Our favorite TV principal is bringing her chaotic sass to a game show
Janelle James of Abbott Elementary will host a life-sized Jenga competition show this summer.
Principal Ava has a new gig. Actress Janelle James, one of the breakout stars of the hit ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, will be hosting a game show for the network this summer.
“Continuing my journey to prove I can do anything, I'll be hosting a GAME SHOW this summer on @ABCNetwork ! #thefinalstraw,” James wrote on Twitter announcing the news. The Final Straw, which will be produced by former NFL star Peyton Manning, will stage a kind of life-sized Jenga competition between four teams as they attempt to remove various items from a massive, precarious tower.
The new role capitalizes on what has been a big year for James. The actress and stand-up comedian plays one of the more memorable characters from Abbott Elementary as the self-interested, incompetent principal of the show’s titular Philadelphia public school. The sitcom, which just finished its first season, enjoyed one of the more successful debuts for a network sitcom in recent memory.
“I’m thrilled to be part of a series that is as silly and fun as I am,” James said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to this opportunity to grow my relationship with ABC with my second comedy project on the network.”
The Final Straw will premiere July 10 on ABC.
