Kids today sometimes seem like they’re speaking an entirely different language. The immediate availability of technology and access to information has radically changed the way education works. Many choose simply to go with the flow and adapt to the new normal, but there are those who insist – not wrongly – that there is a reason things were done a specific way, and no technological or cultural shifts should change that. That’s the best possible description of the protagonist of English Teacher, who returns in season two to continue fighting for common sense to prevail, even if everyone is against him.
Evan (Brian Jordan Alvarez) isn’t one to let things go, making a big deal about everything, even if it’s just because he feels like someone needs to stick up for sanity. That makes him a perpetual thorn in the side of Principal Grant Moretti (Enrico Colantoni) and his new deputy, guidance counselor Rick (Carmen Christopher), who may or may not have given himself more power than Grant has realized. Evan charges ahead as he balances his renewed relationship with Malcolm (Jordan Firstman) and leans on his two best friends at school, fellow teacher Gwen (Stephanie Koenig) and gym teacher Markie (Sean Patton), for support in his ill-advised quests to have the last word and prevent a descent into madness.
There is no shortage of inspiration for the storylines this show tackles, and season two feels more pointed and deliberate than season one in terms of how it introduces a particular problem for each episode that is mostly resolved by its end. Evan’s mom visiting and driving him crazy, a “smart” trash can being installed at the school, and Evan learning that he may have been a DEI hire are examples, which are more quickly introduced and then forgotten than in the past. While recurring threads can be nice, there’s also something worthwhile about a more specific focus that sticks with just one major issue or theme before moving fully onto the next.
The teacher dynamics continue to be the best reason to watch this show, even if the students are the ones who make them want to pull their hair out and try a different profession. Gwen’s desire to be liked manifests in a humorous way when she’s convinced that a new student trend is actually something malicious, but she’s funniest when she meets the girlfriend Markie hasn’t told anyone about at a party and finds her to be too comfortable with a person she barely knows. Markie’s status as a right-wing conspiracy theorist comes up numerous times in quick, witty asides, yet he still feels believable even if he’s all too eager to consume brain-melting media. Grant is still hanging on by a thread, barely managing to keep the adults he has to supervise in line so that he can focus on the kids.
Ultimately, this show’s success – and appeal – comes down to its star and creator. Alvarez never allows Evan to be the quietest one in the room, but that’s a good thing, since otherwise audiences might be throwing things at their screen, wishing someone would speak up and not allow absurdities to be spewed unchecked. But Evan remains a flawed character who almost always takes the bait and refuses to back down even after he’s been proven wrong, and that makes watching him fun and unpredictable. This is a show that’s easy to access and enjoy, not much of a commitment for each of its roughly twenty-minute episodes, going just far enough to highlight some of the craziness that is being an adult today but stopping short of diving off the deep end into full-fledged ridiculousness.
Season Rating: 8/10
