It’s been a strange, sparse year for TV, as the short-term impact of 2023’s Hollywood strikes compounds the effects of a contraction within the streaming industry that was already well underway when actors and writers hit the picket lines. The fallout has ranged from delayed seasons of hit shows like The Last of Us and Severance to the abrupt cancellation of beloved series. From This Fool and Rap Sh!t to Our Flag Means Death and Minx, sitcoms—notably, acclaimed ones that featured diverse casts and explored progressive themes—were hit especially hard. And so far, in 2024, there’s been a dearth of new comedies to replace them.
Enter FX’s English Teacher, premiering Sept. 2. Created by and starring the actor, comedian, and viral bard of sitting Brian Jordan Alvarez, it isn’t a dramedy or an action comedy or adult animation but a genuine sitcom set at a high school in the suburbs of Austin, Texas. While comedy series tend to take a season or two to find a rhythm—and this one certainly has room for improvement—English Teacher radiates confidence from the very beginning, striking a savvy balance between funny character beats and timely observations from the increasingly politicized realm of public education. It is easily the year’s best new sitcom to date. More importantly, it’s a must-watch for anyone who yearns for television that elicits actual, audible laughs.
Alvarez anchors the show’s compact ensemble as Evan Marquez, the eponymous young English teacher determined to make a difference in the lives of his students at Morrison-Hensley High. One obstacle in his path is, well, those same students. Evan and his best friend and fellow teacher Gwen (Stephanie Koenig) note in the premiere that the kids are suddenly less “woke”; now they demand, for instance, to be taught “both sides” of the Spanish Inquisition, and it’s impossible to tell when they’re being ironic. A generation gap…
