English Teacher (TV series) explained

English Teacher is an American sitcom television series created by Brian Jordan Alvarez, who stars as main character Evan Marquez.^[1] The cast also includes Stephanie Koenig, Enrico Colantoni, and Sean Patton. The series premiered on September 2, 2024, on FX.^[2] It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Premise

High school teacher Evan Marquez finds himself at the intersection of professional, political, and personal aspects of working at a high school.^[3]

Cast and characters

Main

• Brian Jordan Alvarez as Evan Marquez, an English teacher at Morrison-Hensley High School
• Stephanie Koenig as Gwen Sanders, a fellow teacher and Evan's best friend
• Enrico Colantoni as Grant Moretti, the principal of the high school
• Sean Patton as Markie Hillridge, the gym teacher and athletic director at the high school

Recurring

• Carmen Christopher as Rick Santana, the school counselor at the high school
• Jordan Firstman as Malcolm, Evan's ex-boyfriend and a former teacher at the high school
• Langston Kerman as Harry, a new teacher at the high school
• Aliyah's Interlude as Tiffany, a student in Evan's class
• Savanna Gann as Becca, a student in Evan's class
• Ben Bondurant as Jeff, a student in Evan's class
• Mason Douglas as Frank, a student in Evan's class
• Scarlette Amber Hernandez as Monica, a student in Evan's class
• Matthew Smitley as Hartman, a student in Evan's class
• Treylan Newton as Tray, a student in Evan's class
• Pablo Maldonado-Hernandez as Pablo, a student in Evan's class
• Dave Z. Martin as Jason, a student in Evan’s class
• Chris Riggi as Nick, Gwen's unemployed boyfriend who is building a pool in his backyard

Guest

• Trixie Mattel as Shazam, a drag queen and friend of Evan's
• Romy Mars as Kayla, a student in Evan's class who suffers from "Kayla Syndrome"
• Ivy Wolk as Chelsea, a student in Evan's class who is Kayla's best friend
• Jimmy Fowlie as Daniel, an overly friendly waiter
• Andrene Ward-Hammond as Sharon, a parent and field trip chaperone
• Jenn Lyon as Linda Harrison, a parent and local business owner who Evan finds himself at odds with
• Ken Kirby as Pasha, Evan's college friend who works for an energy startup
• Michael Strassner as Mitch, a gym teacher who might become Markie's replacement

Production

Development

In June 2022, it was announced FX had ordered the pilot, with Brian Jordan Alvarez set to serve as writer and executive producer, alongside Paul Simms.^[4] In November 2023, FX ordered the series.^[5]

Casting

Upon the initial announcement, Alvarez was set to star.^[4] In September 2022, Stephanie Koenig, Enrico Colantoni, and Julian Sergi joined the cast as series regulars, while Carmen Christopher, Jordan Firstman, Yissendy Trinidad, and Langston Kerman were set to recur.^[6] Sean Patton later replaced Sergi in the role of Markie Hillridge.^[7]

Release

English Teacher premiered on FX on September 2, 2024.^[8] Episodes are released on Hulu a day after they air on FX.^[9] The first two episodes were released on the streaming platform on September 3, 2024.^[10]

Reception

Critical response

For the first season, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 98% approval rating with an average rating of 8.1/10, based on 40 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "English Teacher makes no bones about the drudgery of faculty life while never feeling like homework, making for a biting and buoyant schoolhouse sitcom."^[11] Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 based on 25 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."^[12]

Streaming viewership

The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which monitors real-time data from 20 million users in the U.S. for original and acquired streaming programs and movies across subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) and ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services, reported that that English Teacher was the eighth most-streamed program in the U.S. from August 29 through September 4, 2024.^[13] The series then climbed to fourth place on the top-streaming shows charts for the week ending September 11, 2024, before shifting to ninth place by the week ending September 14, 2024.^{[14] [15]}

Awards and nominations

!Organization!Year!Category!Recipient(s)!Result!Ref.

Independent Spirit Awards	2025	Best New Scripted Series	Brian Jordan Alvarez, Paul Simms, Jonathan Krisel, Dave King, Kathryn Dean, Jake Bender and Zach Dunn		[16]
		Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series	Brian Jordan Alvarez
		Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series	Enrico Colantoni
			Stephanie Koenig

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mishra . Shrishty . August 6, 2024 . Brian Jordan Alvarez Gets Schooled by Gen-Z in First 'English Teacher' Trailer . October 12, 2024 . . en.
2. Web site: Brian Jordan Alvarez's English Teacher Has an Angle but Doesn't Feel Like Homework. Vanity Fair. David. Canfield. August 5, 2024. August 10, 2024. September 4, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240904182917/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/english-teacher-fx-first-look. live.
3. Web site: English Teacher. FX. August 10, 2024. August 10, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240810225111/https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/english-teacher. live.
4. Web site: FX Orders Pilot 'English Teacher' From Brian Jordan Alvarez & Paul Simms. Deadline Hollywood. Rosy. Cordero. June 1, 2022. August 10, 2024. April 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230407120227/https://deadline.com/2022/06/fx-orders-pilot-english-teacher-brian-jordan-alvarez-paul-simms-1235036852/. live.
5. Web site: FX Orders Comedy Series 'English Teacher' Created by and Starring Brian Jordan Alvarez. Variety. Joe. Otterson. November 16, 2023. August 10, 2024. August 23, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240823013054/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/fx-comedy-series-english-teacher-brian-jordan-alvarez-1235793139/. live.
6. Web site: Otterson . Joe . September 29, 2022 . FX Comedy Pilot 'English Teacher' Sets Cast (Exclusive) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240810225111/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/fx-comedy-pilot-english-teacher-cast-1235388164/ . August 10, 2024 . August 10, 2024 . Variety.
7. FX Sets Premiere Dates for New and Returning Series . FX . The Futon Critic . July 10, 2024 . September 3, 2024 . September 4, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240904182919/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2024/07/10/fx-sets-premiere-dates-for-new-and-returning-series-934313/20240710fx01/ . live .
8. Web site: McPherson . Chris . July 10, 2024 . Go Back to School This Fall With FX's 'English Teacher' . October 12, 2024 . . en.
9. Web site: Fuentes . Tamara . September 10, 2024 . Here's When Every Episode of FX's 'English Teacher' Season 1 Drops . October 12, 2024 . . en-US.
10. Web site: Cobb . Kayla . September 3, 2024 . 'English Teacher' Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? . October 12, 2024 . . en-US.
11. english_teacher. English Teacher. tv. 1. y. October 20, 2024.
12. english-teacher. English Teacher. tv. 1. y. September 18, 2024.
13. Web site: Al-Ghamdi . Abdullah . September 9, 2024 . New Sitcom With 97% RT Score Becomes Streaming Hit After Just Two Episodes . October 12, 2024 . . en.
14. Web site: Meek . Andy . September 16, 2024 . The most popular bingeworthy TV shows right now on Netflix, Apple TV+, Hulu, Prime Video and more . October 12, 2024 . . en-US.
15. Web site: Gruenwedel . Erik . September 23, 2024 . Reelgood: Max's 'Civil War,' Hulu's 'The Old Man' Topped Weekly Streaming Through Sept. 18 . September 27, 2024 . . en-US.
16. Web site: D'Alessandro . Anthony . 2024-12-04 . Spirit Awards Best Feature Nominees Include ‘Anora’, ‘I Saw The TV Glow’, ‘Nickel Boys’, ‘Sing Sing’ & ‘The Substance’ . 2024-12-04 . Deadline . en-US.