English Teacher Review: Promising High School Comedy Needs Work

Evan Marquez, portrayed by Brian Jordan Alvarez in the new FX series “English Teacher,” showcases a departure from the comedian’s usual online personas. Known for his roles in “Special,” “Grace and Frankie,” and the “Will & Grace” reboot, Alvarez has amused fans with his quirky TikTok characters, featuring exaggerated face filters and larger-than-life personalities. In contrast, Evan Marquez is a high school English teacher in Austin, Texas, who resembles Alvarez in appearance and speech but is driven by a singular goal: to do a good job.

Marquez’s world is a nuanced one, filled with the trials of being a gay teacher in a southern school, navigating burnout, helicopter parents, and very online students. The show, created and often written and directed by Alvarez, excels when it explores multiple perspectives and subverts conventional sympathies. It’s particularly interesting when Evan’s character, usually perceived as the morally upright figure amid teenagers’ dramatic schemes, is shown to be both right and wrong.

Unlike “Abbott Elementary,” which has a more light-hearted take on public-school life, “English Teacher” delves into the fraught political battleground that education has become. Evan starts the series under scrutiny because a parent complained their child witnessed him kissing another man—his colleague and on-and-off boyfriend, Malcolm (Jordan Firstman). Evan rightly contends that the parent’s outrage stems from her son’s own sexuality. However, the exhausted Principal Moretti (Enrico Colantoni) must deal with the school board and skeptical parents, declaring in one episode, “hell hath no wrath like a concerned parent.”

Principal Moretti, much like the other quirky allies surrounding Evan, often steals the spotlight. Among these are Gwen (brilliantly played by Stephanie Koenig), a history teacher more invested in the school’s illicit “hot teacher” Discord than her academic duties; Rick (Carmen Christopher), a well-meaning but clueless guidance counselor; and Markie Hillridge (Sean Patton), a football coach insensitive yet endearing, who awkwardly but affectionately refers to Evan as “Fruit Loop.”

Markie’s character could easily have been a cliché, but the show’s writing team, which includes Alvarez, Koenig, Dave King, Jake Bender, and Zach Dunn, imbues him with depth. The fourth episode stands out, depicting an ideological clash between Evan and Markie over the coach’s “firearm safety” club. In another episode, both characters support a powderpuff performance, albeit for different reasons, showcasing the show’s knack for presenting the best and worst in its characters simultaneously.

The low stakes and character-driven humor recall HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere,” another poignant comedy set in the heartland. With episodes just over 20 minutes, “English Teacher” is a breeze to watch, offering moments of genuine humor, such as students submitting elaborate penis drawings in a mascot competition. Yet, the six episodes available for review often feel like a promising prototype rather than a fully realized series, leaving some plotlines undeveloped and scenes feeling incomplete.

There’s an intriguing but underexplored side to the characters’ lives outside school, including Gwen’s unemployed boyfriend and Evan’s complicated relationship with Malcolm. These glimpses, while tantalizing, fall short of creating a cohesive sense of place or deepening character development, even as the actors’ dialogue becomes more natural after a somewhat stiff first episode.

One significant challenge is that Alvarez, without his usual flamboyant persona, struggles to make Evan compelling as the central character. His portrayal comes off more strained than charming, leaving a void at the show’s core. Apart from his principled stance, dedication to fitness, and complicated love life, little else is revealed about him. Furthermore, other potential storylines, like Evan’s interest in fellow teacher Harry (Langston Kerman), vanish without explanation by the latter half of the season’s episodes.

Despite these issues, “English Teacher” strikes a delicate balance between wit, heart, and humor while addressing contemporaneous issues such as non-binary identities, book bans, and school board conflicts. For now, the show earns a passing grade and leaves room for growth, hinting at a bright future.

Source: FX