The friendships on Abbott Elementary are a huge part of what makes the ABC mockumentary one of the greats. Their bonds have grown steadily over the course of five seasons, ultimately feeling organic rather than forced on viewers.
Despite the Abbott Elementary characters‘ age gaps and lifestyle differences, the group has learned from each other and grown together for the good of their poorly funded school. As the show progresses, the friendships deepen. Even the oddball bonds strengthen because each character learns from the other’s differences.
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Janine And Melissa
Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) and Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter) are a fun pair on Abbott Elementary due to their contrasting personalities and opposing teaching styles. Compared to Melissa, Janine is a rookie teacher whose optimism never dulls. She’s positive, hopeful, and confident in her ideas — even if they don’t pan out the way she envisioned. On the other hand, Melissa is thick-skinned, realistic, and a touch shady.
Janine reminds Melissa to see the good in things, while Melissa teaches Janine to play a little dirty when times get tough. Melissa’s grit rubs off on the new teachers and has become a mentor of sorts to Janine.
Season 2’s “Principal’s Office” was one of Janine and Melissa’s best episodes. Seeing Janine eat her sad lunches daily, Melissa invited her over to her house for a home-cooked meal and to learn how to cook on a budget.
The two bonded over family issues after Janine realized she and Melissa were both feuding with their sisters. Together, Janine and Melissa have a lot they can learn from each other, but they’re not the best friend duo in the group.
6
Mr. Johnson And Ava
Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) is technically friends with everyone at Abbott Elementary as the nosy janitor, but he’s closest to Principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James).
Unlike other main staff members, Ava is dramatic, sarcastic, and scrappy when it comes to fighting for what she deserves. Mr. Johnson is a man who has seemingly lived nine lives and has similar personality traits to Ava.
Both characters are chaotic and mysterious. They also have inconspicuous side hustles outside of Abbott Elementary and similar punchlines.
Ava and Mr. Johnson are independently strong, but silently support one another. Ava has slowly become Abbott’s main character and has never treated Mr. Johnson differently because he’s a janitor who enjoys his moments with the teachers. Furthermore, she enjoys his points of view.
In season 2’s “Wrong Delivery,” Ava trusted Mr. Johnson’s opinion when it came to allocating extra funds to a school department. She also includes him in teacher appreciation gifts. The chaos between Mr. Johnson and Ava is fun to watch, but their bond is hardly the strongest in the show.
5
Gregory And Jacob
Gregory Eddie (Jesse Tyler Williams) and Jacob Hill’s (Chris Perfetti) friendship started as one-sided. Jacob was teaching at Abbott for a year until Gregory was hired as a long-term sub. Over time, Gregory accepted an official teaching position and joined the lovable crew at Abbott Elementary.
Jacob showed an immediate platonic interest in Gregory, but Gregory needed time to warm up to Abbott’s unique range of teachers and unhinged principal. Seeing how hard Jacob was trying to be friends with Gregory was sitcom gold. Eventually, Gregory warmed up to Jacob’s energetic ways, and the friendship deepened.
Jacob’s golden retriever energy contrasts with Gregory’s black cat nature in season 3, when they spend more time together amidst Jacob’s breakup from Zach. Gregory’s quiet support for Jacob was felt, and the friendship deepened.
Now in season 5, the two are considered close friends as they spend more time together outside of school and help each other with their relationships. They balance each other as they share contrasting interests and passions. Jacob is also a big supporter of Gregory’s relationship with Janine, which plays into Abbott Elementary’s larger subplot.
What makes their friendship better than Mr. Johnson and Ava’s, or even Janine and Melissa’s, is that they spend a considerable amount of time together outside of work. Their comfort level with each other shines brightly amongst the group.
4
Janine And Jacob
In season 1 of Abbott Elementary, Janine and Jacob’s friendship was at the forefront. The two survived their first year teaching together and shared the same goals about wanting drastic changes for the poorly funded school.
Both characters are sprightly and eager in their teaching careers. They view Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) as their mentor, and both have a close bond with Gregory. Their passion for their students can be felt through screens, as their similarities make them a fun twosome at Abbott Elementary.
Season 1’s “Work Friends” was the start of their blossoming friendship. While Janine called Jacob a close friend of hers, Jacob only considered them work friends. Janine spiraled over the idea of not having true friends, but the conversation opened the door for them to become closer. By season 5, they’re are heavily involved in each other’s lives, and they have created a friendship outside of Abbott’s walls.
3
Barbara And Janine
While Barbara and Janine are dear friends, their relationship is more of the mother-daughter variety. Janine has looked up to Barbara as a mentor since joining the Abbott Elementary teaching staff.
Barbara has been teaching at Abbott for at least 30 years. Her nature as an Abbott Elementary teacher is relatable, as she imparts her knowledge to both students and co-workers. Because of her vast knowledge of the inner workings of teaching, Janine looks up to Barbara in more ways than one.
Janine didn’t have a stable maternal figure growing up, and in a lot of ways, Barbara has filled that space in her heart for her. In the episode “Mom,” Janine’s mom, Vanetta (Taraji P. Henson), visited Abbott to meet Janine’s class. However, her intentions were not honorable.
Barbara realized Vanetta was only visiting Janine to borrow money, not to spend time with her. Barbara’s protective instincts kicked in, and they were appreciated (if not needed) by Janine. The two became closer after the season 2 episode, and Barbara has guided Janine ever since.
2
Melissa And Barbara
Melissa and Barbara’s friendship was solidified in season 1 of Abbott Elementary. They were two veteran teachers who had been with the school for years and had witnessed the good and the bad in its students.
Their friendship is one of the best in the series because of their friendly banter paired with their obvious differences. It shows that regardless of how different people can be, there’s room to learn and grow from each other.
Barbara is a religious woman who is dedicated to her family and her church. Living by God is something she talks about repeatedly, and she often reminds Melissa to live virtuously.
Their rock-solid friendship, paired with their opposing views, brings comical moments to the series. However, the two have had their rough patches. In “Attack Ad,” Barbara judges Melissa for her shady lifestyle in response to a negative campaign against Abbott.
In “Panel,” Barbara found out that Melissa didn’t always share everything about her personal life with her, and was jealous when Jacob knew more about it than she did. Regardless of personal differences, the two always rise above the noise and remain one of the show’s strongest friendships.
1
Melissa And Jacob
The best friendship in Abbott Elementary is between Melissa and Jacob. Their unlikely bond has become both a source of constant comedy and a comfort for the characters.
Jacob is a young progressive educator who is passionate about teaching and making a real change in the world. His freethinkingviews contrast significantly with Melissa’s, as Melissa is more cynical with a darker sense of humor. Together, Melissa makes Jacob tough while he encourages a more compassionate side in her.
In season 3’s “Librarian,” their friendship deepened when both characters were looking for roommates. Jacob moved in with Melissa, and the unlikely duo found out they had more in common than they realized.
From watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey to cooking together, the two bonded more than they expected. They were so excited by each other’s presence at work that they felt like they had to hide their friendship from the others to avoid envy from Barbara, Janine, and Mr. Johnson.
Season 5’s “Ballgame” had some hilarious moments between the two when Melissa introduced baseball’s beer and hot dog culture to Jacob. The Abbott Elementary episode was a great reminder that Melissa and Jacob are constantly bonding and learning from each other, even when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Abbott Elementary
9/10
- Release Date
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December 7, 2021
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Quinta Brunson
Janine Teagues
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Tyler James Williams
Gregory Eddie
