There is not a television show out that does a better job of capturing the authenticity of sports fans — both casual and diehard — than ABC’s Abbott Elementary.
The Philadelphia-set comedy has done an unbelievable job of working in sports references, jokes, and appearances that feel incredibly natural, which is quite the accomplishment for a sitcom based around elementary school teachers. Already this season they have turned the parking lot into an Eagles tailgate and had a delightful Gritty appearance in the season premiere, following it up with a rather incredible one-liner about Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) having to go to court for throwing things at Ben Simmons in last week’s episode.
Ben Simmons doesn’t play for the Sixers anymore, but he’s still a punchline on #AbbottElementary. pic.twitter.com/oiBQ4YlspM
— Jawn Cena (@27inchZenith) September 30, 2022
Tonight’s episode will continue the Philly sports references as they do their Halloween episode, where Janine (Quinta Brunson) dresses as James Harden, complete with cornrows and an incredible fake beard. The still shots from the episode hit Twitter early this week and on Monday they even made it to Harden (which is an accomplishment since he famously “doesn’t have the internet”), who is seemingly a fan of Brunson’s cosplay.
— James Harden (@JHarden13) October 4, 2022
The beard really makes this, as it’s so preposterously big that it’s perfect, and it’s all incredibly on brand for a show that has captured the essence of Philly sports fandom extremely well in its first season-plus.