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Get ready to see a different side of principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) when Abbott Elementary returns to TV. Emmy Award-winning creator Quinta Brunson, who stars as teacher Janine Teagues, is giving viewers a better glimpse of Ava’s life in season 4 after avoiding it. 

Ava is getting ‘more backstory’ in ‘Abbott Elementary’ Season 4

Speaking to TV Insider, Brunson shared that fans of Abbott Elementary will learn more about Ava in season 4. “We’re expanding on Ava—giving her more backstory,” she said before explaining why the character’s life has largely remained a mystery. 

“It was a conscious choice up until this point to not dig into Ava too much because a lot of the funny comes from her and her chaos,” Brunson said. “But I really want all my characters to be fleshed out. So that’s something you can look forward to, seeing more [from] Ava.”

Janelle James wants to learn more about Ava too 

James, who won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Abbott Elementary in 2023, will be happy to know Brunson’s diving into Ava’s backstory in season 4. She told Deadline as much in an August 2024 interview, just weeks before Brunson revealed that’s where Ava’s storyline is headed. 

Asked what she hoped to be able to “explore about Ava” in future seasons, James replied: “Just her backstory. Who was her family? Did she actually grow up in Philly, or did she just end up there? Why is she a principal?” 

“My theory about Ava is she’s pretty well off, and this is something that she just does,” she continued. “This is her way of helping kids, even though people don’t see it that way or give her any credit for it.” 

It’s also “a way to give herself some social standing,” a “way for her to compete with her sorority sisters,” and “a way for her to get attention.” 

“I think she’s just so layered in her motivations,” James said before adding, “I’d like to see what those are.” 

As for where Ava will start off in Abbott Elementary Season 4, James said her “guess” is that her character is likely preoccupied with the romance between Janine and first-grade teacher Gregory Eddie, who is played by Tyler James Williams. (Gregory and Janine kissed in the season 3 finale.) 

“I really think, based on how self-involved she is, she’s afraid that this relationship thing is going to mess up the flow of the school,” James said of Ava. “Now she’s got something else to worry about.”

“[…]She just doesn’t want another problem,” the actor and comedian continued. “I think that in any environment, you date a co-worker, and it can be a recipe for disaster. As a principal, she would have to deal with the fallout. That’s my guess. I would hate it to be that she’s simply just a hater. I think she has more going on than that.” 

Janelle James, whose 'Abbott Elementary' character Ava is getting 'more backstory' in season 4, and the show's cast
The ‘Abbott Elementary’ cast | Disney/Pamela Littky

When does ‘Abbott Elementary’ Season 4 premiere? 

Class is back in session for Abbott Elementary on Oct. 9, 2024. Season 4’s premiere episode airs at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC—not its 9 p.m. time slot like previous seasons. Expect new episodes weekly, and lots of them. After a 14-episode season 3, Abbott Elementary Season 4 is back up to 22 episodes total. 

New episodes will also be available to stream in addition to seasons 1-3, which are currently streaming on Hulu, Disney+, Max, and Amazon Prime Video. 

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