'Abbott Elementary' Boss on Why Quinta Has to Turn Down So Many Guest Stars

Abbott Elementary is returning to ABC for its highly anticipated Season 2, and two of its executive producers have teased what to expect from the new installment.

The sitcom, which follows the lives of elementary teachers at a public school in West Philadelphia, was created by writer/actress Quinta Brunson and is executive produced by Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker, the creators of the Harley Quinn animated series.

Season 1 of Abbott Elementary—filmed in a mockumentary style—was hugely popular with viewers. Recently, the series picked up three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Brunson and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her fellow cast member Sheryl Lee Ralph.

Speaking to Newsweek ahead of the new episodes, Abbott Elementary's Halpern and Schumacker gave a glimpse at what is to come on the show's sophomore season and revealed what Brunson is really like behind the scenes.

Despite the show's huge success, Halpern and Schumacker said they didn't actually feel any pressure when coming back to film the second season.

"I felt like the show figured out what it was in the first season very early, probably from the pilot. So I felt like we were just making more of what people like," Halpern told Newsweek, adding: "I didn't feel like the character work was done. It didn't feel like: 'Ah, f**k, how are we going to figure out how top what we did in the first season?' It just felt like: 'How are we going to build on what we [already] did?'"

Describing what fans can expect from this new chapter, Schumacker revealed that they will see a lot of more of the characters' home lives.

He said: "Our mantra is Season 1 was that everything takes place in the school and we're going abstain from building out the exterior lives of these characters, outside of work. But in Season 2 we will start to see what their personal lives are like, who their families are [and] their friends outside the walls of Abbott."

Halpern and Schumacker kept a tight lid on some of the guest stars who will be appearing in the new episodes. But they did warn that fans may not see any "Hollywood" actors joining the cast anytime soon due to the show's documentary style.

Schumacker said: "I think that, with this show—and this comes down from Quinta because she wants to keep the show as grounded in reality as possible—so if say a recognizable celebrity came on to play themselves, it would have to be grounded in reality. Why is that person in West Philly, you know?

"So that kind of...I use the word 'limit,' but it's not in a negative way because at the end of the day what we are aiming for is [to be] as close to absolute reality as possible."

This doesn't mean that plenty of actors haven't offered their services, however, as Halpern and Schumacker revealed that Brunson had to actually turn down some famous faces who wanted to be a part of the show.

"The pool from which we can draw—believe me Quinta has had plenty of offers, unsolicited offers—from celebrities desperately wanting to be on the show. And it's so flattering and wonderful that they love the show and want to be a part of it, but she's become very good at graciously passing," Schumacker said.

One star who has been confirmed to appear is Hamilton actor Leslie Odom Jr. He will play a character called Draemond, the owner of a string of charter schools in West Philadelphia who pays a visit to Abbott.

The cast of Abbott Elementary, which boasts Brunson as Janine Teagues and Ralph as Barbara Howard alongside the likes of Janelle James, Tyler James Williams and Lisa Ann Walter, will no doubt have welcomed Odom Jr. with open arms—as Halpern and Schumacker confirmed they are just as pleasant behind the scenes as they are on screen.

"I've seen other people remark on this phenomenon, but it feels like a victory for one cast member becomes this victory for all the cast members," Schumacker explained.

"Everyone is really great about selflessly promoting others on this show. I think that it's a very, very healthy [environment] overall—I mean obviously sets are chaos and there are some days you want to pull your hair out...but I find that everyone here creates a very inviting environment in which to work.

"We, in the past, have worked on so many shows whose hours have been very toxic and not conducive to a healthy lifestyle, and this show is the opposite. It's a really friendly environment."

Halpern credited this heartening environment to Brunson, who he described as"the most low maintenance person."

"She treats everybody the exact same, she treats everyone with respect and kindness," he said, adding: "When the creator/ star of the show is very amenable, and working really hard, and not causing any issues, and just being positive, it sort of sets a tone for the whole show."

As for how long Abbott Elementary may run for, Halpern said that there will of course be an eventual end date and joked that Brunson isn't the type to "squeeze every last dollar out of this thing."

"She has a really good instinct for this kind of stuff...It will run for as long as Quinta wants it to run and I trust her gut as to when it should stop running," he said, concluding: "But that's going to be many years from now!"

Abbott Elementary Season 2 airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on ABC. Episodes will also be available to stream on Hulu.