A.P. Bio ran for four seasons, and the best way to describe it is uneven. The show follows Jack Griffin, a disgraced Harvard philosophy professor played by Glenn Howerton, who loses his dream job and ends up teaching AP Biology at Whitlock High School in Toledo, Ohio. The setup is clever: Jack refuses to teach the subject he’s supposed to teach, so he spends his days ignoring his students or recruiting them into schemes to get revenge on the man who beat him for the job.
It sounds like the setup for a sharp, satirical comedy. Sometimes it is. Other times it is just a show about a man who doesn’t want to do his job. The difference between the two versions is the difference between A.P. Bio at its best and A.P. Bio at its worst.
Trailer, via TV Promos.
Jack Griffin and the Scheme Machine
Jack is the engine of the show. He’s a walking mess of entitlement, rage, and low cunning. Howerton plays him with a sneer that never quite turns into a smile, and the character’s refusal to engage with his students is the whole point. He uses them as pawns, spies, and stooges, and the show’s funniest moments come when his schemes backfire spectacularly.
The problem is that Jack’s refusal to teach biology is a premise that can only sustain so much. After a few episodes, the joke stops being fresh, and the show has to lean harder on his personal life and the antics of the other teachers. That’s when the show starts to slip.
Principal Ralph Durbin, played by Patton Oswalt, is the other half of the central relationship. Durbin is eager to prove he’s in charge, even though Jack constantly undermines him. Their scenes together are often the sharpest in the series, because both actors know exactly how to play the power dynamic. Oswalt gets some of the best lines in the show, and his performance grounds the chaos.
The Students and the Supporting Cast
The students themselves are mostly interchangeable. Stef, played by Lyric Lewis, is the standout of the group, and her arc in later seasons gives the show some genuine emotional weight. Mary Sohn and Jean Villepique round out the main cast as teachers who are alternately supportive and baffled by Jack’s behavior.
Paula Pell’s Helen Henry Demarcus is the school’s guidance counselor and a recurring target of Jack’s schemes. She’s the one who usually has to clean up the mess, and she’s often the most level-headed person in the room. The show leans on her reactions to establish how absurd Jack’s plans really are.
Tom Bennett shows up as Miles Leonard, the man who beat Jack for the Harvard job. He’s the villain of the piece, and the show’s revenge plot depends on him. But the show never quite commits to making Miles a real threat. He’s more of a punching bag than a person, and his presence feels more like a reason for Jack to act than a character in his own right.
Seasons One Through Four
The show started on NBC as a mid-season replacement in 2018, and it moved to Peacock for its final two seasons. The first season was met with mixed reviews, but the subsequent seasons garnered a much more positive reception. The show’s move to Peacock is part of its history, though the source does not describe how the move affected the show’s tone or creative direction.
The show’s best episodes are the ones that commit fully to Jack’s schemes. When the show trusts Jack to be a total idiot, the humor lands. When it tries to balance that with character development, the show falters. The show’s fourth season, which aired on Peacock, was its last, and it ended in December 2021 after four seasons.
What Works and What Doesn’t
The show’s strengths are its writing and its cast. The jokes are quick, and the show rarely wastes a beat. When the show is firing on all cylinders, it’s one of the sharper comedies on television. The weakness is that the show never quite figures out what it wants to be. Is it a satire about education? A workplace comedy about a man who won’t do his job? A revenge plot? It tries to be all three, and none of them get the room they need.
The show’s reliance on schemes also means the plots tend to follow a similar pattern. Jack hatches a plan, the students get involved, something goes wrong, and everyone learns a lesson. The lesson is almost always the same: Jack is a terrible person who shouldn’t be trusted.
Here’s a rough breakdown of the show’s four seasons, based on the source material:
- Season One: The show debuted as a mid-season replacement on NBC.
- Season Two: The revenge plot against Miles Leonard takes shape.
- Season Three: The show moved to Peacock.
- Season Four: The final season, which aired on Peacock, concluded the series.
The show also made casting announcements over its run. In February 2017, Mary Sohn and Lyric Lewis joined the pilot’s main cast. In March 2017, Aparna Brielle, Glenn Howerton, Patton Oswalt, Nick Peine and Jacob McCarthy joined in their main roles. On June 12, 2017, Tom Bennett joined as a series regular. On August 1, 2017, Jean Villepique joined as a series regular.
Comparing the Seasons
| Season | Network | Reception |
|---|---|---|
| One | NBC | Mixed reviews |
| Two | NBC | Improved |
| Three | Peacock | Continued improvement |
| Four | Peacock | Final season |
The show’s move to Peacock is a significant part of its history, though the source does not describe how the move affected the show’s tone or creative direction.
The Verdict
A.P. Bio is a show with a great idea and a weak grasp of how to execute it. Jack Griffin is a wonderful character, and the show’s best episodes are genuinely funny. But the show’s refusal to commit to a single identity means it never reaches its full potential. It’s a show that’s better than its reputation, but not as good as it could have been.
The show’s cancellation in December 2021 was a shame. It had found its footing and was getting better. The show’s final season, which concluded in December 2021, marked the end of the series. The show had run for four seasons.
The show is worth watching for its cast, its writing, and its occasional brilliance. But it’s not worth binging for its entire run. The show’s best episodes are scattered across its four seasons, and the weaker episodes are plentiful.
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