‘English Teacher’: FX’s Winning Sitcom Brings Rambunctious Energy to Our Culture Wars

Alci Rengifo

In the future, depending on where society goes, viewers who discover FX’s “English Teacher” might be baffled at how any of it could have been inspired by actual headlines. It is a light and very entertaining sitcom based on our ongoing culture wars and their impact on the public school system. States like Texas are turning their campuses into ideological battlegrounds. Anything from books to gym class can spark a standoff over sexuality, religion or politics. “English Teacher” takes the teacher’s point of view to rambunctiously make fun of our social predicaments while, at times, finding some empathy for both sides of the aisle. 

Evan Marquez (Brian Jordan Alvarez, also this show’s creator) is a half-Colombian high school English teacher in Austin, Texas. He is also openly gay. The current climate slaps him hard when Principal Grant Moretti (Enrico Colantoni) informs Evan that the wealthy mother of one of his students has reported him for kissing his boyfriend in front of classmates. Moretti admits it’s unfair but these are the times everyone is living in. Evan’s co-workers lend support but are a quirky bunch as well. Gwen (Stephanie Koenig) is a history teacher dealing with an unemployed boyfriend at home. Gym coach Markie (Sean Patton) claims to be a libertarian and crushes on Gwen. Rick (Carmen Christopher) is a guidance counselor but hungers for bigger recognition, even if that means attempting to design a new school mascot. When the school settles on an agreement where Evan can’t date any co-workers, life makes it hard with the arrival of handsome and gay new physics teacher Harry (Langston Kerman).

Brian Jordan Alvarez’s creation carries on as a deceptively breezy good time that hides some hard-hitting commentary. By making its characters likable and welcoming, it then safely unleashes upfront social critiques of how conservative culture is affecting schools. Adolescence is already a crucible, now the kids have to also deal with surreal ideological battles. The writing is also not necessarily preachy because it grapples with how our overcrowded label wagon is making the pursuit of fairness even trickier. When a student recommends Evan use his Latino background as a defense over the whole kissing scandal, another student claims it won’t work because he talks “like a straight white guy.” Becca (Savanna Gann), one of the popular girls, basically invents a health condition to deal with typical falling outs within a friends group. 

Other debates are more general and familiar. Markie tries to start a club to teach students target practice (this is Texas, after all), which sets off Evan’s anti-gun sentiments. Soon enough, they have farcical dueling protests in the school hallway. Evan also deals with being automatically tapped with dealing with any non-straight issues, such as explaining to the students what nonbinary means. “English Teacher” never gets too intense or mean-spirited about these subjects. It is a full-on sitcom that in the ‘90s would have been a groundbreaking release on a network such as NBC. Issues like the student LGBTQ+ club protesting against a tradition where the football team performs in drag get resolved nicely when Evan brings in a friend and drag performer (Trixie Mattel) to teach the players how drag can be fun and empowering. 

The students are well-written throughout the season as smart, naïve, snappy and cheerfully provocative, like real teenagers. Yet, Alvarez keeps the primary focus on the adults. This works very well because we get enough of a sense of their private lives. Outside of school, Evan deals with his own insecurities and issues regarding commitment. His ex, Malcolm (Jordan Firstman), who was a dance teacher at the school before quitting, functions like a stark mirror who tells him the truth. During a school camping trip, Evan is sincerely hurt when he finds out the teachers hung out without him to help Gwen’s boyfriend build a swimming pool. She has to be honest and say it is because everyone knows Evan hates helping with any physical labor. Other characters are written to confirm our suspicions as teens, that some of the adults were always just plain weird. A chaperone on the camping trip gets obsessively paranoid over sex “games” the students might play, including “stoneface” (look it up). Meanwhile, poor Markie thinks he has a shot with Gwen since she is dating such a loser. She seems pretty aloof to any potential attraction.

Like all good sitcoms, “English Teacher” knows when to leave just enough room for a bit more depth. This first season has such a memorable moment when Evan meets the mother trying to have him investigated, initiating an honest conversation about her own fears and realizing her son was gay all along. She just wanted to blame Evan as a convenient target for her son coming out. In his own private life, Evan continuously hooks up with Malcolm out of some need he can’t, or doesn’t want to, define. Around all this the material peppers in some good, easy teacher laughs about students trying to use AI on their essays, or Evan disturbed by how obsessed with their students’ intrigues his colleagues can get. “English Teacher” is not one of the high-end, Peak TV productions FX tries to make every year. Instead, it is enjoyable and effective by harkening back to a simple form of television comedy. Because of that, its messaging might even hit home with a stronger clarity.

“English Teacher” premieres Sept. 2 and airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.