More than 30 photos of the 'Abbott Elementary' cast hang outside the school

If you haven't watched "Abbott Elementary" yet, the ABC sitcom deserves a spot at the top of your watch list. Created by comedian Quinta Brunson, who plays Janine Teagues, an ever-upbeat second-grade teacher, the record-breaking mockumentary series follows the lives of educators working in a fictional Philadelphia public school. Her fun and funny moments are played by an all-star ensemble that includes Tyler James Williams (Gregory Eddie, and also Chris from "Everybody Hates Chris"), Janelle James (Ava Coleman), Lisa Ann Walter (Melissa Schemmenti, as well as Chessy from "The Parent Trap"), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Barbara Howard), Chris Perfetti (Jacob Hill) and William Stanford Davis (Mr. Johnson).

Although some of the characters may bump heads at times (see: Gregory's reluctance to accept Jacob's repeated attempts at friendship), they are still one big happy family, and the actors have an equally close bond . Brunson has worked with Williams and Lee Ralph in the past on HBO's "A Black Lady Sketch Show," which explains their transparent on-screen chemistry. Williams previously spoke to POPSUGAR about reuniting with Brunson for the project, telling us, "I love working with friends. It works very rarely, where you work with your friends and that's really good. So when she has proposed the idea to me, I was already pretty much into it."

But even actors who didn't know each other quickly bonded. James, who plays Abbott's chaotic manager, told EW how she could feel the group's chemistry from the start. "I don't think I've met any of them, but the first painting I read I was like, 'Oh, I could see the show right away. It's amazing.' It's such a good mix of people," she said. "We really clicked as a cast right away... In an ensemble cast, like in any work environment, you hope you get along with your co-workers, and we all really do. It's so much fun."

“Abbott Elementary” has garnered numerous nominations and awards since its first season aired. More memorably, the cast won big at the 2022 Emmys: in addition to taking home the accolades for Outstanding Writing and Casting...