Word on the street is that sitcoms are dying. If that seems hard to believe, let me remind you that we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Friends this year. While Friends could easily be called the last great traditional American sitcom (that’s THIRTY years ago, I’ll remind you), the modern network sitcom is still clinging to life support, with occasional flashes of brilliance (see Abbott Elementary) proving that perhaps the format is not quite ready to die just yet.
One such example of comedy genius is English Teacher, a series which just finished its first season of eight episodes on FX, which you can find streaming on Hulu. But don’t be fooled, English Teacher may look like a traditional sitcom, but it’s far from. While there may be the basic elements of traditional format within (one central character, an ensemble cast made up of basic tropes, and one open setting that allows for revolving stories each week), English Teacher makes up its own rules, including a killer retro ‘80s soundtrack (heaven), zero laugh track, and no true cliché in sight.
And it’s so good.