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00:01So, your ears burning. I mean, that was, you are the next Mary Tyler Moore. That's not a bad thing
00:10to say.
00:11Well, you know, I want to say thank you so much to Robert Rittigo. That was really beautiful.
00:17And it's an honor to hear you say all those kind of things.
00:23But I think more than anything from talking with you backstage and just hearing this, it's very easy to see
00:29why Mary loved you so much.
00:30You are really wonderful. And just thank you for your kind words.
00:35So, I just wanted to say that first.
00:37Yeah.
00:38No, that was wonderful.
00:39I couldn't think of anyone better for this honor than you.
00:45Also, I think to also echo probably everyone in this room, very relieved to see Janine and Gregory.
00:53They're going to work things out.
00:54Yes.
00:55Yes.
00:56That was the thing that was on all of our minds.
00:58But those kids, we're rooting for them.
01:01Yes, me too.
01:03So, I talked to you recently for this honor.
01:06And you mentioned to me that growing up, I mean, you were watching a lot of Mary Tyler Moore while
01:10you're, like, getting your education in comedy through Nick at Night and through some of those classics.
01:15Yes.
01:15So, what do you remember about those shows, Mary Tyler Moore and some of those others, that really inspired you
01:21back in the day?
01:22What inspired me most is the Mary Tyler Moore show was a show that my parents were watching.
01:28So, it kind of felt like one of my parents' Abbott Elementary.
01:35It was big in their household.
01:37And it kind of brought their family together.
01:41It was their show.
01:42And there were a number of other shows on, for sure, that were the shows of their teenagehood.
01:50And some of those were in black and white.
01:52And, like, the Dick Van Dyke show.
01:55And then, you know, Mary Tyler Moore.
01:57They grew up with sitcoms, with the age of TV figuring out the sitcoms.
02:04And as I got older, and Nick at Night was super popular in my childhood.
02:09I don't know if it, does it exist?
02:11It still exists.
02:12Okay.
02:12It's just, now those shows that are considered oldies are from, like, the 90s and 2000s.
02:17Which kills me, right?
02:18Yeah, it's like the Fresh Prince.
02:19Yeah.
02:19Wait, that actually is funny because I have seen the Fresh Prince on at, like, 930.
02:23I'm like, why did I get this one so late?
02:24But that's Nick at Night now.
02:25Yeah, because that show is more than 30 years old.
02:28Yeah, it is.
02:29I'm sorry to ruin your day, everyone.
02:32But that's saying something because the Mary Tyler Moore show was about 30 years old when I started watching, I
02:40think.
02:4170s into, yeah, 90s, early 2000s.
02:43And the most prolific thing about it is that at that age, the conversation of representation hadn't been had yet,
02:54you know?
02:56There was just this show I was watching that was funny, and it happened to have this incredibly charming woman
03:04at the center of it, and it happened to be written extremely well.
03:08It went toe-to-toe with every other show I was watching, and it really defined what I thought was
03:18good.
03:19And I think I love that I never questioned whether or not the show should exist because there was a
03:24woman at the center, if that makes sense.
03:26Yeah.
03:27So I think that when Mary Tyler Moore first aired, when the show first aired, it probably was like, whoa,
03:34like, very revolutionary.
03:35But for me, it was just commonplace in my home, and I think that's the way it should be.
03:41It should be just commonplace, not necessarily shocking.
03:46It's what I hope Abbott can do for people that are watching it.
03:49It's not shocking that you're watching a show with a predominantly black cast, and you're just enjoying the show.
03:56Yeah.
03:56And I feel like that's what Mary Tyler Moore did for me.
03:58Yeah.
03:59Yeah.
03:59Yeah.
03:59Yeah.
04:01And then, of course, as an icon, she created her own business.
04:06She's launched her own studio.
04:08I mean, there are so many things to be inspired by and to look at where your career is going
04:13now.
04:13So, you know, sort of what are some of your goals in terms of similarly creating a moguldom out of
04:20the Quinta Brunson, Inc.?
04:22You know what's so funny?
04:23I don't know necessarily that I'm interested in creating the moguldom, is the word you said.
04:32I just made that up.
04:33Yeah, you did.
04:33I didn't.
04:34Yeah.
04:35But what I am excited by is creating more good television by any means necessary.
04:44I am very focused on that.
04:46So, I want to make sure I have a production company now, and I want to make sure with that
04:51production company, I'm actually making good TV.
04:56Not just TV, not just stuff for the sake of it, and that may take longer.
05:02It may be harder, but I want to provide more good television.
05:10Now, I also don't even think good always means everyone is going to like it.
05:13Do you know what I mean?
05:14But I want to put effort into it.
05:16I want to put heart into it.
05:17I want to put care into it and continue to be very intentional about giving people something to enjoy that
05:25isn't slop.
05:26It's a lot of slop right now.
05:29And I don't want to contribute to that.
05:32Yeah.
05:35And we're going to be fighting even more of that slop in the coming years.
