I realized fairly early on that the cast of Abbott Elementary weren’t overly present on the red carpet – though I did find out that Tyler James Williams, who wore Dolce & Gabbana, lives with his brothers, a fact that fascinated me more than it should have. Live with your brother? Unremarkable. With more than one brother? As adults, all of you are still living together? Yeah, I want the reality show immediately. They can call it “Three”? I don’t know, I’m open for pitches.

 

But, with fewer giddy interviews on the carpet, and since they didn’t win any of the acting categories they were nominated in, the cast was largely absent from the show, which felt weirdly somber? In past years they’ve also been a large part of bits or were presenters – and so having no sign of them except for thinly-veiled exasperation at the cameras in their faces after they’d lost awards they were pretty certain they were going to lose meant a real lack of the Abbott energy we’ve come to know. 

 

Quinta in Georges Chakra Couture.

 

Sheryl Lee Ralph in another amazing black column - this one is a custom Versace: 

 

Janelle James, just as intrigued as I am at the concept of the “Tyler and his brothers” show:

 

I feel two ways about this – while they can’t be the Emmy darlings forever, and I would bet we’d start to be rumbling about being tired of them if the whole category issue with The Bear hadn’t come along; there was always a goofy, dorky happy-to-be-here energy that I missed last night. I hope there is a renaissance of Abbott energy – I like the show, of course, but it’s not even about that. And I don’t think they were ‘robbed’ by The Bear any more than they were robbed by Hacks in the writing and Best Comedy categories. 

It’s just that I have to get used to the absence of Quinta and Sheryl Lee Ralph and Janelle James barely holding their giggles in long enough to participate in the scripted bit, you know?