First Look: Brian Jordan Alvarez’s ‘English Teacher’ Has Perspective But Doesn’t Look Like Homework

English teacher (which debuted its first two episodes on September 2 on FX before streaming on Hulu the following day) showcases Alvarez’s particular sensibilities for primetime, with the backing of one of TV’s most trusted comic writers. But it took some convincing for Alvarez to go all in. “I’ve tried to do some things at this level and I couldn’t navigate the system on my own…. I was like… ‘I can’t figure it out, so I’m not really doing it anymore, but thanks,’” he says. “Paul was like, ‘No, we’re going to do this. I’m going to show you the ropes, I’m going to walk you through the process, and we’re going to have a show on TV.’ And he delivered on his promise in a phenomenal way.”

Alvarez’s idea for the show stemmed from a common theme in his work: “people trying to do the right thing, but not knowing if they’re doing it the right way… or if they’re getting there through questionable means.” The series is set in a public high school in Austin, Texas, and focuses on Alvarez’s Evan Marquez as he navigates school plays, troubled students, blatantly meddling parents, and the conflict of living in a liberal bubble in a conservative state. The first episode looks at the fallout from a student who sees Evan kissing her boyfriend. The second episode follows a drag queen, played by Trixie Mattel, taught a group of football players how to drum up enthusiasm for a political football game. (“Trixie Mattel was at the top of the list,” Simms said.)

“People from all different walks of life are basically forced to come together towards a common goal, which is to educate these kids,” Alvarez said. “What we like is the idea that obviously the teachers are teaching the kids, but sometimes the kids are teaching the teachers how to live in this modern world that moves so fast, [where] It seems like the rules change every day.”