This is a Brian Jordan Alvarez stan account.
If you’ve been regularly reading Queerty over the past decade, chances are you’re already familiar with the out gay actor, comedian, and filmmaker.
It was nearly a decade ago Alvarez first started cracking us up with hilarious YouTube videos, and he’s since made a name for himself with screen roles in everything from killer doll slasher M3GAN to the delightfully named Estefan Gloria in the Will & Grace reboot.
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But as many BAJ fans will tell you, his crown jewel (thus far) has been the 2016 web series The Gay And Wondrous Life Of Caleb Gallo, an all-too-short five-episode comedy about love and friendship—all of which he wrote and directed—that had people asking, “When will he get a TV show of his own?”
Well, that day has finally come! Mark September 2 on your calendars, because it’s the day Brian Jordan Alvarez’s new series English Teacher debuts on FX.
As the title might imply, Alvarez plays an Austin, TX-based English teacher named Evan who, “often finds himself at the intersection of the personal, professional and political aspects of working at a high school,” per the official synopsis.
Yes, Evan is gay, and that certainly comes into play at his job in complicated ways—these are highly politicized, polarizing times, after all. For example, the show’s pilot episode is said to deal with the fallout of one of Evan’s students seeing him kiss his boyfriend.
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“Make no mistake this is an act of homophobia and needs he needs to be re instated right away.”
But, despite the timely themes, Alvarez and his Executive Producer Paul Simms (a TV veteran with credits on Atlanta, Girls, and more) maintain the show won’t feel like “homework.” In an exclusive series preview with Vanity Fair, Alvarez says, “We can handle pretty big topics, but we do so not only quite lightly and joyously, but also from so many different angles… The show is welcoming, the show is for everybody—and something I’ve often thought about is: This show isn’t mad at you.”
Longtime fans of Alvarez’s work will be thrilled to see frequent collaborator Stephanie Koenig as Gwendolyn, a history teacher who is Evan’s best friend in the faculty. From the look of it, their undeniable comedic chemistry will be on full display, getting the television showcase its always deserved.
Elsewhere in the cast is Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars) as no-nonsense Principal Moretti and Sean Patton (Maron) as the brash PE teacher Markie, plus familiar faces like Jordan Firstman (Rotting In The Sun), Langston Kerman (Insecure), and Carmen Christopher (The Bear).
And, as Vanity Fair reveals, drag royalty Trixie Mattel guest stars in episode 2, playing a queen brought in to hype up the football team in the lead-up to a high-stakes “powder-puff game,” where the girls play and the guys are the cheerleaders. We are so ready.
The first two episodes of English Teacher are set to premiere on FX on September 2—and then will start streaming on Hulu the next day—with new episodes airing weekly after that. Check out the first official trailer for the series below.
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Between the comedy videos and thirst traps, the hilarious Brian Jordan Alvarez is the total package
If you’re not already following Brian Jordan Alvarez on social media, you’re simply doing the internet wrong!
gregg2010
The preview looks absolutely dreadful. Sorry, and I’m a fan of Alvarez’s, too.
Thad
This will be on FX, a channel I can actually watch…not some goofy “streaming service.”
BDubbs67
You know what? Good for him. He’s had some hits and misses, but he he absolutely launched Freckle into the world, and I’ll definitely be watching this series. He’s smart, funny, and talented, and deserves a mainstream series.
OzJay
Seriously? They’re still doing comedies where borderline homophobic slurs are supposed to be amusing/endearing? Pass.