‘Abbott Elementary’s Showrunners Knew Josh Segarra Was The Perfect Manny: “We Wanted Someone Who Felt Very Warm, But Also A Little Suspect”

School is officially back in session thanks to Abbott Elementary‘s highly-anticipated return, but as fans quickly learned in the Emmy-winning comedy’s supersized Season 3 premiere, things at Abbott look a lot different this year.

Janine (Quinta Brunson) took a temporary leave from teaching second grade and accepted a prestigious fellowship offered by the Philadelphia school district. When Season 3 opens, she’s working alongside three fresh faces — Simon (Benjamin Norris), Emily (Kimia Behpoornia), and Manny (Josh Segarra) — to make her ambitious ideas for improving the school a reality.

Casting the talented Norris (one of Never Have I Ever‘s finest) and Behpoornia (a comedian from Max’s critically-acclaimed series Hacks) as two district representatives/school ambassadors was a wise move. However, the standout premiere performance from the trio was undoubtedly Segarra, who transformed from a himbo with a heart of gold in The Other Two and The Big Door Prize to a highly capable, seemingly genuine advocate for Abbott, its staff and students, and Janine. (Don’t let us down, Manny!)

For Abbott Elementary showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker, casting Segarra against his typical comedy type was a no-brainer. “I think for us, we wanted someone who felt very warm, but also a little suspect,” Halpern told Decider in a Zoom call. “In that opening we needed Janine to be a little bit weary of the school district. The district has been our big boogeyman for the first two seasons of the show.”

Since performing in church Christmas plays a kid, Segarra has starred in everything from Broadway productions, RuPaul’s AJ and the Queen, and Dolly Parton’s holiday musical Christmas on the Square to DC’s Arrow, Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Scream VI. He may be best known for singular, scene-stealing roles like The Other Two‘s Lance Arroyo, but Abbott spotlight’s Segarra’s range by challenging him to play Manny straight, keep him up upbeat, and make him feel genuine all at once.

“The dude can act. He is a really good actor,” Halpern told Decider. “I think it was really important for us to have somebody who could nail both parts of that and Josh can do it. And there weren’t a lot of people we felt could. So I think that that’s the trick to that character — we’re not totally sure if he is the classic district all talk bullshit artist or he actually means what he’s saying.”

In Abbott‘s Season 3 premiere, Segarra is introduced as a suspiciously eager man in power who pledges to do better than the disastrous administration before him. He comes equipped with iPads and smart boards, heaps of praise for Abbott’s educators, and a zealous hope for the future, but when staffers struggle to believe his intentions are pure, he displays refreshing levels of awareness, persistence, and vulnerability. As a clean-shaven, soft-spoken character with impeccable taste in sweaters, Segarra and his contagious eye-crinkling smiles bring an air of authenticity to Manny. He dials up the charm through tonal shifts, facial expressions, and in high-spirited scenes, and he cultivates Lance’s perpetual sense of wonder without sacrificing maturity or wits.

From sharing what brought him to the school district to flexing his knowledge of Chalkbeat and Abbott’s teachers, Manny makes one hell of an impression in the premiere, thanks in large part to Segarra’s suave, gentle demeanor. If you’d have told me I’d be shipping Janine with someone other than Gregory a single episode into Season 3, I’d have pulled a Season 1 Ava, laughed in your face, then asked for a chair so I could laugh myself off it. But dare I say the initial chemistry between Segarra and Brunson feels like a game-changer, and though Halpern is staying tight-lipped on a potential Manny and Janine romance, he didn’t shut the suggestion down either.

“I would say you’ve got to watch. I can’t spoil anything,” Halpert said after we shared a laugh over the possibility of another swoonworthy Abbott ship. (Sorry, Gregory!)

Whether Manny and Janine take their relationship to the next level or he solely serves as a representative of the school district, getting cast in Abbott Elementary — a series so popular that stars are begging to make guest appearances —  is a major career achievement for Segarra. The role further proves he can shine in and enhance comedies without playing the butt of the jokes, and it brings him one step closer to unlocking that “superstar potential.”

New episodes of Abbott Elementary Season 3 premiere Wednesdays on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.