A new episode airs Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
Janine (Quinta Brunson) is getting a new student in her class on Tuesday's Abbott Elementary episode, and she's feeling rather cocky about it.
Titled "Student Transfer," the episode follows the teachers of Abbott Elementary as they receive teacher reviews. When a surprisingly negative review leaves Janine shaken, the news of a student getting transferred from Melissa's (Lisa Ann Walter) class into hers gives her the confidence boost she sorely needed. But Janine quickly learns that her new student, Courtney, is far from the delightful surprise she expected.
In ET's exclusive sneak peek, Ava (Janelle James) delivers the news to Janine that she's getting a transfer student in her class with her usual air of nonchalance.
"You know I can't just leave my class unattended like this, right?" the teacher asks the principal.
"It's five minutes, it's not like something can go wrong in five minutes," Ava responds as she pops a wide strip of bubble wrap. She tells Janine that one of Melissa's students will be transferring into her class but can't explain the reason behind the decision.
"Girl, I don't know, things happen all day," she exclaims. "Maybe she wants to be close to the bathroom. Maybe she likes you more. Maybe she got some kinda Meek Mill/Drake feud with one of her classmates."
She offers Janine the student's file, which she has organized by 'sexiest dad,' but Janine refuses it. "No, that's OK," the teacher tells her. "I don't really like to read the file. I like to get to know the child so I don't have any preconceived notions."
"That's an adorable spin on choosing to be unprepared," Ava quips. Watch the exclusive clip above to see Janine's reaction.
Walter, who serves as a guest host on Tuesday's Entertainment Tonight, opened up about the amazing chemistry between the comedy's cast, noting that the whole crew "melded" well.
"We were all afraid to talk about it because we were like, 'Don't jinx it,' but we just melded so well together and we knew that the story was a great thing to tell for right now," she shared when asked about the set's atmosphere. "There were a few of us that are comics including Janelle James and Quinta, so we play around a little bit but we always get the lines that Quinta writes first. And then, if we have time, then it's like, OK, let's play around."
Walter noted that Brunson does "everything" on the show, from acting to writing, camera work, and even getting involved in wardrobe.
"She gets so excited about it. She is just that bubbly girl who is like, 'We have got this thing for you in the next show, wait till you see it. I don’t want to tell you because in case they don't do it but just wait,'" the comedian shared. "And then you turn around and she is looking over all of the wardrobes for the following episode and then you turn to someone else and she is talking to the camera. And we have wonderful executive producers -- Patrick Schumacker and Justin Halpern who have done other shows together and Randall Einhorn, who was instrumental in creating the look of The Office."
The entire experience is a pleasurable one, but Walter stresses that the story told by the cast and crew of the show is an important one, especially in the world today. "It is unbelievably important in terms of voice and representation and having this cast. I mean, it is a diverse cast, clearly, but we are also pointing out the fact that there is sometimes a big difference in public schools in certain areas and what kind of funding they get without hammering it [like] an ABC afterschool special -- although I love them," the actress noted.
"We are showing you the world people live in. There isn't anybody in the country that hasn't gone to school, has that favorite teacher and sees a struggle. Or they got kids themselves in school right now and they see what's going on," she added. "So for us to have this show at this time, celebrating teachers and saying, 'You are not perfect but you are fully fleshed out human beings that have your faults and we support you and love you,' and [for them] to have the representation. I am just so grateful to ABC, which supported Quinta and her knowledge in this area. From the beginning they were like, 'You know this world, your mother is a teacher in Philly and you go do it,' and they supported it. And so did Warner Brothers, so, we have a lot of support. We are very grateful and the country is responding."
Abbott Elementary airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Watch episodes on Hulu the day following their premieres.
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