The final bell has rung on FX’s English Teacher, which has been canceled after two seasons.
According to Deadline, the show, created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez, has been axed just six weeks after the premiere of its well-received second season. Alvarez and FX have not commented on the cancellation, Variety reported.
English Teacher followed Alvarez’s Evan Marquez, a gay English teacher who had to manage his personal life, professional responsibilities and political beliefs while working at a high school in Austin, Texas. By his side were his best friend and fellow teacher, Gwen (Stephanie Koenig), gym teacher Markie (Sean Patton), guidance counselor Rick (Carmen Christopher), and principal Grant Moretti (Enrico Colantoni).
‘English Teacher’ premiered in September 2024 and received critical acclaim
Season 1 of English Teacher premiered in September 2024 and went on to receive critical acclaim, earning a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Deadline reported. The sitcom’s debut season also earned nominations for Critics’ Choice, Film Independent Spirit Awards and Writers Guild of America Awards.
“English Teacher was one of the most critically acclaimed new shows of 2024 and we are grateful to the producers, writers, cast, directors and crew for the show’s creative excellence,” FX Entertainment president Nick Grad said in a February statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. “We look forward to the new season.”
Despite its success, FX waited for four months after the Season 1 finale to renew the show. The sitcom’s 10-episode second season premiered in September and currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
A former friend of Alvarez accused the actor of sexual assault days before the sitcom’s debut
FX has not shared a reason for the cancellation, but sexual assault allegations made against Alvarez may be a contributing factor. According to Variety, just days before the show premiered, Jon Ebeling — a former friend of Alvarez and collaborator on the actor’s 2015 webseries The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo — accused the English Teacher creator of sexual assault. Ebeling first shared the allegations on Instagram before elaborating on the incident in a December 2024 article in New York Magazine.
In that essay, he also accused Koenig — who’s Ebeling’s ex and a close friend of Alvarez, of enabling the toxic dynamic between him and the show creator — which Ebeling compared to Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, The Tab reported. Alvarez denied the allegations, and a spokesperson for the actor said, “All interactions with Ebeling were always entirely consensual.”
English Teacher was renewed for a second season two months after Ebeling’s essay was published, and FX released a brief statement addressing the claims.
“We reviewed the allegations presented to us by another media outlet prior to the show’s launch. Mr. Ebeling never reached out to us with any concerns. We will have no further comment at this time,” the network’s statement read.