‘Abbott Elementary’s Chris Perfetti Teases Character’s Backstory: “We Get To Meet Some Of The People That Make Jacob The Way He Is”

Rest assured, Abbott Elementary fans: Viewers will soon be clued into why Chris Perfetti‘s overly enthusiastic yet lovable teacher Jacob is the way he is.

According to the star, who recently spoke to People in a new interview, the beloved ABC mockumentary will introduce new characters and further backstory in the latter half of Season 5 to shed some light on Jacob’s origins.

“We get to meet some of the people that make Jacob the way he is, and I’m so thrilled by that,” he told the mag.

Adding of his character’s lore, he said: “And yeah, I think we’re exploring this idea that Jacob, seeing what happens when Jacob gets what he wants. And I would be excited to play around with that next year.”

In previous seasons, the show explored Jacob’s personal life via his relationship with ex-boyfriend Zach (Larry Owens) and relocation to Melissa’s (Lisa Ann Walter) spare bedroom. In Season 4, the show introduced Jacob’s charismatic younger brother Caleb (Tyler Tomás Perez), whom he at times feels overshadowed by.

Though the Quinta Brunson-created show is awaiting its sixth season renewal, Perfetti said he is “so blessed. I feel like as soon as I have a good idea for Jacob, [the writers] have a better one. We get to do some really cool stuff in the second half of Season 5.”

In a recent interview with Deadline, co-showrunner Justin Halpern noted the writers’ room has already been ruminating on the “basic building blocks of what a Season 6 might look like.”

Patrick Schumaker, who also showruns, added: “We’re still breaking the last three episodes of Season 5, when we come back from the holiday. But, there’s some big milestones planned that will clearly set up a dynamic in Season 6.”

Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC, with next-day streaming on Hulu.