Ever for the reason that 2025 TV schedule started, Abbott Elementary has been churning out hit episodes, just like the hilarious crossover with It’s At all times Sunny In Philadelphia. The office sitcom is doing so effectively, the truth is, that ABC simply renewed it for a fifth season — which is a significant feat in immediately’s tv local weather the place exhibits are always canceled. However, with over fifty episodes and extra coming, it may be onerous to maintain issues recent, which is why huge and small adjustments are all the time needed. Nevertheless, I’m a bit apprehensive concerning the potential change that was hinted at in Episode 10 — “Testing.”
In true Abbott Elementary style, “Testing” was stuffed with shenanigans. Janine discovered herself reeling after her second graders failed their apply assessments and Melissa’s class didn’t. In the meantime, Jacob tried to get a disinterested pupil concerned extra, Ava struggled to return to phrases along with her emotions for the district IT rep O’Shon, and Mr. Johnson was tasked with coaching a brand new custodian (who was presumably there to interchange him, although Mr. Johnson isn’t going anyplace any time quickly). As well as, there’s an underlying sense that town’s bus drivers had been going to go on strike.
Within the midst of all that chaos, Barbara made a surprising assertion that was rapidly overshadowed by the remainder of the motion. Whereas getting mani/pedis with Melissa after work, Barbara started to replicate on her time as a instructor, remembering that she was as soon as careworn about all the pieces like Janine. Nevertheless, her reminiscing led her to ask:
Melissa, you ever take into consideration retiring?
Regardless of the heavy nature of the query, it’s rapidly swept underneath the rug as Melissa will get distracted by the strike information. It’s unclear if she even heard Barbara’s query within the first place, however that doesn’t imply it’s not going to return up once more.
This isn’t the primary time Barbara has introduced up retirement. Again in Season 1, she floated the thought after studying that he favourite zoo animal was retired attributable to its previous age. Nevertheless, whereas that was performed as a joke, this new questioning appears to be extra severe. In any case, Barbara has confronted a handful of struggles this season as her previous methods of educating have gone underneath hearth for being outdated. And but, regardless of her hesitance to vary, she has made them when completely needed — like shifting the Christmas present to a winter-themed one so all her college students may take part.
Provided that Barbara is presumably the eldest instructor at Abbott, it is sensible that she can be the one to start out having retirement ideas. It might additionally enable the present to discover what that may appear like for Barbara, a lady who clearly loves her job. Nevertheless, I can’t think about what the present would appear like with out Mrs. Howard educating down the corridor from Janine, Gregory, and Melissa.
For one, she’s the one kindergarten instructor on the present, which implies they would want to usher in somebody new to deal with her class or transfer one of many present lecturers. Whereas that might be attention-grabbing to see, this Abbott Elementary would not be Abbott Elementary with out Sheryl Lee Ralph taking part in an enormous position in it.
Character apart, Abbott Elementary has introduced Sheryl Lee Ralph an unlimited quantity of reward over time, touchdown her her first Primetime Emmy Award, so I don’t suppose she’ll be keen to go away the present fully.
If the writers do select to take Barbara down a retirement path, I believe it’ll be one thing hinted at extra this season and absolutely explored in Season 5. Whereas that type of change can be onerous, I additionally don’t suppose followers must fear about by no means seeing Barbara once more. Whereas the collection does focus a lot of its story on the workings of the college, there have been loads of episodes that happen exterior of its partitions, so Barbara may star in these types of storylines. I may additionally see her retiring however turning into a everlasting volunteer on the college.
Regardless of the case, I’ll positively be watching Barbara fastidiously over the following couple of episodes to see if she actually is contemplating retiring.
Abbott Elementary airs new episodes on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and may be streamed with a Hulu subscription the next day.