Ahead of the new season of “Abbott Elementary,” creator, showrunner, and star Quinta Brunson and hair department head Moira Frazier are reflecting on how the show uses hairstyles to support character growth while keeping each role instantly recognizable. Brunson said the team works carefully to show the passage of time without making the characters look unrecognizable from season to season. She emphasized that viewers should still be able to identify each character by silhouette, including hair, while Frazier makes subtle changes and updates that fit the story.
Frazier begins each season by creating mood boards for every character, giving Brunson a chance to approve or reject the ideas early in the process. Brunson said their collaboration often happens in Moira’s chair while Brunson gets her own hair done, turning those morning routines into planning sessions for the show’s looks. This season, Janine’s style stayed mostly consistent because her character is in a relationship, which Frazier said helped justify keeping her curls and hair pattern steady. Brunson added that Janine’s ponytail in one episode was meant to signal a different, more “going out” version of her teacher look.
The pair also looked back at several standout Season 5 looks. For Barbara’s wet picture day scene, Frazier used a wig with a wave pattern and a gel-water mixture to create the appearance of freshly wet hair without allowing the style to change too much across multiple takes. Brunson noted that because the show films scenes out of order, the hair department must keep track of how wet the look should appear at every point in the episode.
Ava’s Halloween costume presented another technical challenge. The episode was filmed outdoors during a camping trip, and Ava’s Darth Maul-inspired look required a wig that matched her character while also fitting over a horned mask. Frazier said the team ended up making two separate wigs to achieve both the correct character appearance and the mask coverage. Brunson also said the makeup team chose not to paint Janelle James’ face, making the wig work even more important.
Melissa’s April O’Neil costume was designed to feel recognizable but imperfect, in keeping with the idea that not every Abbott character is great at Halloween costumes. Brunson said the look had to feel like a makeshift costume rather than something polished, and Frazier deconstructed and teased the hair to make it work. Gregory’s Ryan Coogler-inspired costume also relied on careful choices, including a braided wig and a mustache that looked intentionally store-bought rather than natural.
For Melissa’s ’80s look, the team leaned into volume and crimping to create a bigger hairstyle without pushing it into parody. Brunson and Frazier said the goal was to reflect the era while staying true to Melissa’s existing curly hair. Meanwhile, Ava’s mall look was one of Frazier’s favorites because it reflected a calmer, more settled version of the character in her new relationship. Brunson said Ava continues to have the most hairstyle variety on the show, but every look still needs to feel unmistakably like Ava.
