8 Shows Like English Teacher to Watch Next

Premiering to great acclaim in 2024, English Teacher is a refreshing new take on the workplace sitcom, starring writer/creator Brian Jordan Alvarez as a gay English teacher at a Texas high school. Along with providing plenty of material for jokes about generational divides, this setting is ripe for classic sitcom tropes: will they/won't they romances, unlikely friendships between coworkers, and ridiculous episodic antagonists. (Jenn Lyon deserves awards attention for her guest role as a perky yet malevolent Texas mom.)

Above all, though, English Teacher satirizes the politicized nature of the U.S. education system, tackling hot-button topics like homophobia and gun violence without seeming preachy. To be honest, the show's only flaw is its short runtime: just eight episodes in its first season. So if you're looking for some similar comedies to fill that gap, we've got you covered.

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Abbott Elementary

When English Teacher arrived, there was some vague buzz that it was riding on the coattails of Abbott Elementary's success. Both are sitcoms about teachers, both star their respective creators (in Abbott Elementary's case, Quinta Brunson), and both draw inspiration from the real-life difficulties of working at a public school. Otherwise, though, they're pretty different in tone. While English Teacher is edgy and adult-rated, Abbott Elementary is more upbeat, belonging to the lineage of mockumentary sitcoms like The Office and Modern Family. And if American TV has room for dozens of shows about cops, doctors, and lawyers, there's definitely space for two critically acclaimed sitcoms about teachers.

The Chair

Like English Teacher, this Netflix dramedy satirizes cancel culture in the education system — this time at a liberal arts college. Sandra Oh plays the well-meaning head of the English department who's faced with a flood of stressful problems, including her colleague being suspended for demonstrating the Nazi salute in class. If you enjoyed English Teacher's absurd administrative disputes and its depiction of teachers who love their jobs but struggle with their working environment, The Chair shares a lot of that DNA. 

Parks and Recreation

In many ways, English Teacher feels like a spiritual successor to Parks and Recreation. Set in a small-town parks department, this beloved sitcom boasts a charming ensemble cast and an endless supply of funny subplots — often poking fun at local politics and bureaucracy. This formula echoes a lot of English Teacher's best qualities, but with one very obvious thematic difference: rooted in Obama-era optimism, Parks and Rec does its best to avoid or soften truly "difficult" political topics. In the harsher world of 2024, you can definitely see how English Teacher evolved from this cozy style of comedy. 

Broad City

It may not seem like an obvious choice, but there's a lot of overlap between Broad City's messy millennial stoner humor and the interpersonal subplots in English Teacher. Starring Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer as a pair of twentysomething besties in New York City, this sitcom is full of big personalities and chaotic relationships — much like Evan Marquez's life. It's also a fantastic snapshot of millennial humor, to the point where you can imagine Evan being friends with the Broad City girls 10 years ago, before he became a (somewhat) responsible adult.

Community

The ultimate sitcom about higher education! Taking place at a community college, Community is famous for balancing high-concept, genre-savvy episodes (Dungeons & Dragons! Stop-motion animation! Alternate timelines!) with smart, character-based comedy. Led by Joel McHale as an obnoxious disbarred lawyer who returns to community college to complete his degree, the main cast play a study group with very different personalities and life experiences who gradually become friends over the course of six seasons. You've almost certainly heard people recommending this show before, and for good reason. It lives up to the hype!

American Vandal

If you're fond of the teen characters in English Teacher, this Netflix mockumentary series is for you. Parodying the format of true-crime documentaries like Making a Murderer, it's a deadly serious investigation into a unique crime: Who drew obscene graffiti on the cars in a high school parking lot? Season 1 is one of the funniest shows Netflix has ever released, debuting an ensemble cast of hilarious Gen Z actors playing investigators and suspects around the school. 

A.P. Bio

It's kind of wild that Glenn Howerton spent several years playing lead roles in two simultaneous sitcoms, juggling his long-running gig in It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia with the more mainstream NBC series A.P. Bio. Like Joel McHale in Community, he plays a disgraced douchebag who finds himself back at school under unlikely circumstances — in this case, teaching biology after losing his job as a Harvard philosophy professor. Pitched as an antidote to "inspirational teacher" stories, A.P. Bio includes plenty of material for the student characters alongside the school staff. 

The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo

Brian Jordan Alvarez wrote, directed and starred in this cult-popular web series, released on YouTube in 2016. On paper, the premise is very simple: a six-part sitcom about a group of LGBTQ+ friends in their twenties. However, its combination of surreal humor and distinctive queer characters immediately established a very specific brand of storytelling, kickstarting Alvarez's career before he moved on to more high-profile projects like Will & Grace. It's an obvious next step for fans of English Teacher's humor — and it even co-stars Stephanie Koenig, aka Evan Marquez's best friend, Gwen!