The new season of Abbott Elementary is nearly back in session. From the looks of it, there are some changes coming.
In the Season 6 trailer, which dropped Wednesday, it’s revealed that Tyler James Williams’ Gregory will now be the school’s assistant principal in addition to his regular teaching duties, and Lisa Ann Walter’s Melissa is now a teachers’ union representative.
Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) wears a “Philadelphia’s lucky charm” T-shirt and Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) sports a Kyle Schwarber jersey in an episode of “Abbott Elementary.”Disney/Gilles Mingasson
Gregory’s new role will have him working more directly under Janelle James’ Ava, the hilariously self-absorbed principal of the fictional Philadelphia public school.
“It’s going to be the best year yet,” Ava says in the trailer.
Fresh into her union position, Melissa is at odds with guest star Katy Mixon, who plays a new staff member. “You’re not aware of the hierarchy around here,” Melissa says to Mixon’s character inside the break room. The newcomer retorts with, “I’m not going anywhere.”
The rest of the trailer, which opened with Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” foreshadows another season of chaos in and outside the classroom.
Chris Perfetti’s Jacob is seen leading a PTA meeting line dance. Ava curses out fellow staff, and Gregory is startled by what appears to be an enraged parent.
The teachers and principal of “Abbott Elementary” talk to the school district’s superintendent.Disney/Gilles Mingasson
Of course, there are homages to the city that serves as the series’ backdrop, although the show is filmed in Los Angeles. Janine appears wearing a Penn sweater, Melissa dons a black Eagles sweat jacket, and Jacob tosses a basketball at two characters wearing Sixers jerseys.
The new season follows an eventful Season 5, which hinted at upcoming drama, including a potential engagement between Janine and Gregory, an uptick in Abbott’s student intake due to multiple school closings, plus a power struggle between Ava and Gregory with his new role.
The Season 6 premiere is set to air at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 7 on ABC. In the words of Janine: “Anything can happen.”
Philadelphia talent was on full display at the 2026 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Monday night, but only one of the nominated actors, crew members, or shows took home trophies.
The big, surprise exception was Tom Pelphrey, a Rutgers University alum from Howell Township, N.J., who won for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for his performance as Robbie Prendergrast on Season 1 of the Delco-set HBO crime thriller Task.
“I thank God for my life and my sobriety. I thank my family and my friends for all your love and support all these years, from Emmys to, you know, black box theaters and everything in between,” said Pelphrey in his acceptance speech before thanking Task creators including directors Jeremiah Zagar (son of South Philly mosaicist Isaiah Zagar) and Salli Richardson-Whitfield, and fellow cast members Mark Ruffalo, Emilia Jones, and Raúl Castillo.
Ruffalo was nominated for outstanding lead actor in a drama for his role as Tom Brandis but lost to Noah Wyle of The Pitt. The Pittsburgh-set emergency room drama received a whopping 25 nominations and took home seven Emmys, including outstanding drama series; Pelphrey beat out three supporting actor nominees from The Pitt for his win.
Brad Ingelsby, writer/executive producer of “Task” and “Mare of Easttown,” in his office in Berwyn on July 17, 2025. Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
“Thank you to Brad Ingelsby for this incredible role and this opportunity and your friendship. You are an amazing human being. I’m so proud to be your friend,” Pelphrey continued onstage as the camera showed a beaming Ingelsby, the Berwyn-based showrunner. Ingelsby is the writer/executive producer behind Task, which is currently shooting its second season in the Philadelphia area, and the Emmy-winning Mare of Easttown.
In Task, Pelphrey played a heartfelt but troubled trash collector who begins stealing from drug houses in Philadelphia’s collar counties run by a local motorcycle gang that killed his brother. Starring alongside two-time Emmy winner Ruffalo, Pelphrey was a complicated foil to Ruffalo’s priest-turned-FBI agent who hunted him down. The recognition marks Pelphrey’s first Emmy win after he was previously nominated for outstanding guest actor in a drama in 2022 for his role in Ozark.
