A.P Bio, a newly popular, six-year-old sitcom has come back to life in the entertainment world by reaching the top charts on Netflix. This four-season show features a former Harvard professor – Jack Griffin played by actor and comedian Glenn Howerton of Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame – who failed to achieve his dream job and is forced to take up a job at a high school as the teacher of the Advanced Placement Biology class. The catch to this show, and where it diverges from the common tropes of high school sitcoms, is that he refuses to teach his students anything about Biology. Instead, he uses the honor roll students every day to do what he conspires. This includes stalking his ex and her new boyfriend, finding the family of his late mom’s secret affair, planning the downfall of his arch nemesis, and getting his rightfully earned job back. The episodes are around 20 minutes each and consist of an easy-to-follow plot. I was thoroughly impressed by the execution of this show, and I was surprised by how intrigued I was to keep watching after each episode.
The show was created by Michael Patrick O’Brien, a famous American comedian and actor. Before he made the show A.P. Bio, he was a frequent actor on Saturday Night Live. The show aired on NBC in 2018, releasing its first season, yet due to having a very niche and small audience the show was canceled for poor ratings after the first season. The first season gained the most popularity out of all the seasons, bringing in hundreds of millions of viewers. However after the next three seasons were aired, only around two to three million viewers watched. The show started regaining more traction and popularity when it was put on Netflix about a month ago.
The famous professor is Jack Griffin. His character is very outgoing yet very simple. He is a man who lost his dream job, and while many people would just accept this, he didn’t. He turned his new job as an A.P. Bio teacher into a working scheme to get his old job back. In relation to other characters, this character does a great job at balancing his personality, sometimes he is serious but most times he comes off more on the funny side. He isn’t too much, he will lay a few jokes on the board when walking into a room but then ironically becomes serious about a certain topic he needs to resolve. There is always a problem with Jack that keeps the plot interesting and filled with surprises we would never expect.
Another main character who contributes a lot to the story is the principal of this high school. We meet Principal Durbin, played by actor Patton Oswalt, in the first episode. He is not an intimidating principal or a soft loving, welcoming principal, he is an awkward, insecure principal. Durbin doesn’t really look like or act like he knows how to run a high school. Jack doesn’t help with this, he throws never-ending obstacles towards Durbin and tests his limits every day. Yet, he doesn’t ever seriously get mad at Jack’s actions, it’s almost like he looks up to Jack, like he wants to be good enough to be friends with him. Durbin does whatever Jack tells him to, hoping he becomes likable. Yet, his character is very important, he acts like a check-in whenever we see him in the show. He is always confronting Jack about something, pulling the episode and plot together.
One episode that stood out to me was when he hosted a charity event for his ex-girlfriend’s company at his student’s parent’s house. Early in the week before this, Jack found out one of his student’s parents was going to be out of town this weekend, he took advantage of this and decided to host the party at his student’s house. Jack was aiming to impress his ex-girlfriend to try and win her over, yet this failed and his students decided to throw their party in the middle of his. The first season of the show isn’t like others, there isn’t really a complex or growing plot, and every episode has its own plot. The whole of this show is how each episode brings in a different smaller plot adding to the bigger plot. Sometimes the plot of one episode would carry to one more episode, but that’s about it. Episodes with individual episode plots are often resolved blatantly. For example, in the party episode, the episode ended with the student, whose house this party was at, being approached the next morning by his parents finding 5 bags full of alcohol. They ask if he threw a party and the student follows with what Jack told his students to reply to cornering questions with, “I know about the affairs”.
Along with the plot and characters, the show has great sets and special effects. In the first scene in the first episode, we see Jack crash his car into the school sign, smashing it into pieces along with his car being totaled. The production crew did a great job of meshing the editing and real set, making it look really real. The show also includes a good amount of dark humor, keeping the show interesting. The show continuously makes fun of the educational system and social hierarchies in high school. The tone involved is disrespectful and mean-spirited, but in some ways that’s what makes it entertaining. Also, the editing and camera work are impeccable, the editing is sharp and quick, which enhances the humor and timing of the jokes. The camera work also includes close-ups, capturing the reactions and visuals of the other characters in the scene, adding to the comedic impact. Overall, the special effects, camera work, editing, and dark humor add to the plot tremendously. The show wouldn’t be what it is without those other aspects.
I find that A.P. Bio doesn’t need any improvements, contrary to popular belief. Many view the show as a bunch of random, odd, and very stupid episodes, and many feel like it wasn’t well thought out or executed. It isn’t a show where you’re going to get something out of it, It’s just there for a good laugh and it serves its purpose. The episodes are short, the plot is easy to follow, and there aren’t too many characters to keep track of. There are some tiny separate plots with other smaller characters that are interesting to keep track of and keep updates which makes the show go by fast. The acting is really good, especially with the kids.
All of the characters, whether they are meant to be seen as funny or not, deliver the awkward or purposeful punch line exceptionally well each time. Many who have watched the show have mixed opinions, I have seen some people thoroughly enjoy watching the show, saying the show is a “ridiculously hilarious comedy that works.”( Rotten Tomatoes) Some people view the show as the direct opposite and see it as a reminder that many teachers out in the real world “sit on their phones, operating their side business while taking a teacher’s salary and leaving the students to learn on their own.” (IMDb) Although I do respect those who are passionate about not joking about the education industry, I think those who rated this show a 5 out of 5 stars know how to capture this show. Like I said in the beginning, this show shouldn’t be taken seriously, it should be viewed as a comedy show that includes relatable and dark humor to easily get a laugh out of you on a bad day. I don’t think the producers and directors were trying to flame teachers and their work ethic through this show.
A.P. Bio does a great job at producing a comedic yet not too cringe show. There are shocking parts to the plot and expected parts that make it even more entertaining. Sometimes school-based shows can be boring and repetitive, but this show does a great job of staying relatable and interesting at the same time. It’s a quick watch, I watched the show in about a week, yet would have finished it in about two days. You’ll get a good laugh out of A.P. Bio, fall in love with the plot, and hopefully become hooked to watch the rest of the show. Overall, I give this show a 10/10 rating. A.P. Bio does a great job of intertwining a tough class with comedy and relatable characters.
