Abbott Elementary fans no longer have to hold their breath for Janine and Gregory to get together — but it was worth the wait.
During the season 3 finale, which aired on Wednesday, May 22, Janine (Quinta Brunson) threw a party that led to her sharing a sweet moment with Gregory (Tyler James Williams). The fictional couple almost didn’t act on their feelings because Gregory assumed Janine was dating Manny (Josh Segarra). Janine, however, decided to fight for a future with Gregory just as he came back to her apartment.
Gregory gave the camera a pointed look before passionately kissing Janine. He subsequently shut the window shade to keep anyone from seeing inside the apartment.
After the episode aired, Williams, 31, made it clear there was “no going back” now that Janine and Gregory are actually exploring a future together.
“They have to live in the reality of this choice. I’m not sure the audience has really thought about all the ways it could go right and wrong. I think we’ve just kind of been in this place of hoping that it happens,” the actor teased to TVLine on Wednesday. “But there’s going to be unknowns that they’re going to have to explore. This is the first time we’ve seen them actually in a place where they’re accepting their feelings at the same time. We’ll be taking season 4 to really explore what comes with that.”
Williams also addressed his past comments about how he wanted Janine and Gregory to just stay friends.
“Oh, I was lying. I knew what the finale was, and I was misleading. I kept getting asked about what was happening with Janine and Gregory, and I’m like, ‘Uhhh, they should be friends.’ No, I’ve been waiting to get to this moment just as much as everybody else has,” he revealed. “It’s just very difficult, in a world full of spoilers, not to allude to that.”
Williams continued: “I’m one of those people who have a hard time hiding what’s on my face, and I feel like every time I’ve been asked about them romantically, I’ve been trying to hide knowing where this goes. I’m actually really excited to explore where they’re headed, because for so long, it’s been kind of stop-start-y. Now, I can actually lean fully into the intention that has been simmering with Gregory for some time.”
Abbott Elementary, which debuted in 2021, follows teachers at a fictional Philadelphia public school. After two long seasons of buildup, Gregory finally confessed that he’s had feelings for Janine since he started teaching at Abbott Elementary. Janine admitted she felt the same but decided she needed to focus on herself for a while. Season 3 showed the pair trying to just be friends despite their feelings for each other.
Brunson, who created the series and serves as an executive producer, opened up about why the finale was the perfect time to commit to a romance.
“It just felt like the right time,” she told Deadline. “To me, I feel that I always envisioned season 3 would be the season that leads these two characters together after seeing a lot of growth for them as individuals.”
In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, coshowrunner and fellow EP Patrick Schumacker laughed off the theory that the kiss scene wasn’t real, adding, “No, it’s a documentary! They don’t do dream sequences in documentaries.”
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According to Schumacker, fans can expect some good changes for season 4.
“Hopefully we’ll have a longer runway and a longer episode order. When you get 22 episodes, you can have some of those smaller episodes that just focus on one character or one aspect of one character and just meditate on it and have fun with it and dig into it in a way,” he teased. “When you have less episodes, you kind of have to [hit it every time], like boom, boom, boom. We’re all looking forward to having a little space to maybe do some weird ones next season.”
Abbott Elementary has been renewed for season 4 and episodes are streaming on Hulu.
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