English Teacher has been renewed amid controversy around its creator and star Brian Jordan Alvarez. The show, which follows the professional and personal life of Texas-based teacher Evan Marquez (Alvarez), was well-received, earning a Certified Fresh score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes with a similarly strong 85% audience score. However, the fate of English Teacher season 2 was left up in the air when former co-star Jon Ebeling accused him of sexual assault in August 2024, shortly before the show’s September premiere.
Per Deadline, FX has now officially renewed English Teacher for season 2. Set to premiere in 2025, the upcoming season will consist of 10 episodes, which is an increase from the eight-episode order that was originally given for season 1. This is a similar trajectory to the hit FX on Hulu dramedy The Bear, which had the same episode increase after its first season became a hit. That show has gone on to win 21 Emmys and five Golden Globes so far.
What This Means For English Teacher
Its Success Is Complicated
The continuation of the FX show makes sense from a business perspective. On top of its critical success, English Teacher was a hit on streaming, with its two-episode premiere seeing it debut at No. 5 on the Reelgood Top 10 chart for streaming shows thanks to its Hulu viewership. Additionally, while season 1 did not necessarily end on a cliffhanger, it left the story open for further romantic developments between Evan and his ex-boyfriend Malcolm (Jordan Firstman).
The cast of English Teacher also includes Stephanie Koenig, Enrico Colantoni, Sean Patton, and Langston Kerman.
However, this news has been tempered by the allegations against Brian Jordan Alvarez. In addition to being accused of a 2016 sexual assault by Ebeling, who starred in Alvarez’s 2016 web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo (which a spokesperson for Alvarez alleges that he believed to be consensual), the English Teacher creator and M3GAN star has been accused of stalking a friend’s boyfriend while he was studying at USC, which led to the filing of a no-contact order. He has also been accused of groping without consent by another USC student.
Our Take On The English Teacher Renewal
The Show’s Longevity Is In Question
While the controversies surrounding Alvarez have clearly not prevented FX from moving forward with English Teacher season 2, the fact that the allegations have not yet been fully resolved could jeopardize the future of the show beyond a second season should the situation worsen. Allegations of sexual assault or other on-set misconduct have been followed by shutdowns in the past for shows including Showtime’s SMILF and FX’s Louie, and the fact that Alvarez is both the creator and lead could mean that the show would not be able to recast the role or continue without him.
Source: Deadline & Reelgood
English Teacher
- Release Date
-
September 2, 2024
-
Brian Jordan Alvarez
Evan
-
