‘English Teacher’ First Review: A Hilarious Portrait of the Modern Classroom | Arts

What does high school look like in a post-Covid world? FX’s new show “English Teacher” attempts to answer that question through its darkly hilarious portrait of a high school English teacher. The brainchild of Brian Jordan Alvarez, who created the series and stars Evan Marquez, “English Teacher” is delightfully cynical and frighteningly accurate.

Idealistic yet comically jaded, the difficult-to-understand protagonist finds himself in amusing situations that throw the professional, social, and romantic elements of his life into a mess. The show also focuses on the queer perspective as Evan encounters various scenarios related to his gay identity at a high school located in the suburbs of Austin, Texas – a “a liberal outpost in a more conservative state” that “creates many interesting dynamics” according to Álvarez.

The first episode shows Evan grappling with a parent’s complaint about a kiss shared with her former boyfriend in front of the class. From the beginning of the episode, the series immerses the viewer in Evan’s world, starting with a zoomed-in shot of his face and sparkling green eyes as he wakes up and dances through his morning routine on the tune of “Maniac”. The series’ cinematography is unique and colorful, with a supersaturated palette of blues, greens, and yellows that evoke the spirited spirit of high school and contrast with the sardonic tone and cynical self-awareness of the series.

Viewers who watch the first episode of the series will inevitably remember its predecessors. Like the classic workplace mockumentary “The Office,” the bureaucratically humorous “Parks and Recreation” and the witty, education-focused “Abbott Elementary,” “English Teacher” may seem to another reimagining of the workplace sitcom with topical humor and a dynamic protagonist. which sets the tone of the show.

While the series can certainly be seen as building on these foundations, it’s unfair to reduce “English Teacher” to just another iteration of this tried-and-true style – it seems bolder, edgier and a little rough around the edges. “English Teacher” has its heartwarming moments, but the jokes are darker and the humor more biting, with the satirical elements highlighting the absurdities of Evan’s experiences at a Gen Z high school.

The series is also not filmed as a mockumentary, but instead features close-ups of characters that effectively immerse viewers in their thoughts and feelings. Viewers will enjoy Alvarez’s hilarious expressions of disbelief or embarrassment as his eyes widen in shock or roll in embarrassment on the screen. Stephanie Koenig gives a hilariously standout performance as Evan’s best friend and bubbly fellow teacher, Gwen Sanders, while the appearance of dreamy physics professor and potential love interest Harry (Langston Kerman) is teased in a few quick scenes and tempting.

“English Teacher” is very character-driven, and even though some of the eclectic cast seems cartoonish at times, the first episode still manages to flesh out a few of its characters, like the gruff and conservative gym teacher Markie Hillridge (Sean Patton) who ultimately watches over Evan at the end of the episode in a surprisingly heartwarming twist.

As the episode’s conclusion resolves the conflict, Evan is saved from the investigation and yet emerges from the experience with a dose of the real world. The end of the episode juxtaposes Evan’s idealism with his exasperation with the way things are actually going, while showing that the world may be a good place after all.

“English Teacher” is also downright hilarious, with witty passages that poke fun at all the absurdities of the Gen-Z experience. In the first episode, high school students watch “AI porn of Oscar Wilde having sex with women” – “He was gay!” Evan exclaims – parents complain about “The Great Gatsby” because of its “obscene content,” and Evan and Gwen lament that this year’s kids “don’t want to be woken up anymore” and “do the tour”.

With fast-paced dialogue that can sometimes seem breathless, the series is full of punchy lines – like when school principal Grant Moretti (Enrico Colantoni) tells Evan that he can “you know, make a short film with your friends” if he resigns – which the viewer might miss on a first viewing. The series also isn’t afraid to veer into hilarious situational humor, like when Evan is forced to explain the concept of gender fluidity to gym class.

Although “English Teacher” is Alvarez’s first major debut, he has been writing and producing sketch comedy for a decade, gaining recognition and praise for works like his web series “The Gay and Wonderful Life of Caleb Gallo” where Koenig also plays the bubbly, effervescent companion to Alvarez’s character. Alvarez’s signature brand of smart, rapid-fire dialogue and biting, shocking humor that seems appropriate for the times is clearly present in “English Teacher,” although it is slightly more tone-deaf than some of his sketches wildest online.

The first episode of “English Teacher” is hilarious, relevant and not afraid to make more daring jokes that poke fun at the current state of the world. With five episodes already released and three more to come, viewers should be ready to gasp, cringe, and laugh out loud at this refreshing classroom comedy.

—Editor Arielle C. Frommer can be reached at [email protected].