“Brad is desperately insistent upon each individual’s humanity, so every character he writes is justified, in some sense, with a reason why they’re doing everything that they do — and that’s incredible, because usually that stuff gets sacrificed for plot,” Pelphrey told The Inquirer in a 2025 interview.
Tom Pelphrey accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for “Task” at the Television Academy’s 78th Emmy Awards telecast at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services)AP Photo/Danny Moloshok
Task received six Emmy nods, including outstanding writing for a drama (recognizing Ingelsby’s heart-wrenching finale), directing, picture editing, and cinematography. The dystopian Apple TV+ show Pluribus won for outstanding writing and picture editing, while the directing trophy went to the British spy show Slow Horses and cinematography went to Spider-Noir.
“Abbott Elementary” cast and crew pose with the Phanatic and Phillies player Kyle Schwarber at Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 28, 2025.Vaughn C. Page Jr.
However, the horror-tinged newcomer Widow’s Bay swept nearly all the comedy categories, dominating the stage with a record-breaking 14 wins. Abbott Elementary actors Tyler James Williams and Janelle James were up for outstanding supporting acting in their respective categories but both lost to Widow’s Bay.
Previous two-timeEmmy-winner Brunson was briefly in the spotlight when Emmys host and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay asked celebrity attendees about their first jobs.
“Oh, I was a student dance schoolteacher,” Brunson answered. Fellow West Philly-raised star Colman Domingo, who was nominated for outstanding guest actor in a drama for Euphoria and outstanding supporting actor in a comedy for Tina Fey’s The Four Seasons, also joined in. His first job, he said, was working the fries station at McDonald’s. (Domingo lost the former category to The Pitt and the latter to Widow’s Bay.)
Tina Fey as Kate and Colman Domingo as Danny in Season 2 of the Netflix comedy series “The Four Seasons.”Emily V. Aragones/Netflix
To celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Villanova-raised actor and Malvern Prep alum David Boreanaz joined star Sarah Michelle Gellar for a reunion moment onstage. The son of famous 6abc weatherman Dave Roberts, Boreanaz played the vampire with a soul Angel and later received his own spinoff show. (He’s also a diehard Philly sports fan.)
“You know, Sarah, I always thought that Buffy and Angel would end up together,” Boreanaz said as the pair reflected on the groundbreaking show. “Well, I guess we won’t find out,” Gellar replied in a pointed critique of the recent cancellation of the Buffy reboot that had been in the works.
Actor David Boreanaz, wearing a Randall Cunningham jersey, and his son, Jaden, in a Saquon Barkley jersey, at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.Courtesy of David Boreanaz
Ahead of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences hosted the Creative Arts Emmys in two events honoring artists behind the scenes in technical categories. Winners from those ceremonies included South Philly comedian Rob Mac — the showrunner behind It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — whose FX show Welcome to Wrexhamwon for outstanding sound mixing for a reality program. (It was also nominated for outstanding picture editing and outstanding unstructured reality program.)
Bucks County pop star Sabrina Carpenter also won during the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this month for performing in and executive producing the 50th anniversary special of The Muppet Show, which earned a gold statue for outstanding variety special (prerecorded) — putting her halfway to EGOT status.
Another Philadelphia-connected nominee was Tires, the Shane Gillis-led Netflix comedy recognized for outstanding sound mixing for a half-hour comedy or drama; the trophy went to Widow’s Bay.
At Monday night’s ceremony, one more Pennsylvania celebrity made a cameo: Superstar singer Taylor Swift, who grew up in Reading was not in attendance, but appeared in a prerecorded skit with Hargitay spoofing Law & Order along with Swift’s cat, named for Hargitay’s character, Olivia Benson.
If it weren’t for Abbott Elementary, longtime TV director Randall Einhorn thinks he probably would’ve retired by now.
After decades working behind the camera on essential sitcoms like The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Parks and Recreation, Einhorn could’ve stepped back from the industry — but then he met Quinta Brunson. The West Philly comedian approached him for the Abbott Elementary pilot in 2021 because she was such a big fan of his Scranton-set hit. Einhorn quickly realized Brunson and her show were special, so it was easy for him to say yes.
“From the day we started filming the pilot, it just felt right. It always felt right,” said Einhorn, 62, who also serves as an executive producer on Abbott.