05:39But, I mean, Abbott was the ultimate boot camp to do 22 episodes a season in an era where not
05:45many shows are doing that.
05:47I mean, you started with sort of the most difficult level being at 10.
05:54So, five seasons in, how are you feeling at this point in terms of producing, what you've learned, and just
06:02how confident you are now in getting a show off the ground like that?
06:0922 episodes a season is, somebody said a lot.
06:14Yes.
06:15It is.
06:16And it is boot camp.
06:18And I feel invincible.
06:19I do.
06:20I'm not going to lie.
06:21I feel I would love to tackle something shorter, you know, for my own mental health.
06:31Um, and I think there's so much beauty in that storytelling as well, shorter seasons.
06:37But no one knows, unless they've done it, what it is like to do 22 episodes.
06:45First of all, and that, we have it, like, easy.
06:48There was a point where Mary Tyler Moore might have had, like, a 27-episode season.
06:53And that was just the norm.
06:56But I can't stress enough how much work, care, thought, blood, sweat, and tears it takes to try to still
07:08make it good.
07:09Because 22 is kind of asking you to throw the towel in at some point.
07:13It's, like, you're in the fog of the season.
07:17People are tired.
07:19People are exhausted.
07:22Babies are being born.
07:23People are dying.
07:25Like, life is happening.
07:26You know what I mean?
07:27It gets very, very, very exhausting.
07:29So, we all have to put a lot of effort in still trying to make it good at that rate.
07:36Also, another thing that we have to do is, it's got to come out in the fall, you know?
07:42I've seen before, people are like, yeah, we're pushing it back a year.
07:45We don't really have that opportunity because of, you know, advertising.
07:49This is nothing new.
07:50Everybody on network knows that's the case.
07:52Saw Matlock was just up there.
07:54They deal with the same thing, and they have an hour-long show.
07:57But it's just not easy work.
07:59Yeah, yeah.
07:59No, and, you know, back in the day, by episode 17, you could tell on some of the shows.
08:05They did the clip episode.
08:06But you can't do that anymore.
08:08I know, I know.
08:09And it's really hard to do in a mockument or you shot my foot deep with that one.
08:13But, yeah, but, yeah.
08:16But, I mean, and yet this, I mean, ambitious this season to have not one but a couple of different
08:21major storylines
08:23to sort of build around with, of course, the mall episodes, moving Abbott to a mall,
08:28and then, of course, as I alluded to at the very beginning, Janine and Gregory.
08:31Yes.
08:32Who, they're okay, right?
08:33They're still okay.
08:34Okay.
08:34But you saw them.
08:35I know, but it's summertime.
08:38I don't know what happens during the summer.
08:39I'm also traumatized.
08:40I'm a little.
08:41No, they're okay.
08:41Listen, we want those kids to work, so I'm glad.
08:44Yes, they're okay.
08:45Okay.
08:46But talk about, I mean, you guys aren't taking your foot off the pedal.
08:49This was in a very ambitious season, and now you're planning season, season six.
08:54So, you get.
08:57Encore time.
08:58So, talk about sort of the expectations and also trying to outdo yourself.
09:04I'm sorry to put that on you.
09:07I think that five was an interesting season because we've gotten to this place that we're
09:14really, really grateful for where we don't know how many more seasons.
09:20It's positive.
09:20We don't know how many more seasons we're going to be on the air in a positive way.
09:24So, I don't want to.
09:26What is the right term for this?
09:28I don't want to.
09:30What is.
09:32I know what you're saying because I think you said it before in that now that you have
09:36the luxury of extra seasons, you don't want to end it too quickly.
09:39You have time to marinate a little bit more with these characters, and you've done that.
09:45I have, you know, ends in my head for each of these characters, the ends of their stories.
09:52So, I have to make sure I'm not getting there too quickly.
09:56And once again, with 22, that is not easy to do.
10:00So, it's about still building things, giving something, still trying to work toward a dignified
10:08ending because I believe in writing towards an ending.
10:11I think it's a healthy way to write.
10:12I think, you know, it's good to have a North Star.
10:16So, I just don't want to jump the gun and get there too soon is what I'm saying.
10:21And five felt like the first lesson in that where it was like, oh, yeah, you're probably
10:27going to get a six and probably more after that.
10:29And so, I'm trying to stave off the ending.
10:32And so, five was a lot of learning how to do that.
10:34And now, I feel with six that I have a clear, I learned a lot about how to do that.
10:41And now, I can master my storytelling while still staving off the end.
10:46Well, it's fun, obviously.
10:48Also, you're just expanding the universe.
10:50You're bringing in more characters, more faculty members.
10:53We're seeing more worlds, seeing more folks at home.
10:56And that's been kind of fun.
10:57It has.
10:58And that's what a lot of five was too, expanding the world.
11:01And now, we have a lot more to work with in season six.
11:04We met more people.
11:05They went more places.
11:06We learned we could go to a Phillies game.
11:09We learned that the school could be completely out of commission.
