A Kitchen‑Studio Slice With Two of TV’s Funniest
One of the best sitcoms presently airing in real‑time on TV (yes, a network channel, not streaming), “Abbott Elementary”, may have just concluded its 5th season.
But the show’s creator and lead actress Quinta Brunson is joined by her funny‑man co‑star William Stanford Davis — aka Mr. Johnson — for some kitchen‑studio pizza for NYT Cooking’s “The Pizza Interview.”
From the jump, the duo slips into the same warm, chaotic chemistry that makes Abbott tick. They’re cracking jokes about mystery toppings — “Are these chicken nuggets meant to go on pizza?” — and debating whether certain ingredients should ever touch dough. Neither has made a pizza before, which only adds to the charm as they dust pans, stretch dough, and try not to tear anything in the process.
Stan compares the whole thing to “driving a car,” while Quinta calls the dough‑stretching an “extreme sport.” They swap stories about their early food‑service jobs — she once worked at Friendly’s, he washed dishes at a hotel restaurant and even did biscuits‑and‑gravy duty at a truck stop.
The conversation drifts into hometown food tours: Stan proudly reps St. Louis barbecue and its surprisingly great Chinese restaurants, while Quinta is ready to take him straight to a Philly hoagie spot, rattling off her go‑to order with precision: Turkey, cheese, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, mayo, lettuce, pickles.
They talk about food on Abbott Elementary too — how certain character quirks came from real‑life personalities, how Melissa’s love of cooking mirrors Lisa Ann Walter’s warmth, and how school lunches even shaped storylines this season.
As toppings pile up, they debate shrimp on pizza (both horrified), reminisce about boxed milk from elementary school, and declare themselves “Domino’s girlies.” Quinta gushes about Stan’s birthday dinner at the Chateau Marmont, calling him someone who brings “really good people together.”
By the time the pizzas come out of the oven, both are genuinely shocked at how good they look. “I feel so accomplished,” Quinta beams. They even joke about opening a pizza place together — Stan wants to call it “Stan’s,” while Quinta pitches “Q’s.”
It’s warm, funny, chaotic, and exactly the kind of slice‑of‑life moment fans love.
