15 TV Shows To Watch If You Like Abbott Elementary

One of the consistently funniest network television sitcoms in recent years is “Abbott Elementary,” created by and starring Quinta Brunson. The show’s titular elementary school is set in West Philadelphia, with its teachers and staff the subject of a mockumentary. This chronicles the faculty’s antics as idealistic grade school instructor Janine Teagues (Brunson) is determined to improve the lives of her students. As she and her colleagues weather the constant bureaucracy and budget shortfall of working in an inner-city public school, the show also reveals developments in their personal lives.

“Abbott Elementary” has been renewed for six seasons and counting, becoming a staple in ABC’s programming lineup. For those looking for other mockumentary sitcoms and shows set in schools or with educators as main characters, there are plenty to choose from. With that in mind, here are 15 TV shows to watch if you like “Abbott Elementary” to keep those laughs coming.

When it comes to American mockumentaries, the impact of “The Office” cannot be understated on sitcoms moving forward. Premiering in 2005, the show focuses on the staff of a paper company branch in Scranton, Pennsylvania initially led by regional manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell). While meaning well, Michael’s buffoonish tendencies and pathological need to be loved places him in awkward situations with his co-workers. Between these antics, salesman Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) tries to romance receptionist Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) despite her being engaged to someone else.

Beyond its mockumentary format, “Abbott Elementary” resembles “The Office” through their shared self-centered bosses and a central slow-burn romance. Both shows also feature memorable supporting casts who regularly get their time to shine with their own hilarious foibles. As a testament to its wide appeal, everyone has their own favorite episodes of “The Office” across its nine-season run. It may seem overly obvious, but “The Office” still casts a huge shadow over contemporary sitcoms and is worth revisiting.

“Abbott Elementary” taught the “It’s Always Sunny” gang a lesson in the ABC show’s fifth season, providing fans with a surprise crossover. The Season 17 premiere of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” provided the filthier side of the story as only the Paddy’s Pub ensemble could tell it. The series has been a basic cable sitcom staple since 2005, chronicling the misadventures of misanthropes running a bar in Philadelphia. This often involves inane get-rich schemes, backfiring in spectacular ways at the gang’s disastrous expense and usually due to their own bickering.

To be clear, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has a much raunchier sense of humor than most sitcoms, a distinction that it revels in. Audiences that appreciate the more wholesome humor of “Abbott Elementary” may be put off by the FX series unhinged hilarity. But for those who really enjoyed seeing the Paddy’s Pub ensemble have fun at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School, there are hundreds of episodes of the other show to enjoy. Ribaldly funny and proud of it, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” brings the laughs but sensitive audiences should go in cautiously.

Chris Rock’s ’80s upbringing in Brooklyn is loosely dramatized for the 2005 sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris.” Co-created and narrated by Rock himself, the show has a teenage Chris (Tyler James Williams) growing up with his family in one of New York’s rougher neighborhoods. Chris attends a predominantly white high school on the other side of town, facing ostracization from his peers. Back in his corner of Bedford–Stuyvesant, Chris helps raise his siblings while regularly encountering eccentric figures in his community.

“Everybody Hates Chris” makes this list not because of narrative similarities with “Abbott Elementary” but because it’s an early starring role for Tyler James Williams. In playing a young, nerdy, and put-upon Chris Rock, Williams’ comedic talents are sharp, even at an early age. The show also makes great use of its ’80s setting, years before “The Goldbergs” would similarly lean into the decade’s nostalgic elements. A fun coming-of-age sitcom, “Everybody Hates Chris” gave Williams the perfect showcase to hone his skills ahead of his adult role on “Abbott Elementary.”

Originally beginning as a spin-off to “The Office,” the 2009 mockumentary series “Parks and Recreation” became its own standalone show. The show revolves around the titular department of the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee headed by idealistic Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). Joined by an eccentric staff, Leslie seeks to make Pawnee a genuinely nicer place through its public areas and local events. In between this bureaucratic work, the ensemble grow, fall in love, and start their own families across the series’ seven-season run.

“Parks and Recreation” recovered from a bad first season to become a funny workplace comedy using the mockumentary format. The show made stars out of Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, and Chris Pratt while Poehler, Rashida Jones, and Adam Scott all turned in stellar work. While a municipal government office might not seem like the most obvious place for a goofy comedy, the 2009 show made use of its setting well. Consistently entertaining and with more memorable gags than one can count, “Parks and Recreation” is mockumentary sitcom gold.

“Community” is another sitcom set primarily in an educational setting, albeit at a community college instead of an elementary school. The show begins with discredited lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) attending a Colorado community college to finally earn his degree. Forming a study group to get closer to his attractive classmate Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), Winger befriends several of the college’s misfit students. As the group gets into various hijinks around the school, they become genuinely invested in the college’s ongoing operations.