11:14We learned we could go to Miami, which was just Long Beach in the show.
11:18But that was...
11:19That was...
11:20You're keeping it in California.
11:23We are.
11:23We really are.
11:24Yeah.
11:24We really are.
11:25To the best of our abilities.
11:28And, you know, our team works really hard.
11:30We thought we were going to have to fly to Miami.
11:33And my...
11:34Shout out to David Lyons, who runs Locations.
11:36He said...
11:37I found...
11:38Yes.
11:38You know.
11:39You remember David Lyons.
11:40But he found a lovely location in Long Beach and said, look, we'll stay local.
11:47We will save money.
11:48We will help the city.
11:51It was really beautiful.
11:52And Marina Del Rey.
11:53And I was very happy to be able to do that.
11:57No, that's great.
11:58I mean, so, last time I talked to you, I tried to convince you to do a multi-camera sitcom.
12:03Because I'd love to see the Quinta Brunson multi-camera sitcom with an audience, all that.
12:06Yeah, me too.
12:07What are your dreams?
12:08What, I mean, is there an hour long in your mind?
12:12Or what are some of the things that you're hopeful long-term to do, especially with your company?
12:16Right now, I dream of sleep.
12:18So every question you just said is insane.
12:21I know.
12:22I just threw four more shows on you.
12:23You exhausted me.
12:25I do.
12:26I love multi-cams.
12:28I love when they're done right.
12:29When I'm not here in L.A. and I'm in New York, I've really found so much excitement and inspiration
12:36from going to Broadway plays.
12:38And to me, the best and funniest Broadway plays are how a multi-cam should be written.
12:44And so there was a lovely one not too long ago, a play called Purpose, and the writer, so good.
12:51And the writer of that, I'm constantly trying to get him to come write a multi-cam.
12:55Because I think his, I feel like it is a medium or a sub-medium that has been relegated to,
13:03this is where we kind of go do easy jokes.
13:07And it doesn't have to be that way.
13:09When a multi-cam is so cared about, you get some of the funniest moments ever that you can only
13:16get with a live audience there.
13:18And a kind of restricted three-camera setup.
13:22So some of my favorite shows are multi-cams.
13:26And I'm actually really excited.
13:27I don't know if I'm supposed to say this, but like NBC has like a really excited multi-cam slate
13:31coming up.
13:31And I'm really pumped to see what they're going to do with it.
13:35Because I would like to get over there and play around.
13:39Last season, there was a show on Hulu called Mid-Century Modern.
13:43Yeah, which was a lot of fun.
13:44It really was.
13:45And you could tell that that was made by people who care about the format.
13:50And it's everything from the way the set is designed to what the actors bring to the table, to how
13:57it's written.
13:58So I would love to do a multi-cam.
14:01Got to get you and Jimmy Burroughs together.
14:02You said it.
14:03Yeah, we got to make that happen.
14:05I want to do that.
14:06An hour long is nice.
14:07It seems about a half an hour too long.
14:11But I think that that would be nice.
14:13Yeah.
14:13That's hard work.
14:14So maybe one day.
14:17Yeah, maybe don't do 22 of those.
14:18Maybe.
14:19And I'm working on films right now, which is an entirely different world.
14:24So I'm enjoying learning about that world and seeing what my place is in it.
14:30I come to it extremely humble and understanding that it's not my, you know, not what I typically do.
14:39But I feel in this industry right now, that's a really good way to tell some really cool stories that
14:47it's harder to do in television.
14:48I think movies like Sinners and there's a movie coming out called Is God Is featuring, you know, Carrie Young.
14:57It's from Tessa Thompson's company.
14:59It's just another area to play around in.
15:01And so I'm really interested in what's going to come from me in film.
15:05I'm very excited, too.
15:07I think we all are.
15:09Final thing, season six, maybe you do an episode of Abbott that's a live multicam episode of Abbott.
15:17You're trying to give me a heart attack.
15:19Why would you say that?
15:21That's so crazy.
15:22Right?
15:23I know.
15:23Just came up with that on stage.
15:25The mockumentary style of filming, it actually is really similar to a multicam.
15:29That's the other reason why I'm excited about it.
15:32Because it's really, you know, that, yeah, you do this.
15:35Do you film?
15:36Are you behind the camera?
15:37Oh, you just.
15:38Oh, okay.
15:38But it is.
15:40He's just saying preach.
15:41But it's really similar.
15:42So it's kind of given me even more of an appetite.
15:46But another thing I believe in is creating the show for the format.
15:49I would want to create a show where the best way to tell that story is through multicam.
15:56I think that would be exciting for me and the audience and everybody.
16:01Well, I like to remind people that even though we've seen, like, the success of Quinta Brunson,
16:06we're still at the beginning of this career.
16:09And I cannot wait to see what else is in store.
16:13And many, many more seasons of Abbott.
16:16Not going anywhere.
16:18Quinta Brunson, everyone.
16:20Thank you, everybody.
16:21Thank you, everybody.
16:21I don't have to see them.
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