Tyler James Williams On That Deeply Felt Breakup And Learning How to Smile Differently for ‘Abbott Elementary’

For a lot of us that that moon over ABC’s Abbott Elementary, the end of season five really raised the stakes when it comes to pushing it characters forward. It takes a certain skill level for a 21-minute comedy to not just keep up with its streaming counterparts but also offer something entirely solid while honoring the trajectory of its characters. From hosting his first game night to finding a new apartment with Janine to dealing with an unexpected breakup, Tyler James Williams was given the opportunity to stretch Gregory into unchartered territory. The more Gregory makes himself uncomfortable, the more he grows.

So much of Gregory’s arc every season stems from finding himself in situations that he cannot control. If he feels pushed, he may glance at the camera in a bid for help before he makes the wrong decision and the circumstances become more fretful. He assumes that hosting his first game night will be a breeze, but no one wants to tell him that his apartment might not be…the most welcoming space? Since we are already familiar with Gregory being an only child and how his relationship with his father shaped him, it makes his decisiveness more comedic when he socially falls on his face.

In the three episode arc where the educators of Abbott have to adapt to the surroundings of a shopping mall, Williams stepped behind the camera for the middle episode, “Mall Part 2: Questions and Concerns,” which found Gregory and Janine holding Janelle James’ Ava accountable for the lack of communication with Abbott’s parents. There are a lot of moving parts to the episode, especially when it comes to one of the freakiest set pieces ever created: a functioning, talking Benjamin Franklin head that descends from the mall’s ceiling to spout out expired deals to be found in this expired shopping mall.

You cannot talk about this season without confronting the real emotions found within the disagreement between Gregory and Janine that unexpectedly transforms into a breakup. It stems from the simple decision of how they are going to travel on their first big vacation together, but Williams and Brunson imbue it with such subtle prickliness that you cannot help but identify with both sides of the squabble. It feels like it hits even harder because we have been rooting for this relationship from the very beginning–we feel almost as invested even though they are a fictional couple on television. But Abbott never forgets the comedy. Gregory’s demand to hear MIMS’ “This Is Why I’m Hot” on repeat at the club, as he wades through more alcohol than we’ve ever seen him consume, leads to some hilarious physical comedy.

Williams should have an Emmy by now, especially since we have seen him grow up on television since his debut. Gregory Eddie is a character who, in other hands, would be an entirely different person. How lucky are we that we get to experience this teacher’s growth not just as an educator but as the man he didn’t even know he could be.

Abbott Elementary airs on ABC. All episodes can be streamed on Disney+ and Hulu.