The fall’s best new show starts today. “The English Teacher” (FX, 10 p.m.) plays like “Abbott Elementary” gone to high school. Like that series, this one has an auteur, Brian Jordan Alvarez, who plays an altruistic teacher in an Austin school caught up the mores of modern society.
Sharp, fast moving and funny it benefits from Alvarez’ work as star, writer and director, but also Stephanie Koenig, a costar who also has a hand in writing. And yikes, what a group of executive producers, with both Paul Simms (“NewsRadio”) and Jonathan Krisel (“Portlandia”).
The show jumps right into heavy issues surrounding education — a homophobic parent complains that she saw him kiss a fellow teacher; the powder puff week is conducted by a drag queen to keep the LGBTQIA students from complaining.
Already there’s a great ensemble forming, including Enrico Colantoni (“Just Shoot Me”) as a long-suffering principal and Sean Patton as a well-meaning but socially inappropriate gym teacher. And Langston Kerman plays a new teacher you can see as a forbidden love interest from a mile away.
This one will brighten up the season.