Janine (Quinta Brunson) gets ready for a Phillies game in “Abbott Elementary.”Disney/Gilles Mingasson
Now the beloved comedy has become an Emmy Awards darling and is about to premiere its sixth season this fall. Its fifth season alone is up for seven Emmys at the ceremony on Sept. 14. Einhorn is a nominee for outstanding directing for a comedy series, marking his second nod in that category for Abbott Elementary (he was also previously nominated for cinematography on Survivor).
Einhorn received the recognition specifically for his ambitious work filming the “Ballgame” episode during a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park in August 2025.
Phillies fans remember it as the night Kyle Schwarber hit four home runs, making baseball history and leading the team to a 19-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves. After the field cleared, Schwarber joined the Abbott Elementary cast to film his guest appearance.
“Abbott Elementary” actors Tyler James Williams (Gregory Eddie) and Quinta Brunson (Janine Teagues) chat with Phillies star Kyle Schwarber and director Randall Einhorn at Citizens Bank Park in August 2025.Louie Escobar
“What a great dude! He had all the time in the world for us, and he was tremendous,” said Einhorn. “Nobody expected Kyle Schwarber to hit four home runs … there’s no type of energy like that. You can act that energy, but also you can’t. We fed off of that energy, which I think was really, really fun.”
As exciting as the game was, the Abbott cast and crew had already been at Citizens Bank Park for days leading up to the live event so they could capture the scenes with dialogue. That meant bringing in some 400 local background actors to play Phillies fans as well as roughly 200 workers from the Phillies and Aramark to staff the ballpark.
Jacob (Chris Perfetti) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) at a concessions stand at Citizens Bank Park in the “Ballgame” episode of “Abbott Elementary.”Disney/Gilles Mingasson
The complicated logistics required precise coordination between the Abbott crew and cast, the Phillies staff (especially those behind PhanaVision), and Major League Baseball. Einhorn’s biggest challenge was ensuring that the dialogue scenes matched up with the baseball action and vice versa. That meant carefully plotting the camera’s focus to whip between the actors, the field, and the PhanaVision screen. The 14-page script had more than 70 instances of “whip offs and whip ons,” according to Einhorn.
“I had to have this really meticulous plan to connect the game day to dialogue day, which were two separate days. That was quite complex, I mean, I’ve never had so many notes to myself in the margins of, ‘Don’t mess this up, Randall,’” the director said. “I really enjoy something with a high degree of difficulty because once you stick the landing, it’s just so rewarding.”
The teachers from “Abbott Elementary” captured on PhanaVision at Citizens Bank Park.Disney/Gilles Mingasson
Serendipitously, Brunson and her fellow writers had already planned to feature Schwarber as a guest star before he made baseball history as the 21st player in MLB history to hit four home runs in one game. (A diehard Phillies fan, Brunson was thrilled to meet Schwarber — and the Phanatic, of course — for the special opportunity to spotlight Philly’s robust sports culture; she called the episode a “complete fan service.”)
The Abbott team developed contingency plans to ensure that they’d capture at least one Schwarbomb for the show — even if they had to cheat it by filming a Schwarber hit and panning to another ball soaring in the sky — but that night, those plans were totally unnecessary. The episode, which aired on Oct. 15, wound up including multiple Schwarbombs.
“The camera operators did just spectacular work … the more times [he hit], the better we got at filming it,” said Einhorn. “It’s amazing how much of the show was from game day footage and our cast reacting to it.”
As Einhorn and the Abbott team prepare for the Emmy’s red carpet, Schwarber has continued to deliver wow-worthy performances on the field. If Einhorn’s “Ballgame” episode wins the Emmy, Schwarber will have one more thing to celebrate.
The 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, on NBC.
Following a banner year for TV shows set in Philadelphia, the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary and HBO drama Task received multiple Emmy Award nominations on Wednesday.
Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey both received acting nominations, in outstanding lead and outstanding supporting categories, respectively.
