Binge or Cringe: English Teacher

Should you go back to school with English Teacher?

On Labor Day 2024, FX casually dropped the first two episodes of English Teacher, a high school workplace comedy about, you guessed it, an English teacher. The eight-episode series follows Evan Marques (show creator and star Brian Jordan Alvarez), a chronically late and overly principled Austin high school teacher. He’s also gay, which is simultaneously irrelevant and central to the story.

English Teacher’s late-summer holiday weekend release date and generically forgettable title suggest there’s probably not much to see here. Wrong. The series, while far from a ratings blockbuster on Monday nights (not a typical FX stronghold—good luck moving there this month, What We Do in the Shadows), scored high grades with critics and its small cable audience.

Now that the entire first season is available to stream on Hulu, should you binge (yes, watch it now) or cringe (nope, watch it never) English Teacher? We’ve done the homework—read on.

What English Teacher is about

As mentioned above, English Teacher chronicles the daily life of high school teacher Evan, a single gay man living in the blue bubble of Austin in the otherwise conservative state of Texas. He’s a staunch advocate for what Texans would label “woke” causes (except when it’s inconvenient), LGBTQ+ pride (except when it’s uncomfortable), and his students (even when they’re being impossible).

Alvarez plays Evan not as a Super Teacher but as a relatably flawed everyman who’s just trying to get by. His fellow teachers and friends, Gwen (Stephanie Koenig) and Markie (Sean Patton), help him get through the school day, and his boss, Principal Moretti (Enrico Colantoni), well, tolerates him.

Bubbly redhead Gwen is perturbed by her unemployed husband, who’s passing his free time by building a backyard pool (by hand, no less). Power-bearded Markie subverts the standard lunkheaded PE coach stereotype at every turn with unexpected insights and his unconditional support of Evan. Likewise, while exasperated with the trouble he occasionally stirs up, Principal Moretti always backs Evan when it counts.

Most episodes of English Teacher deal with a hot cultural topic (like a high school football tradition of boy players dressing in drag for laughs), but it’s usually the smaller side plots that strike comedy gold (like Gwen fretting over a secret student ranking of “hot” teachers). The series even handled an episode concerning school shootings with comic ease, which is impressive even in Texas.

What English Teacher will remind you of

The obvious corollary to English Teacher is ABC’s Abbott Elementary—some TV critics have nicknamed it Abbott High School. The show isn’t about the students but the teachers, whose comradery feels lived-in and familiar from the jump, like they’ve been friends for years before the cameras started rolling.

The teachers-first approach also has a TV history in past great comedies like A.P. Bio, Teachers, Vice Principals, Big School, and Bad Teacher. But, as with Abbott Elementary, English Teacher is a leap forward in grounded storytelling. Both keep it simple and pick their moral fights wisely (most of the time—Abbott still does this better).

Most importantly, English Teacher is fast and funny and doesn’t rely entirely on Alvarez to carry the show. If the series is picked up for another season (no word from FX yet), it’ll likely evolve into more of an ensemble showcase for the whole cast, who are more than up for it.

The best part of English Teacher

Enrico Colantoni, who you might remember from Veronica Mars and Just Shoot Me, is English Teacher’s seasoned comedy vet, which he shows by crushing every scene he’s in, sometimes with just a look. His perpetually irascible Principal Moretti is one of the most nuanced and sympathetic school heads ever portrayed on TV (not a high bar, but still).

The worst part of English Teacher

It’s not necessarily the “worst” part, but English Teacher features a wall-to-wall soundtrack of ’80s pop hits even though it’s set in current times. Upbeat? To the max. Distracting? Take a chill pill already.

Also, the show could do with waaay more Gwen and Markie, which will probably be remedied in a potential second season.

So, should you binge or cringe English Teacher?

Binge English Teacher. It’s easily one of the funniest comedies of the year, and all eight episodes are now available on Hulu. English Teacher‘s run on FX was respectable, but it’s a show built for streaming and binge-watching. For one thing, the progress of Gwen’s hubby’s DIY pool is more satisfying when it’s not stretched out over two months (you’ll see).