‘Abbott Elementary’ Casts Khandi Alexander For Season 5

EXCLUSIVE: Khandi Alexander ( Scandal , Treme ) is returning to ABC with a recurring role in the network’s acclaimed comedy series Abbott Elementary . She will make her first appearance in the upcoming Wednesday, January 21 episode “Mall Part 3: Heroes,” airing at 8:30 p.m. PT/ET. Details regarding her role are under wraps. Produced by Warner Bros Television and 20th Television, Abbott Elementary follows the teachers at an underfunded public school in Philadelphia. The series is created by and stars Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, with Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, Janelle James as Ava Coleman, Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill, Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti, William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson and Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard. Abbott Elementary has been nominated for 30 Emmy Awards, with four wins under its belt for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Brunson (2023), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Ralph (2022), Outstanding Casting (2022) and Outstanding Writing on a Comedy Series for the pilot penned by Brunson (2022). Additional lead players nominated for acting Emmys include Williams and James. It has recently scored nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards, Golden Globes, GLAAD Awards and NAACP Image Awards. Watch on Deadline Brunson executive produces alongside Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker of Delicious Non-Sequitur Productions, Randall Einhorn and Brian Rubenstein. Alexander has an extensive catalog of credits across her years in Hollywood, including her Emmy-nominated performance as Maya Lewis in ABC’s Scandal . She was also nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award for her work in the HBO film Bessie , starring alongside Queen Latifah. Additional notable TV credits include David Simon’s Treme , as well as the CBS procedural CSI: Miami , on which she played Alexx Woods in 145 episodes. Additional film credits include There’s Something About Mary , MGM’s Dark Blue with Kurt Russell and Brendan Gleeson, as well as the Peter Berg film Patriots Day opposite Mark Wahlberg. Alexander is repped by Buchwald, Untitled Entertainment, and Greenberg Traurig.

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