Over a month has passed since Season 4 of Abbott Elementary premiered, and we saw the return of Janine Teagues and the fan-favorite staffers of the titular school. At the time, the premiere episode attained about 2.1 million average viewers, but now, Variety reports that it has quadrupled. According to a combination of data from Nielsen and Disney, Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 1, has just gotten under 9 million total viewers in its first 35 days of viewing across ABC, Hulu, and Disney+.
In addition to increasing the total number of viewers, the episode reached a 3.5 rating among adults aged 18-49 after 35 days. Not to mention, it is up 11% in total viewers compared to the Abbott Elementary Season 3 finale, which aired May 22 and gained 8 million viewers. It is also up 21% in the 18-49 rating (3.5 vs. 2.9) when reporting for 35 days of viewership. Both metrics imply that the return of Season 4 brought the sitcom its best performance since its post-Oscars episode on March 10.
Created by and starring Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary debuted on December 7, 2021, and immediately scored substantial viewership numbers. The workplace comedy is currently in its fourth season, which premiered on October 9, 2024, after being renewed three days following Season 3’s arrival. The series, which follows a group of teachers trying to make it work at an underfunded elementary school, also stars Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Sheryl Lee Ralph and William Stanford Davis.
What to Expect in ‘Abbott Elementary’s Christmas Special
Besides attaining laudable viewership numbers, Abbott Elementary has amassed several accolades, including twenty-four Emmy nominations and four wins. The mockumentary returns on December 4 with a one-hour holiday special featuring back-to-back episodes, “Winter Show” and “Winter Break.” In the former, airing at 8 p.m., Barbara (Ralph) is determined to make Abbott Elementary’s first-ever holiday show successful despite a few setbacks. At the same time, Jacob’s (Perfetti) brother arrives in town earlier than expected. The “Winter Break” episode, at 8:30 p.m., will then see Melissa (Walter) host the Schemmenti family Christmas Eve dinner and go to great lengths to make sure everything is perfect. Meanwhile, Janine (Brunson) and Gregory (Williams) are visited by an unexpected guest.
Abbott Elementary returns on Wednesday, December 4.