A Queer English Teacher Reviews “English Teachers”

As the first trailer for English teacher I was intrigued by the idea of ​​a sitcom about a gay high school English teacher in a liberal bubble in a conservative state. After spending the last 12 years as a queer English teacher in public and private schools in South Florida, I have often encountered absurd situations that would make great sitcom material. But when I watched the first episode of English teacherI wasn't as addicted as I thought or wanted to be. Why did something that was supposed to be so understandable fail?

The show itself has all the makings of a perfectly executed workplace comedy set in a school. We have the makeshift group of colleagues and friends: gay English teacher Evan Marquez (Brian Jordan Alvarez); his best friend, straight history teacher Gwen Sanders (Alvarez's frequent collaborator Stephanie Koenig); the possibly libertarian gym teacher Markie Hillridge (Sean Patton); clueless college counselor Rick (Carmen Christopher); and the lovable but extremely cowardly and somewhat burnt-out director Grant Morretti (Enrico Colantoni). There's also Malcolm (Jordan Firstman), the former teacher and Evan's ex-boyfriend-turned-boyfriend, and a new, gay teacher at the school to whom Evan is immediately attracted: Harry (Langston Kerman). And then of course there are a whole bunch of young people who play the students and switch between episodes whenever it's important to the plot.

The majority of the series' attention is on the adults' experiences, showing how Evan, Gwen, Markie, and even Rick and Grant struggle to navigate their jobs in a difficult and rapidly changing educational landscape where “the kids are just different now are”. .” Special attention is paid to Evan's professional and personal life, which always seems to be a little chaotic, no matter how hard he tries to prevent it. Together, the five of them have to struggle with the cell phone addiction of their Generation Z students. The children are no longer “bright” but are “coming back for what they were against” and their parents bark at them about changing grades and the general bureaucracy of being teachers in the public school system.

In the first episode we are introduced straight into a story about a rich and influential parent trying to get Evan fired from school because he is “gay” (something I have actually experienced myself). In the sixth part, this parent (Jenn Lyon) comes back and angrily demands that Evan do something about the fact that all of his students got bad grades during the midterm Red badge of courage Essays. The third episode highlights the ways teenagers manipulate language to gain sympathy and get what they want from the people around them, including Evan and Markie. And the fourth brings Evan and Markie into conflict when Evan leads a group of kids to protest Markie's recently revived gun safety program because Evan believes it would encourage school shootings. Like most sitcoms, English teacher clarifies the tension of these situations at the end of each 22-minute episode, and each new one begins with a different set of problems to solve.

All of Evan and the rest of the crew's triumphs and missteps are fueled by a barrage of witty jokes and humorous observations. It's easy to see that Alvarez and the rest of the writers don't take themselves or their characters too seriously because so much of the show's writing feels extremely self-aware. None of the characters or their personalities are free from a bit of skewering – everyone's politics, their intentions, and the actions of both are gently and explicitly mocked at some point. And there is no lack of nuance either. Characters who would normally be relegated to some kind of stereotype, such as Markie, often do and say surprisingly insightful and thoughtful things that help snap Evan and Gwen out of their neoliberal, millennial “idealism” and myopia. They also signal to the viewer that not everything is as it seems on the outside and that there are no perfect solutions to some problems.

But the jokes just never hit like they should. The humor or observations made in most episodes are hardly as original or refreshing as most of Alvarez's other material, making it seem like the show's creators were crazy about keeping the series “current.” , without thinking too much about what actually makes us laugh. The truly hilarious parts — like a subplot in the fourth episode about a ranking of the “hottest” teachers in which Gwen is at the bottom — are pushed aside so Alvarez and the crew can weigh in on the “big issues.” of the day and the result makes the ending of most episodes seem flat. I understand the desire to capture as much of the language and gestures of our strange (and usually terrible) zeitgeist as possible, but here it largely results in toothless comedic choices just waiting to be sharpened.

Despite these problems, I will say English teacher does a lot right in these short episodes. Education has changed drastically in the last decade. Especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, these children are really “just different now.” They are more difficult to teach, especially in places where the curriculum does not reflect the times in which we live. Many of their parents are a constant burden when it comes to the sense of responsibility, accountability and general enjoyment of learning and critical thinking that teachers try to instill. Furthermore, teaching is one of the most important professions, but also an extremely thankless profession that relies on the altruism of its participants to be truly successful. Teachers are overworked and underpaid, and children—through no fault of their own—typically don't respect educators' positions enough to recognize how hard they work. English teacher is effective at highlighting these issues, even if they are rarely addressed in a way that feels truly meaningful.

As with students everywhere under the tutelage of educators, there is much more room for English teachers to grow. Right now I'm giving it a C.

The season finale of English teacher airs October 15th at 10pm EST on FX and streams the next day on Hulu.

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