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Calling Abbott Elementary ’s Mr. Johnson an enigma almost seems like a disservice. A gorgeous riddle that shape-shifted into a human? An international man of mystery? A gig-economy hero outranking Kirk from Gilmore Girls ? All are viable descriptors for the school’s custodial tsar, played by William Stanford Davis, who spends the majority of his days cleaning up after kids and dispelling wisdom to teachers like “my shiniest mop leaves the most grime in its wake.

” (If you’re lucky, you’ll receive his quarterly newsletter about the history of spring cleaning.) But in Abbott ’s season-three finale , the character comes down to earth for a moment, convincing Janine to open herself up to a romantic relationship with Gregory, even if it means working through a bit of professional discomfort to get there. This man knows what he’s talking about.



He has hundreds of bullet points on his résumé and thousands of stories to back them up. “Jobs come and jobs go. I’ve quit, been fired, and been replaced on a panel by Paula Adbul right before the show blew up,” Mr.

Johnson tells her. “But I don’t regret leaving them behind and living my life to the fullest.” That life has been a source of fascination for viewers since Abbott Elementary debuted in 2021.

While we’re still not privy to the full scope of Mr. Johnson’s exploits, the 72-year-old Davis, who was never offered a lead television role until now, has a few ideas. He just hopes his inscrutable bubble n.

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