You could not pay me to be fifteen or seventeen years old again, but some people are passionate enough to teach the youth of America. Teachers are rightfully heralded for how they guide kids in their most tumultuous times, but Brian Jordan Alvarez’s sublimely funny new series, English Teacher, delves into the life of an educator who is constantly surprised by the behavior of not just his students but the administration he is a part of. It doesn’t matter if you fell in love with Alvarez from The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, Will & Grace, or in smaller roles like in M3gan or Special. His work always fuses a wry sensibility with an aspirational intelligence that keeps you wanting more. English Teacher is his sharpest, most assured work to date.
You would think that, in 2024, that we are beyond the times when a parent would call the school board to say they are concerned that a gay or queer teacher kissed their partner in front of their child. Because we are barraged with the unfortunate news of how said gay and trans people are treated in this country–yes, in 2024–it may not be surprise some viewers that a bigoted parent goes after Alvarez’s Evan Marquez for doing just that when the first episode opens. The beleagured principal, played by an exquisitely over it Enrico Colantini, expects Evan to write a letter of apology just to make the whole ordeal disappear.
Evan receives frustrations from all angles. His boyfriend, Malcolm (Jordan Firstman), is dependable for a hook up to alleviate Evan’s ire, but then that ire is compounded further when Malcolm just assumes they are together in some capacity. Sean Patton’s Markie, the gym teacher, makes Coach Carr from Mean Girls look like Don Shula and is constantly spouting offensive comments and gets away with it with his “it’s no big deal” attitude. Even the kids seem to have gone so woke that they have looped back around again. “I’m having kids showing me AI images of Oscar Wilde having sex with women–he was gay!” Evan complains to Stephanie Koenig’s Gwen.
With each episode, Mark combats something new at his Austin school whether it be Mark starting a firearms safety club or his attraction to the new, hunky physics teacher (hello, Langston Kerman). The laughs come fast and furiously, but even though Alvarez’s creation is savagely funny, it’s profound in how it displays how we learn differently from generation to generation as well as from one line of authority to the other. Evan holds space for an after-school book club (which never stays on topic), but it gives Evan an allowance to take in something from his young wards or lets us rolls our eyes with him. Evan will never be the type of queer person to roll over and take abuse from anyone, but he is also self-conscious in some of his participation. It’s such a refreshing point of view while being sly, slick, and hilarious as it skewers teachable moments from kids and teachers alike.
Alvarez is charming as always but when Evan gets frustrated, his flailing is even more pointed and loose. Koenig delights a smiley, naughty twinkle in her eye. I could watch these two play gin rummy and find myself laughing.
The commonly used phrase when considering young minds hints about them being the light towards our future. This time, though, the teaching doesn’t have to be solely a noble act. We can certainly teach as we try to figure things out ourselves.
English Teachers debuts on FX on September 2 with episodes appearing on Hulu the following day.
