Class Act: ‘English Teacher’’s Brian Jordan Alvarez Shares Story at ELA

Memes, creating content, and behind-the-scenes stories about English Teacher were just a few of the topics covered by actor, writer, and TV show creator Brian Jordan Alvarez during the latest All Joking Aside with Doug Herzog ’81.

Produced by The Center for Comedic Arts at Emerson College and Emerson Los Angeles, the All Joking Aside series features in-depth interviews with renowned comedians, including stand-up performers, actors, producers, writers, and directors.

Alvarez joined Herzog on November 18 at Emerson Los Angeles, where he kicked off the evening discussing his career path. Born in New York, Alvarez grew up in Tennessee, where he began acting and making movies. 

“I have a lot of creative energy where I want to make things and then put them out into the world,” said Alvarez. “I [didn’t] have any connections in this industry, so you just start looking for your only paths in. So for me, it was like, you can at least make stuff and put it out on the internet.”

In college, he started creating movies and posting them on YouTube. Eventually, he’d post comedic sketches there. His big break came when Max Mutchnick ’87, LHD ’13 cast him as Estéfan Gloria in NBC’s revival of Will & Grace.

Alvarez is known for his viral videos on Instagram and TikTok, where he plays a variety of absurd characters with distorted filters and goofy expressions. It all started during COVID, when he recorded his first video of a character named Marnie.

“I sent it to my friends and I was like, ‘Is this funny?’ They didn’t respond immediately. I think it’s ‘cause they were busy. It was COVID, obviously they were busy. I remember that because I was like, f*ck it, I’m just gonna post this. I posted it and it started blowing up and it became this whole part of my career,” said Alvarez. “The truth is with all this stuff, the audience is gonna tell you if it’s funny.”

In 2020, TV writer and producer Paul Simms had noticed Alvarez’s online content and reached out about wanting to make a show together. Alvarez was reluctant because he’d tried to develop TV shows in the past, and didn’t know how to break through the bureaucracy. Simms helped walk him through the red tape. 

English Teacher is about Evan Marquez, a high school teacher in Austin, Texas, who often finds himself at the intersection of the personal, professional, and political aspects of working at a high school. 

The pilot was shot in 2022, with reshoots in the winter of 2023. The season was filmed in the spring of 2024, four years after his initial call with Simms. It premiered on FX in September. 

“I’m used to doing things on my own,” said Alvarez. “There are a lot of other amazing strong voices [who worked on the show]. Once you’re being paired up with other people who are really smart, really talented, and have a ton of experience, they tend to be able to actually make your thing even better.”

He cites an example from episode 5 of the series, titled “Field Trip,” where the high school teachers facilitate a camping trip. Alvarez loved the episode, but it ran long and 8-10 minutes needed to be cut. The episode that aired was all the better for coming in at 22 minutes instead of 31.  

“My whole thesis is like, I don’t know if it’s achievable, but can I make a show that’s more entertaining than your phone? Can I make a show that’s as entertaining as TikTok, so that you don’t have that moment when you’re watching where you [look at your phone],” said Alvarez. 

For Daniel Pereira ’23, a writer’s assistant who attended the event, the answer is yes. 

“I love the type of comedy that he brings to the show. It’s a very new, fresh, Gen Z type of comedy. Almost like a chronically online comedy,” said Perreira. “It’s super refreshing to be able to watch TV and not have to pull out TikTok to see the kind stuff that I really like to consume. It’s awesome. It shows that there’s an opportunity for up-and-coming younger writers to write the stuff that really brings us joy.”

Music from the ’80s features prominently throughout the show. Alvarez says it’s his dad’s favorite genre and decade of music. 

“[My dad says] if you ask anybody what the best music is, they’ll say ’80s music. I’m like, I don’t think everybody feels that way, but I do and you do so, that’s all that matters. Also, it imbues the show with this classic feel.”

Stephanie Koenig plays a fellow teacher and Alvarez’s best friend on the show. She and Alvarez have a long history. They first met while acting in a student film playing the adult characters. That first night, Alvarez remembers thinking that she might be the funniest person he’d ever met. They became friends and began working on sketches and other projects together.  

“Our ability to work together is so easy. It’s so organic. Her talent level is so extreme. Every time I see her act I’m blown away again,” said Alvarez. 

At the end of the night, Herzog brought up the viral “I love your daughter” meme. The meme features a clip from a Gilmore Girls episode mashed up with the song “Breathe” by Olly Alexander. Alvarez jumped on the trend and filmed his own version of the meme in an airport, lip syncing to the dialogue and dancing to the music. It’s racked up more than 11 million views. He’s recreated the meme in various settings, like the gym and kitchen, almost every day since. It has helped draw attention to his show. 

“It’s the most viral I’ve ever been, which is so weird… But people started organically saying this thing. They were saying: Fine, I’m finally going to watch your show,” said Alvarez. “If I know anything it’s that consistency will get you everywhere. So now I’m just like, I have to post one every day.”

English Teacher and posting videos to social media help satisfy Alvarez’s creative instincts. 

“English Teacher fulfills my desire to make horizontal things, which also happened to take years. My phone lets me make things that are vertical, but also take 30 seconds to make and I can post them immediately. The short hit of creativity and feedback you get from your phone for me is good as an artist because it allows me to be patient for the things that are taking longer.”