Abbott Elementary Can't Keep Janine and Gregory in Limbo Forever

Abbott Elementary may only be on its third season, but the ABC series has already established itself as one of the best workplace sitcoms. The Emmy-winning show has all the essential ingredients of the genre: a flawed but lovable protagonist, a ridiculous boss, an ensemble full of eccentric characters, and, of course, a will-they/won’t-they? romance. 

From the very beginning, viewers have rooted for Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) to get together. While he was clearly interested in her from the moment they chaotically crossed paths in the pilot, she was still with her long-term boyfriend Tariq (Zack Fox). As they grew closer though, their connection became undeniable, something that deserved to be fully explored. 

Yet something has always stood in the way of them actually getting together, from dating other people to denying their feelings. They shared a passionate kiss in Season 2, but quickly brushed it off as a heat-of-the-moment mistake. Things came to a head in the Season 2 finale when they finally admitted their feelings for each other. But then Janine once again hit the brakes on their romance, realizing that she needed to be single and “selfish” for a while before jumping into another relationship. 

Although Janine’s choice may have disappointed shippers, it was a big moment of growth for her character and a positive thing in the long run. She’s right that if and when she and Gregory get together, it should be when they’re both in a good place as individuals. Slow burns also take time, and it wouldn’t be as satisfying if things just clicked into place right away. Keeping the two of them apart made sense at first. 

Now however, Janine and Gregory are stuck in limbo. In the Season 3 premiere, footage from Ava’s (Janelle James) secret camera reveals that Janine wanted to give their relationship another shot, but Gregory turned her down. “In my mind, I had kind of put a period on that,” he says. “You eventually moved on, and it seemed like kind of the right thing to do, so I did.” Janine is clearly caught off guard by the rejection, but plays it off as no big deal. Things between them aren’t decisively over, but instead at a weird standstill. The issue isn’t that Abbott Elementary wants to develop them as individuals or take its time with their romance. The problem is that it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to justify keeping them apart. 

In the past, there was always a clear reason why they weren’t together. After Tariq, Janine dated Gregory’s friend Maurice (Vince Staples) while Gregory was in a relationship with Amber (Naté Jones). Denying their feelings for each other after their first kiss was understandable in light of the messy circumstances. Even Janine rejecting Gregory at the end of Season 2 made sense — she and Tariq had been together since middle school, and she absolutely needed to spend time being single. 

But now, there’s really no compelling reason for dragging things out. Gregory putting a “period” or time limit on their romance is a little out of the blue, but not necessarily out of character since he’s a very practical guy. But that and Janine’s job at the district are clearly just more temporary obstacles; what happens when she inevitably returns to her teaching position? The district job isn’t even really standing in their way, considering how often she visits Abbott for work.

Although slow-burn relationships can be great, they need consistent chemistry, conflict, and stakes in order to keep viewers invested. What’s missing right now between Janine and Gregory is tension. Part of the problem is that they’ve already used up so many of the will-they/won’t-they? staples: the big “almost” kiss, mutual feelings confession, dating other people, etc. Their scenes together in Season 3 showcase their friendship nicely, but compared to their sizzling chemistry in previous seasons, their current dynamic falls flat. Jacob (Chris Perfetti) summed it up best when he described them as “Two people that kissed but decided to just be friends for some godforsaken reason.”

It’s common for sitcom couples to take a long time to actually get together. In The Office, Jim and Pam didn’t become official until Season 4, and the roadblocks were always clear: Pam was engaged, then Jim transferred to another branch and started dating Karen. They were a slow burn, but it was easy to stay invested because it was clear it would eventually pay off. On the other hand, New Girl had Nick and Jess both become a couple and break up fairly early on, then they eventually found their way back to each other. 

Abbott doesn’t have to (and shouldn’t) follow either of these approaches exactly, but if the show is going to keep the pair apart, it should do so with clear obstacles rather than relying on Gregory’s half-hearted explanation or Janine’s temporary district job to drag things out. The road blocks to a relationship should be more concrete, like Gregory not wanting to get hurt again or Janine considering permanently staying at the district. Otherwise, their simmering slow burn becomes frustrating instead of satisfying.

Of course, the show doesn’t necessarily have to make them a couple. Although it would be a little disappointing if they never actually got together, it would ring true to real life. “I think the fun of young 20-somethings is really that stuff like that happens all the time,” Brunson, who also serves as creator, executive producer, and a writer on the show, said at the 2024 Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. “People kiss each other, they have sex with each other. And then all of a sudden they’re cool again, or not cool again, or friends again.” 

Still, Brunson and Williams have some serious chemistry, and it would be a shame to waste it. If Abbott Elementary wants Janine and Gregory to be a couple, it’ll find a way to bring that spark back somehow — but hopefully that happens sooner rather than later.

Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays at 9:00 PM ET on ABC. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Kelly Martinez is a TV Reporter based in Los Angeles. Her previous work can be found at BuzzFeed and People Magazine, among other outlets. She enjoys reading, spending time with her cat, and explaining the plot of Riverdale to people.