The 'Abbott Elementary' star shares some concerning possibilities when it comes to the ABC sitcom's favorite ship.
Fans of Abbott Elementary have been looking forward to season 3 since the show's season 2 finale saw Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) admit to having feelings for one another. The teachers have undeniable 'will they, won't they' vibes, but their potential may have been crushed after the crushing reveal in season 3's premiere that Gregory rejected Janine's advances before she (temporarily) quit teaching to join the district.
During a visit to SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, Williams posed the possibility that the pair never get together despite fans rooting passionately for the two to get their act together.
"I do feel like the Gregory-Janine relationship is the best version we've had of Ross and Rachel since Ross and Rachel," co-host Julia Cunningham said. "People have attempted to make it happen, but this is the best because I feel like when Friends got onto Netflix and I did a binge during the lockdown all over again, I forgot how quickly they actually get together, and then it was about keeping them apart, and I think people sort of misremember this, and I actually love that there's been shades of you two almost coming together, but not because in ways, I don't think I could emotionally deal if there is a breakup, so in a way, it is helpful."
"Catastrophic. It would be catastrophic," Williams agreed.
Cunningham continued, "I am curious, like what conversations have been thrown out about it and what, you know, maybe if there've been conversations from the writers' room of like, 'We almost did it. We almost put you guys together, but then we were like, we can't.' You know? What does Quinta Brunson say about what is happening with you two?"
Williams shared that "one of the things" the team behind Abbott has considered is whether they want the show's story to "mirror real life as much as possible."
"In real life, getting together with somebody is never a straight line. It doesn't just go from we meet, we like each other and now we're together. It doesn't happen like that," Williams pointed out. "Part of what we want to continue to do is throw real-life obstacles in their way that they have to grapple with. Quinta said multiple times, she's not even sure if they're going to get together at some point."
"We're more focused on the journey of what it looks like to them making that decision, but I think everyone assumes it will end with them being together. There's a version of the show we've talked about where they never get together, and they choose not to be together that we also like, so the writers' room is sometimes split 50/50," he added. "There's several storylines that we've talked about that half the room hates, half of them love, and then we'll figure out where it actually goes. But there is no actual endgame by way of, they for sure get together."
Noting that there's "a great payoff here," Williams reiterated that the writers wanted to mirror real life with Janine and Gregory's relationship as much as they could and "sometimes that doesn't always happen. No one ever thinks about that. There's a real possibility that it just never comes together."
"I think there will be a rip in the space-time continuum if they don't get together," Cunningham responded. "Are you ready for that? Are you ready to take that on?"
Joking that he's already been "catching heat" for Gregory rejecting Janine, Williams quipped that he's got "a strong core. I can take some jabs."
The actor went on to share that he isn't sure what version of the scene was used for the episode since he and Brunson shot it several different ways.
"We shot that scene like eight to 10 different ways, and when we do, it's kinda like we did the end of season 2, that conversation. We go from the mildest version of that conversation to the most harsh, and then they'll find what they want in the edit, so I'm not even -- I haven't seen the episode, I don't even really know which version they picked or what they cut together because there was some really harsh takes where we took it there where it was very cold. Yeah, so I don't know what y'all saw, but based on people's reactions, I'm guessing it didn't go well," he shared.
ET spoke with the cast ahead of season 3's premiere, where Brunson, Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Chris Perfetti, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter and William Stanford Davis shared some ideas on what fans can expect in all aspects -- especially with Janine and Gregory's relationship.
"It's definitely much more complicated. I think what happened at the end of season 2 was it felt like there was at least a pause button being put on things, but I don't think the audience or either Janine or Gregory really thought about, 'OK, we have to go back to work at some point and see each other,'" Williams shared. "And that's got them in this kind of really complicated purgatory. But we address a lot of it in episode one."
Brunson told ET that she believes Janine and Gregory are "becoming better friends" this season, which she admitted to being more of a fan of than anything else.
"I think that's a cool way, no matter what path you take, will they or won't they -- sure. It's nice to be good friends with people and I love watching Janine and Gregory be friends," she shared. "It's some of my favorite moments in the show."
One complication in that couple could come in the form of The Other Two and Scream VI star Josh Segarra, who is one of the many stars appearing in season 3. Fans have speculated that Segarra's Manny, one of the three "good-natured" school district representatives who take pride in their jobs and strive to freshen up the old ways of schooling, might have a more than strictly professional interest in Janine.
Fans will have to wait and see what happens with their favorite teachers as Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays on ABC at 9 p.m. EST.
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