“English Teacher” is an American sitcom created by Brian Jordan Alvarez, who stars as high-school English teacher Evan Marquez. The show premiered on Sept. 2 on FX and is composed of eight episodes, each around 20 minutes long.
Similar to fan-favorite “Abbott Elementary,” the show plays off the dynamics of working in the public-school system, only this time taking place in the political atmosphere of an Austin suburb. It does not shy away from topics that dominate political headlines such as gun-safety, LGBTQ+ acceptance and school curriculums.
Alvarez’s character is extremely well-intended but struggles everyday to leave with his morals intact and shirts unstained. In fact, in the opening scene of the premiere, Evan, running late for work, jams an oversized coffee cup into his car cup holder and ultimately spills the coffee over everything.
His fellow educators are just as fleshed-out, including Principal Moretti (Enrico Colantoni) who with several decades of experience is simply “over it” , as well as gym teacher Markie Hillridge (Sean Patton), who is a refreshingly affable portrayal of his self-proclaimed “alpha male” role.
My personal favorite episode was S1E2 “Powder Puff.” When the school’s annual powder puff event is criticized as offensive, Marquez enlists a friend (played by Trixie Mattell from “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) to teach the players proper drag. All the while history teacher Gwen (Stephanie Koenig) turns the girls’ scrimmage into a lesson on self-defense.
“English Teacher” is capable of taking surprising twists, but never turns them into overbearing Big Teachable Moments or cheap jabs at young liberals. It is just not that kind of show. It does not rely on this kind of commentary for laughs, but gets them simply for how real the portrayal truly is.
My only gripe with the show is its brevity but “English Teacher” feels built to last and hopefully will soon receive the standard 22-episode season it deserves.