English Teacher

Nailed it. Haha. So I wasn't impressed with the promos, but this is a clever satire of teaching at high school in 2024. This isn't for everyone, but they hit the multifaceted influences of politics on education and every changing Zoomer / Alpha generation. The obsession with phones and recording teachers is real. The high schoolers saying they feel targeted, bullied, and triggered while exchanging insults is spot on. The teachers are obvious caricatures of very familiar teacher stereotypes. The only thing not believable is how small the football stadium is at a high school in Texas, and the students look like they're in their early 20s. If you like silly sitcoms that are spoofs of teaching high school, you'll like this. If you don't like it, then don't watch it.

Instead of the stale sitcom premise constantly offered up by most of the major networks, this is a fresh take on school life in the early to mid 2000's, much in the same vein as Abbott Elementary. Kudos to FX for tackling important issues head on, and presenting it in a real, palatable light.

This show has started off showing real grit and common sense on telling its story. Not shying away from the very real issues that are common place in an ever changing world. Nor are they playing to the hackish stereotypes of the LGBTQIA community, teachers or students.

The writing is smart, the storylines solid, the characters are believable and relatable. Really hope FX gives this show the legs to really run.

Am reviewing after only one episode, but based on that, would offer a cautious recommendation. The actors do a commendable job, and the writers nail the myriad issues in today's cultural/political environment that high school students, their parents, and the teachers have to navigate in today's overheated times. In doing so, there are a handful of laughs intermixed with some more poignant moments, and those make for entertaining viewing. But the overall tone tends to run a bit shrill and overplayed which diminishes the impact. Worth giving a look but at least so far not the succeess one might hope for.

Glee this ain't. And that's a good thing. Nails the highs and lows of trying to get by and teach in a public school in today's environment. The comedy is heightened, at times verging on full on satire. The lead character, the English teacher, is gay, so of course there's going to be some focus on lgbt+ issues with him and in the high school itself. But the show enjoys making light of both extremes in our polarized society, left and right. If lgbt+ is all it takes for you to not want to give this, or any show a shot, then I suppose it's not for you. And by that same token, good luck in life if that's all it takes. But for others, I hope you'll give it a try, especially the second episode. The episode seems to be playing out somewhat like a feel good cliché movie, and then there's a hilarious reveal.

Also, somebody commented that they thought this was going to be a wholesome workplace comedy. First off it's on FX. Do you not know what their brand is? And it's a TV MA show. Do your homework. Silly criticism. It's FX - which tends to mean it's daring and groundbreaking in some way. There's some mild swearing and adult content. Move on.

The pilot of this new series comes out of the gate fast and strong. The writing is tight, sharp and witty. It handles (and skewers) a lot of timely topics and political correctness without being preachy or heavy handed. It's one of the stronger starts to a comedy series I've seen in a decade. If somewhat R-rated comedy offends you, I'd recommend skipping this. If a gay man as a lead character makes you angry or uncomfortable, also skip it (and maybe do some self reflection on that).

The handful of negative reviews either seem upset that the gay lead character has a love life OR the that the comedy doesn't execute with a *ba-dum-tish!* laugh track style that tells you when it's time to laugh like so many, tired sitcom shows. This ain't The Big Bang Theory and that's a good thing.

It's clear the cast all understands the tone and pacing and the sarcasm comes through very effectively. If the show doesn't take off/ find its audience right away, I think it'll develop a following down the line.