When Does ‘Abbott Elementary’ Season 3 Return To ABC? Premiere Date, Time, How Many Episodes, And More

It’s been eight long months since Quinta Brunson’s Emmy-winning sitcom Abbott Elementary aired its Season 2 finale on ABC, and with the WGA and SAG-AFRTA strikes in the rearview, we finally have a return date and more highly-anticipated info on Season 3.

The Philadelphia-set mockumentary’s sophomore season gave us everything from an iconic Gritty cameo and delightful holiday episodes to a magical first kiss and more. So we can’t wait to see what Season 3 has in store for Janine (Brunson), Gregory (Tyler James Williams), Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), Jacob (Chris Perfetti), Ava (Janelle James), Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis), and the rest of the school.

Who will guest star this season? (We need more Ayo Edebiri! And perhaps a Questlove appearance?) Will Janine and Gregory regret their decision to remain just friends? Will we get another finale field trip? And what will Season 3’s overarching theme be?

We’ll have to wait and see. But we do know what Abbott Elementary returns with new episodes, what time you should tune in, how many episodes will be in Season 3, and more. Here’s everything we know about Abbott Elementary‘s 2024 return so far.

When Does Abbott Elementary Return With New Episodes? Abbott Elementary Season 3 Premiere Date

When ABC announced its 2024 midseason premiere dates earlier this year, we learned that Abbott Elementary Season 3 will premiere Wednesday, February 7 on ABC with a special supersized one-hour episode.

What Time Does Abbott Elementary Season 3 Premiere On ABC?

Curious what time Abbott Elementary Season 3 premieres on ABC? Tune in to watch live on Wednesday, February 7 from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET.

How Many Episodes Are In Abbott Elementary Season 3?

When Decider interviewed Abbott Elementary‘s co-creators and co-showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker (also known for Harley Quinn) back in April, the hope for Season 3 was another 22-episode order like Season 2. But Schumacker was sure to note that plan could be derailed by the strike, and it was. “On a pragmatic level, in the event of a strike, that could affect the amount of episodes in the season. In the last strike, if I recall, the example is like Breaking Bad did seven episodes,” Schumacker explained.

In November, Deadline reported that “ABC and Warner Bros. TV were in a tussle over Abbott Elementary, with ABC asking for 13 [episodes] and the studio pushing for 17.” Ultimately, sources report that Abbott‘s Season will consist of 14 episodes, which Brunson confirmed to Deadline was “because of the strike, and because of the airing schedule, because of what ABC has room for on their schedule.” Despite the decrease in episodes this time around, Brunson isn’t complaining. “We did 22 last season, and that’s a lot of TV, in particular for me because I’m writing and producing and starring in it,” she said. “So for me, I welcomed a shorter season because it was tiring, exhausting work. Love it, but exhausting for me.”

What To Expect From Abbott Elementary Season 3

The Season 2 finale, “Franklin Institute,” followed our favorite Philadelphia educators on an eventful overnight field trip where a highly anticipated heart-to-heart between Janine and Gregory took place. Now that their feelings are out in the open, we’ll have to wait and see what Season 3 has in store for their relationship, along with the rest of the faculty and students of Abbott.

Thankfully, co-showrunners Halpern and Schumacker teased a few specific storylines for Decider. In regards to Janine and Gregory’s relationship, Schumacker said, “They’re not on the same page exactly, but Gregory’s accepted reluctantly what the determination was at the end, and I think that’s gonna keep up some of the dramatic tension in Season 3.”

Halpern also shared that the writing staff has another overarching theme in mind for Season 3. “You’ve sort of noticed that each season has a bit of a theme of public education and the things that teachers go through. The second season ended up talking about charter schools and the push and pull of those, and the first season was sort of about the challenges of being woefully underfunded,” he said. “And so I think we have an idea, we’ve talked with Quinta, and I think there’s a larger overarching idea that we’ve sort of landed on for Season 3 that I think is really interesting and I’ve never seen it on TV before.”

How To Watch Abbott Elementary Live On ABC:

Want to make sure you’re ready to catch Abbott Elementary Season 3 episodes live? We don’t blame you! If you have a cable subscription that includes ABC, you can watch Abbott Elementary live by setting your TV to the proper channel a few minutes before the finale airs. You can also use your cable username and password to watch live ABC episodes live on ABC.com or with the ABC app. And if your cable package includes a DVR, you can always record live episodes for later viewing.

Don’t have cable? Don’t worry! There are other live viewing options, like live TV skinny bundles, which give you access to networks without cable. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and fuboTV, all come with ABC. But if you don’t have cable or a live TV skinny bundle, you can stream episodes the following day on Hulu. Here’s how to watch Abbott Elementary online.

How To Watch Abbott Elementary Online?

You’ll need to be a Hulu subscriber in order to watch Abbott Elementary Season 1 and Season 2 online now, or watch new episodes of Abbott Elementary Season 3 the day after they air on ABC. The good news is you’ll have access to the episode with any version of the streaming service. The streamer’s least expensive ad-supported plan costs $7.99 a month (or $79.99 a year), while its ad-free option is $17.99 a month. If you choose to add Live TV to your plan you can select an ad-supported Hulu + Live TV now with Disney+ and ESPN+ bundle for $76.99 a month or go ad-free for $89.99 a month.