Currently watching...

..."English Teacher" on FX.

I love Brian Jordan Alvarez. I have since his early days of creating content for his Youtube channel. I thought his webseries "30s" was utterly brilliant, along, of course with his series "The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo." He is a wildly talented actor and his instincts for writing comedy and drama are pitch perfect. (And I would be remiss if I did not mention his dancing, previously here.)

So when it was announced that his new project which he created and wrote would be premiering on FX, I was very excited. If anyone deserves success, it is Brian Jordan Alvarez.

And the first two episodes of "English Teacher" that just debuted delivered everything Brian Jordan Alvarez can do. He stars as Evan Marquez, an out gay high school teacher in Austin, Texas navigating not only his students who are, like most young people now, both too savvy and too clueless at the same time, but his fellow teachers. It has the makings of a classic sitcom that one would be forgiven for passing by but in Alvarez's hands, it becomes a fly-on-the wall study of life that is neither aiming to show how stupid or silly the players are (I have a dislike for shows that revel in potshots at characters we are supposed to laugh AT and not with) nor how angsty and torn their lives are. It already reminds me so much of his past work, and I am so glad to see his longtime collaborator Stephanie Koenig playing his friend and fellow teacher, Gwen Sanders (she wrote episode two, the hilarious "Powderpuff"!). The comedy is subtle, effective, and brilliantly connected to a meaningful sense of humanity and truthfulness.

I can't wait to watch every week and see where he will take us. "English Teacher" airs Monday nights on FX.

Congratulations, Brian!

https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/english-teacher

Currently watching...

..."Better Things" on FX.

Created by series star Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K., "Better Things" feels like an extension of C.K.'s marvelous FX show, "Louie"--in fact, Adlon was a series regular on "Louie." They both share the same awkward, sometimes bizarre, engrossing-yet-anxious style of comedy, and they both feature stories, scripts, and performances that are at once comedy, black comedy, and poignant, penetrating moments of reality. It's a hard balancing act and C.K. achieved it brilliantly on his own show, and the pair do it here effortlessly. There have only been two shows broadcast so far, and one can feel the quality and import in every second. Although the show is rooted in a "situation" and comes in a thirty-minute format, it feels light years away from a typical "situation comedy."

Adlon is Sam Fox, a divorced mother of three girls and a struggling actress who was once, apparently, a child/teen star. Her life in Los Angeles is fraught with all the same things the rest of us suffer, but she must wade through the ignominies of the entertainment industry as well (and I can say that from experience, having waded--and continue to wade--through the business myself, a little worse for the wear). The rest of the cast, especially the young girls, seem extremely capable and talented, but it's Adlon's show. And she is marvelous. Funny yes, but also so touching and tender.

Recommend? YES! Especially if you liked "Louie"--hurry and catch the third episode!

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/better-things/episodes

Currently watching...

…the third season of the remarkable series “Louie” on FX.

Under the (almost) complete control of comedian Louis C.K. (née Szekely--"C.K." is a phonetic spelling of his lat name), this subtle, extremely cinematic series has been compared to the work of Woody Allen. Like Woody, Louis C.K. created, produces, writes, directs, edits, and stars in this episodic show in which he plays a fictionalized version of himself. (Notice that the actual comedian is “Louis” while the show and lead character is “Louie.”) He uses the famed “Woody Allen font” (Windsor) for titles and has even hired Allen’s longtime editor, Susan E. Morse, to share some of the editing duties.

The show is ostensibly billed as a comedy but it certainly plays more like a drama. Sure, there are some humorous moments, but C.K. incorporates a tremendous amount of real-life awkwardness, poignancy, tenderness, and a bittersweet sense that simply comes from living one’s life. I must confess that this current season—there are only 3 episodes left, so hurry—is new to me. Although I knew who Louis C.K. was, and I had an appreciation for his stand-up work, I was totally unprepared for how rich and textured this unsung series is.

With a very impressive guest star roster including Chloë Sevigny, F. Murray Abraham, Robin Williams, and character actress Melissa Leo, C.K. elevates each episode into a complete experience. In one particularly memorable double episode, the always fascinating and amazingly talented Parker Posey led Louie on a wild, stunning date through Manhattan. Even without a well known guest star, C.K. and the show shines in thoughtful, tender episodes like “Duckling,” the only episode from the second season I have been able to see, in which Louie unknowingly takes a duckling, placed in his luggage by his young daughter, on a USO tour in Afghanistan.

Recommend? Yes yes yes! There can be some not-for-primetime ideas and language, so the show is not for everyone. If you are easily offended (and really, if someone is easily offended, does the mere suggestion that they are easily offended offend them?), you might want to move along and stick to something less lively, less interesting. But I think it’s marvelous.

http://www.fxnetworks.com/louie/
https://buy.louisck.net/