Abbott Elementary's Season 4 Christmas Show Subverted Two Holiday Special Clichés

Although Abbott ElementaryThe Christmas special seemed poised to stumble into two festive sitcom clichés; the hit series instead avoided both of these tired tropes. Abbott ElementaryThe cast of characters is hilariously adorable, but that's not the only thing that keeps viewers coming back to the series. Although Abbott ElementaryWhile its mockumentary format is a throwback to the 2000s and '10s, the show's subversive take on sitcom clichés feels credible and original. Abbott Elementary rarely decides to use a sitcom trope when the show can instead revitalize overly familiar clichés, offering viewers something new.

For example, Gregory Eddie's desire to become Abbott's principal when he started working at the school seemed like a story with an obvious ending. Principal Ava only got the job because she was blackmailing the superintendent and was dangerously incompetent, so losing her job and Gregory taking over as principal seemed almost inevitable. However, Abbott ElementaryDirector Ava has instead become the show's equivalent of The office'It's Michael Scott, proving himself to be surprisingly competent and a great leader despite his obvious shortcomings. Abbott ElementaryThe Christmas episode presented an equally clever subversion of expectations.

Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 7 Avoided “War on Christmas” Clichés

Abbott Elementary Season 4 Christmas Special Featured a Sweet Winter Concert

When Season 4 Episode 7, “Winter Show,” began, it seemed like the special's plot would be easy to predict. The fact that Barbara's non-Christian student couldn't be on the Christmas show would result in endless jokes about the so-called “War on Christmas”, and Barbara's attempts to fix this problem would result in another case of sitcom Christmas specials using the format as an excuse to showcase the cast's singing abilities. However, “Winter Show” was a delightfully fresh surprise precisely because the special didn’t match any of those tired, overused jokes.

No one objected to Bárbara removing the Christmas references from the show to make things more inclusivemeaning that the conflict resulted from Barbara once again taking on more than she could handle. About that, Abbott ElementaryAva's new romance blossomed when Ava and O'Sean, the IT guy, once again crossed paths. “Winter Show” didn’t rely on clichéd Christmas specials that viewers had seen a million times before and instead let kids shine during the eponymous contest, ultimately paying off an early promise with misdirection. hilarious that proved how cunning Abbott Elementarywriting is.

Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 7 Didn't Rely on the Cast's Singing

Bárbara's big solo was a hilarious detour

Series star Sheryl Lee Ralph originally rose to prominence on Broadway and the sitcom utilized her considerable singing skills on more than one occasion. Ralph's singing is always a welcome surprise in an average episode, but the revelation that she would sing the Christmas show song when her class didn't have time to learn the words was too predictable. As such, it was a hilarious surprise when she went on stage and ended up not even singing, as Bárbara had lost her voice during the chaotic days of rehearsing, revising, and rewriting her song.

“Winter Show” skillfully brought back a Abbott Elementary supporting star when Tariq stepped in to provide a truly deafening beat and the kids loudly sang the tasteless alternative song they wrote themselves. The result was anarchic, absurd and perfectly suited to a Abbott Elementary Christmas Special. Abbott Winter show was about the kids instead of their teacherwhich meant that this time it was worth losing Ralph's voice for the welcome festive surprise. Just like “War on Christmas”’s lack of a predictable pattern, this choice proved how well the show knows how to navigate sitcom clichés.

Abbott Elementary Season 4 Christmas Special Highlights Its Strength

The hit sitcom quietly subverts the genre's familiar clichés

While most comedies hope to deftly deconstruct the genre's tropes, it can be tempting for shows to simply indulge in them when it comes to holiday specials. Abbott ElementaryThe casting of Melissa's mother was ingenious, and the chaotic family dinner of Episode 8, “Winter Break,” avoided burnout, as the show is usually a workplace comedy. However, this plot could have easily become overly familiar if Abbott Elementary it was a family comedy like Modern Family or The Connerswhere Christmas family gatherings that end in chaos are more common and therefore more predictable.

Instead, both “Winter Show” and “Winter Break” highlighted how much Abbott Elementary knows the sitcom trope. There's no denying that the series sometimes engages in familiar clichés, and these are a welcome nod to the history of comedies the show borrows from. However, while Janine and Gregory Abbott Elementary the novel was a joy precisely because of its debt to shows like The office, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, New girland The Mindy Project, Abbott ElementarySeason 4's Christmas special proves that the sitcom is also ready to reinvent the format, one cliché at a time.