FX has a number of great shows out right now, which are streaming with a Hulu subscription. We've been treated to another show to binge on Hulu with Season 2 of English Teacher, which brought us back to Morrison-Hensley High School. I've been flying through the new episodes, and I've got to say, I feel extremely seen as a millennial. Let me explain further.
While folks figure out how to watch English Teacher, I was there ready when Season 2 premiered on September 25th. Some of the best shows this season are when Evan is trying to teach his students, and seeing the way their cultural understanding of the world differs. This once again hit in Season 2, and made me feel seen for about a million other reasons.
Evan's Trouble Connecting With His Gen Z Students Is Relatable AF
While Millennials and Gen Z aren't that far apart in years, sometimes it can feel like a chasm between the two. English Teacher hilariously touches on this, often with Evan's students collectively putting him in his place. The Season 2 premiere "COVID in America" was a great example of this, and the way his perspective on the years of lockdown differs from the younger generation who spent key parts of their development learning from home.
On top of Evan's students not understanding just how young is he (including the fact that his mother is still alive and well), the show's classroom scenes are buoyed by the small ways they miscommunicate with their (you guessed it) English teacher. So, oftentimes the comments popping into my head come out of Alvarez's mouth as the sitcom's protagonist.
The debate about the merit of Tony Kushner's Angels in America in the Season 2 premiere felt super close to home, as it's my favorite play of all time. This type of divide often happens when I tell my zoomer friends about my favorite movies or TV shows, as well. I mean, many of them were released in the '90s, before they were even born. While Angels is widely known as a masterpiece of the stage, that's of no concern to high school kids who grep up watching Euphoria (streaming with a HBO Max subscription). In fact, I recently told a small group of twenty-somethings that I still had cable and they looked at me like I was a legit grandpa.
The music in English Teacher is also full of '80s/'90s classics that perfectly apply to the show's story. Whether it's The Bangles' "Manic Monday" or When In Romes' "The Promise," I can depend on the FX series to bring me the bops from when I was a kid. Specifically the ones that Gen Z folks might not have necessarily heard of before.
Aside from all the millennial goodness crammed into English Teacher, I've also felt represented in the way Evan's romantic life as a queer man has been portrayed. His relationship with Malcolm (scene stealer Jordan Firstman, who I've been lowkey obsessed with since his short film The Disgustings in 2024) is messy and complicated. That includes the unique challenges that come with being in an open relationship, which is quite common for gay men nowadays. Plus, the fact that Jimmy Fowlie's character, Daniel, is living on Evan's couch in Season 2 is truly chef's kiss for gay viewers who are a fan of the comedian's work.
Episodes of English Teacher air Thursdays on FX, and Season 2 is streaming in its entirety on Hulu as part of the 2025 TV schedule. It remains to be seen if the show joins the ranks of the best sitcoms ever, but I am absolutely loving it and hoping Season 3 is ordered sooner rather than later.
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