English Teacher Season 2 returns to FX/Hulu with Evan navigating a high-stakes school year
In the second season, Evan directs a controversial high-school play while students reshape history into a COVID-era musical, blending sharp humor with classroom politics.
FX/Hulu's English Teacher returns for a second season, continuing the story of Evan Marquez, a principled English teacher at Morrison-Hensley High School in Austin. The show, created by Brian Jordan Alvarez, moved forward with Season 2 after a December article alleging sexual assault against Alvarez; Alvarez has denied the accusation, and FX pressed ahead with the new episodes, which are now streaming on Hulu and will air weekly on FX.
In the premiere, Evan starts another school day while directing the school play and dealing with his boyfriend Malcom and a friend crashing on his couch. The chosen play is Angels in America, but principal Grant Moretti worries about three lightning-rod topics—sexuality, religion and profanity—that could provoke parents. “Sexuality, religion, and dirty words, I guess?” he quips, signaling the season’s ongoing tension between artistic ambition and parental pushback. He would rather stage something lighter, like Seussical or Our Town. At lunch, the guidance counselor Rick confuses the play with the second season of The Real World. The students note the material is from decades ago, and many feel a modern connection to it is missing.
The students, many of whom connect more with the COVID-19 era than AIDS, decide to rewrite the project as COVID In America and turn it into a musical. Led by Markie Hillrige, Gwen Sanders, and Rick, the troupe embraces the pivot, and even Grant seems unexpectedly excited about the new direction. The opening-night effort becomes Evan's test of his stance, as a few students call him out for his perspective on AIDS-era history and for underestimating how the pandemic affected their learning experiences. Jeff (Ben Bondurant) even presses Evan with a pointed question: aren’t you a baby in the 1980s? The group discovers that relevance can come from adapting the past to their present.
Beyond the premise, the show remains a workplace comedy with a strong supporting cast. Evan's prickly self-righteous streak is evident, but the ensemble—especially Enrico Colantoni as Grant Moretti, who balances care with pragmatism—helps the series stay funny and human. The students and staff deliver sharp lines and oddball bits, from Rick’s RSV anecdote to Deidre’s deadpan musings about history and relevance, and the ongoing grind of budgets, schedules, and performances keeps the backdrop lively and relatable.
Our take: English Teacher remains a funny, character-driven workplace comedy, though Alvarez’s Evan can feel more self-involved as the season progresses. The show’s strength lies in its ensemble and in how it weaves timely topics into humor without losing sight of heart. Colantoni anchors the proceedings with a steady, weary charm, and the younger cast delivers the kind of quick, sometimes pointed dialogue that makes the episodes zip along. The balance between sharp wit and earnest moments continues to define the series’ appeal, even as it preserves a number of the pilot’s tonal quirks.
Availability and viewing: All second-season episodes are now streaming on Hulu and will air weekly on FX. The show’s mix of cultural commentary and classroom dynamics remains its calling card, maintained through a season that leans into the strengths of its ensemble and the clash between idealism and practicality.
Our call: STREAM IT.