Abbott Elementary is new tonight, and somehow the Oscars starting late did not delay Abbott

When ABC announced that a new Abbott Elementary would be airing after the 96th Annual Oscars, we were immediately met with a wave of mixed reactions.

We love that ABC continues to bet big on its hit comedy by rewarding it with the post-Oscars timeslot; however, we also know the Oscars have a tendency to run long which meant that there was a really good chance Abbott wouldn't be beginning at the time ABC promised fans it would air.

We thought Abbott would begin late after the Oscars was delayed, but somehow the show managed to avoid a late start.

The Oscars started late due to traffic delayed caused by a protest

The Oscars were expected to begin promptly at 7 p.m. ET following ABC's red carpet coverage. Instead of the red carpet team throwing right to host Jimmy Kimmel, the show went to commercial and the actual Oscars did not start until a few minutes after 7 p.m. which created a lot of confusion among fans.

Well, as we would come to find out after the awards finally kicked off, the cause of the delay was due to a traffic jam in L.A. which prevented many of the night's guests from making it to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. According to Variety, pro-Palestinian protestors shut down a section of L.A.’s Sunset Boulevard which created what was described as "a traffic nightmare" that left many "running to their seats."

As the producers worked to fill empty seats, the Oscars started out the gate running five minutes behind schedule which might not seem like much in the grand scheme of things. The Oscars are known for running behind when they start on time let alone when they start late so the fear was that Abbott Elementary would begin late.

When is Abbott Elementary on tonight?

ABC originally noted that Abbott Elementary would be airing directly after the Oscars beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET and in a shocking twist, the episode actually started on time!

The Oscars are known for running long and we anticipated this year's Oscars would be no different. On average, the Oscars tend to run about 15-20 minutes long (sometimes longer). Given the Oscars began late, we imagined the show would run at least 15 minutes over possibly even longer.

Surprisingly, despite the Oscars starting late, they actually ended on time which allowed Abbott Elementary to kick off its post-Oscar episode on time at 10:30 p.m. ET!

If you're not a late night person, the good news is you can stream the new episode on Hulu beginning on March 11!