FX Review: ‘English Teacher’ is a Winning Comedy about the Intersection of Modernity and Logic

The future our children have may be better than the past we’ve experienced if many liberal, open-minded values continue to take hold. The notion of broad inclusion and of recognizing people for who they are is a noble one, yet it’s also possible for certain sentiments to get carried away and lose all sense of reason. That’s the crux of FX’s new comedy series English Teacher, which follows one man who often feels like he’s the only one who can understand that what’s happening around him has gotten out of hand.

Evan (Brian Jordan Alvarez) is a teacher at a high school in Austin, Texas, where he finds that his students have moved quite ideologically far away from him. He’s first called in to the office of the principal, Grant (Enrico Colantoni), to rehash past misdeeds, as one mother is still upset about him kissing his boyfriend in front of students and potentially influencing her son, who is now at college and identifies as gay. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Evan has to contend with being told that he’s not sensitive to uncommon disorders, one of which he believes is totally made up and keeps changing names each time he asks about it, and other various excuses that make him wonder how it’s possible that no one else is speaking up about the madness he can clearly see.

It’s necessary for English Teacher to walk a fine line by still acknowledging that there are people who have been historically disadvantaged by the structure of society and remain that way as progressive circles gradually name conditions and markers to recognize them. The comedy comes in part from Evan’s certainty that he’s always right and his fellow teachers’ eagerness to go along with questionable indulgences, mainly because they benefit from them. An interesting example where Evan is so sure he has the moral backing is when he leads a protest of a gun club that starts at the school, in which students are trained to safely operate firearms, something that gym teacher Markie (Sean Patton) insists is the most responsible course of action in an evolving world in which guns are unfortunately going to be quite accessible.

While the students drive him crazy, it’s Evan’s relationships with his fellow faculty members that do make this show most worthwhile. Markie is typically an ally for Evan in his various causes but also comes at problems with a sports-focused approach that isn’t nearly as intellectual as Evan wishes it could be in almost every case. Gwen (Stephanie Koenig) is Evan’s best friend but is overwhelmed by her desire to be liked, whether it’s believing that her students wouldn’t possibly cheat or investigating why she ranks so low on a student-made list of hot teachers. The newest teacher, Harry (Langston Kerman), seems perfectly nice, but Evan’s determination not to get himself in trouble by being attracted to him just makes that dynamic doomed to fail from the start. Grant is the emblem of parental appeasement, always defaulting to whatever won’t get him fired and getting plenty of flak from a frustrated Evan each and every time.

Alvarez, who may be best known to audiences for his hilarious portrayal of Jack’s partner Estéfan in the revival of Will and Grace, is the creative force behind this show. Academic locations have been the settings for many series and films, and this one feels like an appropriately modern look at what might be happening in schools around the country today – at least from the perspective of the slightly older generation. This is a perfect show for people who grew up with a degree of evolved technology that still required much more effort than is needed today to meet the bare minimum expectation. It smartly engages with complicated notions that are sometimes freely digested without any processing, and manages to find humor in situations that might otherwise just seem fully absurd. As conceived and portrayed by Alvarez, Evan is an endearing protagonist who emphatically communicates how he feels like he’s the only sensible voice in the room but also still has something to learn every once in a while. Just as academia has changed over time, so has the sitcom, and this truly does feel like the sitcom of the moment.

Season Rating: 8/10

Awards Buzz: FX comedies with a dramatic underbelly like You’re the Worst and Married haven’t typically been awards magnets, but maybe Alvarez can change all that with this show. It’s likely to still fly under the radar, but could show up if the field isn’t all that crowded, allowing awards voters to spend some time realizing its potential.