English Teacher

This is what good writing looks like.

I consume a lot of comedy -- A LOT -- and this was the best pilot I've seen in a very long time. The cast is strong and the relationships between every character feel incredibly natural. The dialogue is on point as well. I've seen too many school based shows where the students just don't sound natural. These ones do.

I'm only two episodes in, but I can already tell this is a show I'll be rewatching many times --- the world feels real and I'm immediately immersed.

Give it a chance, especially if you love workplace comedies like I do. You won't regret it.

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.

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.

A very funny and Fresh take on the high school sitcom genre. We follow an english teacher who happens to be gay. The dialog is smart and witty, the protagonists are likeable, the storyline gives plenty of possibilities to develop over time.

A lot of negative reviews focus on the LGBT+ part of the show. Of course, being gay is as much the main protagonist identity as being straight is part of my identity, but the show doesn't feel preachy. Instead the show focuses on the daily small things that sometimes feels very important, but usually aten't.

I hope the show gets the opportunity to develop, given time it could reach the level of Modern family or The office.