With its rapidly paced gags and deep pop culture references, the jokes come in fast and furious for “Community.” Like “Abbott Elementary” and many shows on this list, the series excels through its sharp comedic writing and impressive ensemble cast. Since the conclusion of the sixth season, there’s been long-standing talk about the series continuing with a “Community” movie, though over a decade later, this has yet to be seen. In the meantime, “Community” provides plenty of laughs within its scholastic setting, often veering into the delightfully irreverent.

The 2009 mockumentary “Modern Family” took the format out of the workplace and into a primarily suburban setting. The show revolves around the complex familial dynamics stemming from patriarch Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill) and his adult children. With the main characters all living in the greater Los Angeles area, Jay has married a much younger woman, Gloria (Sofía Vergara), and his starting family with her. Jay’s daughter Claire (Julie Bowen) raises her family with her husband Phil (Ty Burrell) while Jay’s son Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) is in a relationship with Cam Tucker (Eric Stonestreet).

These intertwining dynamics make up the core of “Modern Family,” offering an impressive spread of different domestic situations to poke fun at. This is punctuated by the usual mockumentary talking head interviews, often handling the punchline and/or setup of a given gag. Between all these jokes, the show has countless heartfelt moments, including one of the most memorable proposals in TV history. Running for 11 seasons, “Modern Family” proved the mockumentary format could thrive outside of workplace settings while skewering a number of distinct familial units.

Though a school doesn’t regularly appear throughout the series, “New Girl” also features a protagonist who works as a grade school teacher. The protagonist in question here is Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel), who abruptly moves into a Los Angeles apartment after discovering her long-term boyfriend cheating on her. Answering an online posting for a roommate, Jess moves into a loft with three men around her approximate age. The quartet navigate the trials and tribulations of life and love in one’s 30s, with Jess forming an on-again/off-again relationship with her roommate Nick Miller (Jake Johnson).

“New Girl” is a lot of bubbly fun, leaning into each of its regular cast member’s clear comedic strengths. Deschanel’s considerable charms fuel much of the series’ earlier seasons while co-stars Johnson, Max Greenfield, and Lamorne Morris each get their time to shine and grow. This is an ensemble that truly feels like it gels together and develops much like the rapport between their respective characters across the show’s seven-season run. Effervescently entertaining, “New Girl” is one of the most consistently fun sitcoms on Fox in recent years.

While the cop comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” might not have that much in common with “Abbott Elementary” at first glance, the similarities are evident upon closer inspection. The show centers on a police precinct in Brooklyn headed by stoically deadpan Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher). Among Holt’s star detectives are Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), who gradually enter a relationship and start a family. While consistently great at keeping their jurisdiction safe from crime, the ensemble regularly indulges in goofy antics to keep the proceedings from getting too serious.

Though not in a school or depicted in a mockumentary format, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” is another wacky workplace comedy with a genuine sense of heart. The show also features its own slow-burn romance and provides an underlying social commentary, in this case, regarding police reform. A lot of the show’s appeal comes from its all-around stellar ensemble cast, each providing their own distinctly funny dynamics to the series. Running for eight seasons, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” pulled off the perfect goodbye, giving fans a satisfying conclusion for its beloved characters.

The 2015 workplace sitcom “Superstore” isn’t a mockumentary but does focus on an overworked staff working thankless jobs with similar humorous sensibilities. The show centers on a chain big-box store in Missouri, initially following employees Amy Dubanowski (America Ferrera) and Jonah Simms (Ben Feldman). The staff toils away in the soul-crushing retail industry for Cloud 9, a corporation that provides little to no benefits to its workers. Despite their laughably exploitative occupations, the ensemble still finds ways to have fun or at least keep their daily routines interesting.

As far as workplace sitcom settings go, a big-box store provides a surprising amount of depth and reflects our contemporary corporate-driven culture. Ferrera and Feldman play off of each other well, but the rest of the wider ensemble are fantastic too, particularly Nico Santos. The series also features a deceptively extensive legacy, with the Cloud 9 chain from “Superstore” showing up in more sitcoms than one would think. An underdog story consistently delivering pointed commentary on corporate greed, “Superstore” finds the humor in its chain retail premise.

The 2014 movie “Dear White People” by Justin Simien received a continuation series on Netflix under the same title in 2017. The show follows college student Sam White (Logan Browning) as she tries to reveal social injustices to those at the university she’s attending. The story is named for Sam’s campus radio show where she regularly calls out various microaggressions and cultural faux pas that she witnesses. She is joined by several of her classmates, each who develop their own perspectives on social activism through the trials and tribulations of college.

