Glenn Howerton Wants You To Shut The Hell Up & Help Him Get Revenge In NBC’s Delightfully Demented ‘A.P. Bio’

You’ll learn everything you need to know about the extraordinary new comedy A.P. Bio in the first two minutes of the pilot. From the mind of former SNL writer/performer Mike O’Brien, NBC’s latest must-see sitcom follows Jack Griffin (It’s Always Sunny’s Glenn Howerton), a disgraced Harvard philosophy scholar forced to return to his hometown of Toledo, Ohio to teach AP Biology. With zero interest in doing absolutely anything that resembles shaping the minds of the youth of America, Jack decides to use his brainy students to assist him in seeking vengeance on those who wronged him.

“Let’s go ahead and start to shut up now,” Jack says in the opening scene, introducing himself to his students. “My name is Jack Griffin, and I don’t want to be here.”

Premiering tonight on NBC, A.P. Bio is so much freaking fun. It sets itself apart from other network sitcoms by exuding an acerbic brand of punk-rock comedy. Howerton’s Jack Griffin is irascible, smug, and unrelentingly narcissistic, so of course he’s going to draw comparisons to It’s Always Sunny’s resident sociopath Dennis Reynolds. The two shows share a comedic tone and nobody plays an egotistical jerk better than Howerton, so the comparisons are valid, but Jack Griffin is a lot less psychotic than Dennis Reynolds. That said, It’s Always Sunny fans will enjoy the helter-skelter hilarity of A.P. Bio.

See for yourself by watching the first two minutes of the show.

From minute one, A.P. Bio knows exactly what type of show it wants to be and confidently brandishes its piercing comedic point of view. Howerton is perfect for the character of Jack Griffin. I knew he’d be good, but even as a lifelong Sunny fan I wasn’t prepared for just how hard he nails this role. There’s a small moment in the third episode that has become my favorite TV moment of the young year. Jack is dating a mom of one of his students and as the pupil prepares to go to bed, his mother affectionately says “Goodnight, Duck” and the student quacks and heads to bed. Jack is not a fan of this tender moment so he dismissively shakes his head and just says “no” to nobody in particular. It’s a small ten-second snippet that demonstrates how this freshman series has a veteran understanding of comedy, which makes sense when you consider the creative team.

A.P. Bio is executive-produced by Lorne Michaels and Seth Meyers and was created by the comedically underrated Mike O’Brien. Formerly of SNL and FX’s Man Seeking Woman, O’Brien is also the creative force behind the Above Average series 7 Minutes in Heaven and a number of relentlessly funny UCB live shows. The distinct comedy of A.P. Bio is emblematic of O’Brien’s idiosyncratic sense of humor.

Also elevating the series is Jack’s foil, Principal Durbin (Patton Oswalt). Oswalt portrays Jack’s perpetually under siege boss with an entertaining combination of ineptitude, optimism, and frustration. The entire show is littered with theatrical talent, but the dynamic between Durbin and Jack is a real treat. Jack makes zero effort to conceal his antipathy for the job, but Durbin knows he needs the prestige that comes with employing a former Harvard professor.

It’s a unique relationship that adds to the delirium of this clever comedy.

There are many pithy, flowery expressions I could use to promote A.P. Bio — “Bad teacher, good show,” “This A+ show doesn’t give an F,” “a never-ending recess of laughs” — but the only thing you really need to know is that it’s wildly hilarious, razor-sharp, and a whole lot of fun. Mike O’Brien’s series is a welcome addition to NBC’s growing stable of exceptional sitcoms. If The Good Place and Superstore are the sweet, A.P. Bio is the unapologetically sour.

Let’s all go ahead and start to shut up now and enjoy the deranged madness of A.P. Bio.

A.P. Bio premieres tonight at 9:30 on NBC. Beginning on Friday, February 2nd, the first three episodes will be available to stream on Hulu and the NBC app.

Where to stream A.P. Bio