Abbott Elementary SchoolThe Season 2 premiere was filled with side hustle, personal issues, and surprises. A surprise came in the form of the hugely popular Philadelphia Flyers mascot, Gritty, who made his acting debut. While the teacher-centric comedy is based in the City of Brotherly Love, the appearance of the beloved NHL mascot surprised viewers. With plenty of attention on Gritty after the episode, the mascot provided a rare interview where they hilariously threw shade at Dwayne Johnson.
Gritty’s witty joke came in a rare interview they gave to Variety after their Abbott Elementary School cameo. While the beloved mascot was all awkward and horny on and off screen, it seemed like they weren’t there for the actors complaining about playing themselves. Gritty was relieved that ABC asked them to play themselves, rather than having an actor like The Rock try to play the Philadelphia icon, explaining:
Shots fired! Who would have thought that Gritty was a Dwayne Johnson hater or, at least, that he didn’t like stunts? They don’t want celebrities taking on good roles from hard-working mascots. Plus, if the show wanted the real Gritty, they played each other perfectly well given their tight schedule. Still, I thought it was a bit naughty to peek into the Jumanji star.
Can you imagine Gritty appearing in the first episode to reveal that Dwayne Johnson is behind the NHL’s beloved orange mascot? I mean, it’s not like Johnson hasn’t made an unexpected appearance on TV shows before. Since making the transition from wrestling to acting, the 50-year-old actor has played everything from Hannah Montana and the Wizards of Waverly Place at family guy. So he’s not above making a small cameo or playing an over-the-top version of himself. Hopefully Gritty’s sitcom cameo will be the first in a series.
Having Gritty in the Season 2 premiere was the icing on the cake of a stellar run for workplace comedy. The series celebrates its two Emmy Awards for series creator Quinta Brunson and Ms. Barbara Howard herself Sheryl Lee Ralph. Viewers were still celebrating Ralph’s incredible Emmy speech, while rallying behind Brunson after Jimmy Kimmel’s onstage prank during his speech, though she quickly put a kibosh on the drama. Between its big wins, massive viewership, solid cast, and epic cameos Abbott Elementary School can hang its hat among other classic sitcoms.
To see if more Philadelphia icons will appear on a bigger and better Season 2, be sure to watch Abbott Elementary School every Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on ABC. If you miss any new episodes, you can always watch them later with a Hulu subscription. A little like Abbott Elementary School last week, there are plenty of other new and returning TV premieres throughout the 2022-23 TV season.