With Simien having created the series based on his movie, “Dear White People” retains the sharp writing from the film. Browning delivers a career-best performance as Sam White, joined by a solid supporting cast, including DeRon Horton. Coincidentally, the movie version of “Dear White People” had Horton’s character played by “Abbott Elementary” alum Tyler James Williams, with Horton settling into the role marvelously. Incisive and smartly delivered across four seasons, “Dear White People” explores the complicated nuance of contemporary race relations in America.

In between starring in seasons of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” Glenn Howerton played a much different comedic role in the school-based sitcom “A.P. Bio.” Howerton plays Jack Griffin, a disgraced Harvard philosophy professor who’s ousted over his intended collegiate career. Returning to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, Griffin resentfully takes a job as a high school biology teacher. Realizing how intelligent his students are, Griffin uses them to plot his revenge and find a career worthy of his talents.

What elevates “A.P. Bio” is having tried-and-true comedy talent in Howerton and co-stars Patton Oswalt and Paula Pell in the main cast. Though the premise of teachers behaving badly might seem played out, the show finds interesting new directions to take its driving concept thanks to its actors. This is matched by the younger cast bringing a fresh energy to the proceedings, rather than coming off as precocious stereotypes. A workplace sitcom that makes the most of its high school setting, “A.P. Bio” brings in the malevolent mentor laughs.

The 2014 mockumentary horror comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” received a television spin-off of the same name in 2019. The show revolves around four vampires living together in Staten Island along with their human familiar Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén). At the start of the series, the group is commanded to conquer the borough for their fellow vampires only to find themselves foiled by modern society and municipal bureaucracy. The quartet’s incompetence attracts the ire of the Vampiric Council and other rival covens, all cofounded by contemporary American life.

“What We Do in the Shadows” is just as hilariously absurd as the movie that it’s based off of and takes advantage of its sitcom format. The ensemble cast works together brilliantly while Matt Berry delivers one of the most consistently quotable performances in recent memory as the vampire Lazlo. The mockumentary elements remain strong and, across its six-season run, the show finds new ways to throw its undead characters for a loop. One of the best TV cringe comedies, “What We Do in the Shadows” arguably improves upon the premise introduced by its cinematic source material.

Just before creating “Abbott Elementary,” Quinta Brunson was a main cast member on HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” Created by Robin Thede, the show premiered in 2019 and ran for four seasons, coming to an end in 2023. Led by Thede, the ensemble performs a variety of sketch comedy bits in each episode, including awkward situations at nightclubs and a church gathering run amuck. The first season has a recurring bit with the main cast stuck together in a shelter at the end of the world, struggling to cohabit.

To be clear, Brunson is only part of the “A Black Lady Sketch Show” main ensemble for its first season. Leaving to focus on the creation of “Abbott Elementary,” Brunson does return as a guest star in the HBO’s series’ third season. The show features a whole line of impressive guest stars and recurring actors, including Tyler James Williams. Sharply written and consistently sticking the landing in finding the laughs in a given specific situation, “A Black Lady Sketch Show” is a hilarious showcase for its cast.

The British mockumentary series “This Country” was remade for American audiences under the title “Welcome to Flatch” on Fox. The show has a documentary team film the residents of the Ohio small town of Flatch, interviewing and following their various inhabitants. The series centers on cousins Kelly (Holmes) and Shrub Mallet (Sam Straley) as they often get involved in get-rich-quick schemes around town. The mockumentary also reveals the strange town traditions and idiosyncratic individuals throughout the tight-knit community.

If there’s any one word to describe “Welcome to Flatch,” it’s “quirky” and the series fully embraces the idiosyncrasies of the term. The interplay between Holmes and Straley makes up a lot of the show’s charm, but the supporting cast imbues a real sense of community. Among the secondary standouts are Aya Cash and Seann William Scott, while Jaime Pressly joins the sophomore season as realtor Barb Flatch. A small-town mockumentary that focuses on slice-of-life stories with a likable cast, “Welcome to Flatch” is an easygoing good time.

Brian Jordan Alvarez created and starred in the FX comedy series “English Teacher,” which premiered in 2024. The actor plays Evan Marquez, a high school English teacher in the greater Austin metropolitan area whose queer identity comes under scrutiny from his students’ conservative parents. This comes as Evan finds himself attracted to Harry (Langston Kerman), a newly hired teacher, and with the school district banning romantic relationships between faculty. In between these romantic entanglements, Evan finds himself adapting to the wide range of foibles that comes with teaching high school students.

“English Teacher” keeps its take on a high school workplace funny and with plenty of biting social commentary. Alvarez, who also writes and directs several episodes, brings a singular creative force to the show, not unlike Quinta Brunson with “Abbott Elementary.” The FX series is admittedly geared towards a more mature audience, but is no less funny in its overall execution. Shortly after the show’s premiere, Alvarez was accused of sexual misconduct for an incident unrelated to the series, which has cast a pallor over his work. “English Teacher” was cancelled in 2025, two months after its second season’s finale.