created by and starring Quinta Brunson, the half-hour mockumentary-style series follows a group of dedicated and passionate teachers -- and a slightly tone-deaf principal -- at a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though the educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do -- even if they don't particularly care for the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
ABC announced that its new hit series had officially been renewed for a second season in March, ahead of the show's midseason premiere.
Brunson played coy when it came to sharing too many details on the next installment, but she revealed that viewers would be getting more glimpses into the home lives of their beloved characters.
"We'll be going a little bit outside of the school more," she said, explaining that the series will begin exploring the characters' homes. "I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but we didn't go to anyone's house in the first season and so for me it's really exciting that we'll be going to like Melissa's house and Janine's house."
Although she noted she probably "shouldn't say" it, the Black Lady Sketch Show alum admitted that she's excited to explore the home of Lisa Ann Walter's Melissa Schemmenti the most. "I'm anticipating it 'cause we're writing it now and, writing-wise, we're in the middle of the season so I'm excited to see what else we come up with," she added. "It’s just fun for me writing the show [and] being in it because I’m on a journey with the writers' room to see what kind of lives these people live at home and what it looks like."
When it comes to romance -- particularly the relationship between Brunson's Janine and Tyler James Williams' Gregory Eddie now that Janine has broken up with her longtime boyfriend, Tariq (Zack Fox) -- the show creator didn't want to spoil too much. But Williams gave a small hint into the duo's possible romantic future, saying that the teachers have "growing up to do" before anything happens.
"I think we'll be able to see more and more of that and I'm looking forward to it," he added. "[Quinta] told me a few things about it already so, like, I'm excited."
Sheryl Lee Ralph, who plays the lovably stern educator Barbara Howard, revealed she's a bit apprehensive about fans peeking into Barbara's life outside of school after meeting her daughter in season 1. "That’s a little frightening because anybody who is so pulled up and so together, you know behind closed doors they are crazy," the actress joked. "I know Barbara Howard’s got a little tick tick boom in her, but she's got a wonderful husband, so we'll see."
While Walter said she didn't know exactly what was in store for Melissa's home life, she did share her big idea for a future guest star: Outlander's Sam Heughan.
Semantics on who he would play aren't important to the actress -- "It doesn't matter, he's got red hair, he could be somebody in my family" -- but she's happy to help come up with a story for him.
"There's so many great people that I know and love that sometimes go on social media and pitch themselves and I'm like, all of them are good," she admitted. "There are so many people -- I hope to see Zach [Fox] come back 'cause I thought he killed it, I thought he hit it out of the park. All of those that came on and guest [starred] were wonderful, so bring 'em all back."
That's a popular sentiment among the cast members who mostly said they'll leave it up to Brunson and the other writers to figure out who to bring onto the show.
Although William Stanford Davis, who plays deadpan janitor Mr. Johnson, suggested Denzel Washington or Samuel L. Jackson for super-special appearances.
"[I could] see Sam Jackson as a principal from another school. Or maybe a rival janitor," he suggested. "We [can] have a custodial network."
We would watch that episode!
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