Abbott Elementary cast weighs in on future of the Janine-Gregory friendship in season 3

Season 3 of Abbott Elementary is all about personal growth.

Or, at least, that's how Janine (Quinta Brunson) is choosing to look at things. Season 2 ended with her and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) finally admitting their feelings for each other, only as Janine then realized that she needed to take some time to work on herself before embarking on a relationship with someone who she has such deep feelings for. They agreed to just be friends for now — but what does that look like in practice?

"Her choosing selfishness is not selfish," reflects Williams while sitting down with EW for an Around the Table with the cast of Abbott. "There is something to knowing where you are and what time you're at in your life."

Sheryl Lee Ralph, who plays Barbara, has other thoughts, however. "You think she knows where she is?" she interjects. But Brunson stands firm, replying, "She's not in control of where she is and it feels shaky, but I [think] she's aware of where she is."

Adds Williams: "There's something really mature about knowing I would only bring chaos into your life."

But Ralph is on the side of all the Janine and Gregory shippers, rooting for them to work out, even when they've pledged to just be friends. "I believe in those two," she says. "They're young, they're immature, but I still say if they would get into some relationship therapy, they might be a wonderful couple."

Chris Perfetti, who plays Jacob, a close friend to both Janine and Gregory, aligns with the views of his character. "These characters are just so important to him," he reflects. "He believes fully in what Janine is doing and the decision that she makes to step back. It feels really honest. He takes it a day at a time. He's really hoping that these people who are so important to him will end up together. But I don't think he would ever mettle."

Still, saying you will just be friends after acknowledging your feelings for each other and sticking to that are two very different things. Brunson promises it will get complicated, but she stresses how that was always part of the DNA of the show as she conceived of it.

Part of Janine's journey this year will also be work on herself, both externally and internally. Brunson teases that Janine's hair and make-up will be subtly different this year, particularly with a switch to a middle part.

"Something that I set out to do with this show was to show a real complication, but not world-ending complication, with these two young Black characters," she says. "Because it is important to us to show that it doesn't have to get nasty or that the world has to end. It doesn't have to get vindictive. I've had relationships in my life where it never became that way, and I wish that was more of the example, instead of things getting nasty."

Complications are the name of the game for season 3. Williams teases, "The first [season] was getting to know the characters. The second season was digging into their lives, and it feels like now we're going into what's complicated about their lives."

"The time off for the writers because of the strikes forced us into a more creative space," concludes Brunson. "I'm excited about some of the pairings we made this year. Stuff that people aren't going to expect. We got a little sillier."

Watch the video above for more. Abbott Elementary returns for a super-sized hour-long premiere at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Feb. 7 on ABC.

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