The irresistible rise of Sabrina Brier, from TikTok to Abbott Elementary

When I stumbled upon Abbott Elementary on my journey, I was desperately looking for a TV series that was light, fast-paced, and wouldn't take up too much space in my brain. Little did I know, as I pressed play on Disney+, that I would encounter a squad of quirky, desperate, and heartfelt teachers to whom I would become very attached. The rest of the world confirmed my impression, propelling it to success. Now, on the brink of its fourth season and with over 30 awards won (both for writing and performances), it's considered one of the most successful comedy series of recent years. Surely, the formula is a contributing factor: the mockumentary comedy with fourth wall breaks, following a group of people doing the same job in an often very confined environment, with "confessional" moments where the protagonists recount their experience, tends to work: just think of The Office and Modern Family. It also takes a strong cast and solid writing, keeping up with the times. If you have all these characteristics (and it's not easy), success is assured, or nearly.

Abbott Elementary, a contemporary series

Not everyone knows, but this series comes from the mind of Quinta Brunson, actress, producer, and writer, who honed her skills in the ranks of Buzzfeed, also appearing in several viral videos. A person in tune with the times, who can grasp things before others, especially when it comes to social culture, memes, and virality. Perhaps this is also why Abbott Elementary works: because it exists in the present reality, fully, without necessarily depending on social movements but taking full advantage of the online world where Brunson grew up and which she can stage so well, even in a subtle and non-intrusive way. Their casting choices only confirm this theory. The next to join the gang? Sabrina Brier.

Sabrina Brier, TikTok star with a passion for acting

You know that blonde girl with blue eyes (usually wide open) who goes around New York shooting sketches on social media where she always impersonates some quirky friend, definitely very privileged (but unaware of it), spoiled, and egocentric, always with her hair blowing in the wind and wearing flowery or colorful dresses, leading a messy life and seeming to come out of a TV series written by Lena Dunham or from a particularly strange episode of Sex and The City? Her name is Sabrina Brier, born in 1994, and her character - lovable, hateable, or both at the same time - is one of the most famous and appreciated on TikTok, and has recently also arrived on Instagram and Twitter. Daughter of Susan Cinoman, a writer of comedic sketches and playwright, acting is clearly in her future, as well as in her blood. Abbott Elementary will surely be her entry ticket into the television world, but it's not her first experience: in 2023, she appeared in an episode of Command Z, a web series directed by Steven Soderbergh.

And now they meet

In short, it almost seems like the meeting between Sabrina Brier and Abbott Elementary was written in the stars. She and Quinta Brunson, after all, share passions, talent, and background. Sabrina will appear as a guest star in the third season of the series, which began on February 7th in the United States, and will later arrive in Italy as well. It seems that her role will be that of a teacher, presumably as lively and eccentric as her character. This news, which has been met with joy by the fans of the girl, only confirms two things: the overwhelming power of TikTok in deciding the fortunes and misfortunes of its protagonists and beyond, and the way in which entertainment is entertainment regardless of the platform, with streaming as the final consecration of a career that, in fact, began through video sketches. Sometimes this works too.