Quinta Brunson and ABC Hit with Copyright Lawsuit Over Abbott Elementary
Paul Dailly
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Abbott Elementary is the breakout series of the 2021-22 TV season, garnering strong ratings, critical acclaim, and awards love.
Now, a worrying new report has come to light that claims Quinta Brunson, the creator and star of the freshman sensation, is being sued alongside ABC for copyright infringement.
A lawsuit was filed earlier this month by Christine Davis, who alleges that Brunson and ABC infringed on the copyright of her show The School Year.
Davis' scripted was said to be written back in 2018 and was registered with the copyright office in 2020.
Davis is seeking damages and a jury trial.
According to The Wrap, the suit alleges that the two shows are “striking and substantially similar."
This includes the “look and feel of the inner-city school, the mockumentary style, unique plot synopsis, set design and unique characters.”
The suit also notes the “nearly identical” similarities between the scripts’ young teacher characters and older main characters and states that the opening episodes both have very similar plots.
Davis said she had three meetings regarding the pilot script after sharing it with Blue Park Productions' Shavon Sullivan Wright and Cherisse Parks, who are said to have approached Hulu with the project.
Abbott Elementary follows a group of dedicated, passionate teachers—and a tone-deaf principal— who are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where they are determined to help their students succeed in life.
Though these incredible public servants are outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do and fight the odds stacked up against them—like the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children—to give the students the best school life they can offer.
Brunson stars alongside Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
The show was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, with Quinta Brunson, Janelle James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Tyler James Williams all receiving nominations for their performances.
Season 2 is set to get underway on September 21 on ABC.
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
