A.P. Bio: Comic Classroom Capers

I spent the better part of this year rewatching Community on Netflix to self-soothe. That was six seasons of heaven that ended too soon, but thankfully the third season of A.P. Bio came along to give me more giggles. 

I binged the first two seasons of A.P. Bio last year when I was going through a stressful time and it brought me much joy. Then it got cancelled, but after much uproar, NBC announced it would be bringing the show back via its new streaming platform, Peacock. When all eight episodes dropped, you can bet I binged that sucker all the way through.

The show tells the story of Jack Griffin (Glenn Howerton), an obnoxious curmudgeon who moves back to his hometown after losing his job as a Harvard philosophy professor. To make ends meet, he gets a job as a Biology teacher at the local high school (no, he does not know any Biology, as his honor students discover much to their chagrin) because Principal Durbin (Patton Oswalt, who I have followed for years on Twitter and therefore is the only reason I found out about this show), is a bit obsessed with him and thinks he can do no wrong. What follows is a classic sitcom where Jack and his students get into multiple scrapes as he schemes various plots to better his circumstances, write a book, and become a lofty academic once more, instead of a lowly teacher in Toledo.

The joy of this show comes from its supporting cast. Like all great comedies, you have to give the cast room to breathe and eventually things start humming along like a well-oiled machine. The students have various quirks and it’s fun to see who emerges as Jack’s favorite or his mortal enemy. His fellow teachers, in particular the trio of Stef, Mary, and Michelle (Lyric Lewis, Mary Sohn, Jean Villepique), are a trio of wackadoos in the best possible way and cause nonstop shenanigans. And the marvelous Paula Pell also stars as Helen Demarcus, the administrative assistant who keeps this whole school going whilst being simultaneously the most deranged and most kindhearted woman on the planet. 

Created by Mike O’Brien, A.P. Bio is also a joke factory, and every script is a well-crafted symphony of hilarity. The volley of one-liners can make your head spin, while the intricacies of plot are always thrilling and complexly illustrated on the blackboard for your pleasure in almost every episode. This show looks great, sounds great, has great writing, and stars great actors. Most importantly, it will make you laugh nonstop, and that is a relief we all need in 2020. So seek it out and wallow in that comedy goodness for three glorious seasons. The only thing you’ll regret is that you’ll finish your binge far too quickly.