The finale, “A Still Small Voice,” received particular attention: Ingelsby was nominated for outstanding writing for a drama series and editors Keiko Deguchi and Amy E. Duddleston were nominated in the picture editing category. The episode “Crossings” was recognized as well, with director of photography Alex Disenhof nominated for outstanding cinematography for a one-hour series.
Additionally, director Salli Richardson Whitfield was nominated for directing the action-packed episode “Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing, There Is a River.” She was also nominated in the same category for directing an episode of HBO’s The Gilded Age.
Ingelsby told The Inquirer in an email that the Task team is “deeply honored” by the recognition.
“Task exists solely because of the remarkable people who have believed in it and helped bring it to the screen. Thank you to HBO for shepherding it into the world so beautifully,” Ingelsby wrote. “I’m especially happy to see our cast leaders Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey nominated for their extraordinary performances.”
“This recognition represents the entire Task team,“ he said, ”in front of and behind the camera who poured their enormous talent and hearts into bringing this story to life.”
He added: “We are busy at work shooting Season 2 right now, and this is a very nice reason to pause for a moment and celebrate.”
Fresh off concluding its fifth season, the Emmy-winning powerhouse Abbott Elementary returns to the awards ceremony with seven nods, including outstanding comedy series and outstanding casting. West Philly’s Quinta Brunson, Abbott’s star and creator, was nominated for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role as Janine Teagues and outstanding writing for a comedy series for the episode “Team Building.” Brunson won an outstanding lead actress Emmy for the same role in 2023 and an outstanding writing award for the Abbott pilot in 2022.
Joining Brunson in acting nominations are Janelle James, who plays the chaotically unpredictable principal Ava Coleman and is nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. Tyler James Williams, who plays neurotic teacher Gregory Eddie, is nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy.
“Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson watches the Phillies play the Atlanta Braves during a taping of the show on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Abbott Elementary also received a nod for outstanding directing for a comedy series, recognizing Randall Einhorn for his effort filming the “Ball Game” episode during a live Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park last August. Phillies fans will remember it as the night Kyle Schwarber made MLB history with four home runs, while Abbott fans will recall suspecting the mysterious janitor Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) was secretly the Phanatic.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Brunson wrote on Instagram. “Congratulations to the hardworking cast and crew of Abbott. I am grateful for each and every person that makes this production move.”
In the supporting actor category, Williams will compete with West Philly native Colman Domingo, who was nominated for his role as the sharp and sassy Danny in Tina Fey’s Netflix comedy, The Four Seasons. This is Domingo’s second consecutive year as a best supporting actor nominee. The show’s second season, released in May, was filmed partially at the Jersey Shore and revealed that Domingo’s character is also from Philadelphia.
Domingo received a second Emmy nomination this year for the final season of HBO’s Euphoria, in the category of outstanding guest actor. He played the tenderhearted and justifiably furious addiction sponsor Ali to Zendaya’s lovably tragic character, Rue. In 2022, Domingo won the supporting actor Emmy for the same role.
The actor was just in Philadelphia on July 4, when he received a Philadelphia Freedom Award from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. Now on vacation in Europe, he’s celebrating the double Emmy nods that highlight his acting skills in both comedic and dramatic roles.
“I think the diversity of work is what I’ve always hoped for, to have these opportunities to flex very different muscles,” Domingo told Deadline on Wednesday. He added that he believes the finale of Euphoria “is some of my best work” and he “gave it everything I had.”
Another Philly son got a nomination this year: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney) stars in and executive produces the Emmy-winning Welcome to Wrexham, about the Welsh soccer team he co-owns with Ryan Reynolds. The show is in the running for outstanding unstructured reality program, which it has won twice before. (Mac’s Always Sunny costar and wife, Kaitlin Olson, also received a nomination for her guest appearance in Hacks.)
Leading in Emmy nominations were The Pitt, the emergency room drama set in Pittsburgh, with 25 nods, and Hacks, the comedy costarring Eagles superfan Hannah Einbinder, receiving 24. The daughter of a diehard Eagles fan from Doylestown, Einbinder is nominated again for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. She won the award last year and made headlines for ending her speech with “Go Birds, f — ICE, and free Palestine.”
Hosted at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, on NBC.
