‘A.P. Bio’ Was NBC’s Coolest Sitcom Since ‘Community’

I’m an avowed NBC supporter. Cheers and The Office are two of my all-time favorite comedies; Must-See TV was an integral part of my childhood; and shows like NewsRadio and Scrubs have been immensely influential in my own TV writing endeavors. That said, when I heard about NBC’s decision to cancel their sophomore sitcom A.P. Bio, my visceral reaction was to publicly challenge them to an old-fashioned sunrise duel, which is admittedly ridiculous. I don’t own or even know where to rent an antique pistol, and I hate getting up early. NBC’s decision to give this razor-sharp comedy the ultimate class dismissed wasn’t exactly shocking, but it was nevertheless disheartening.

A.P. Bio is different. A.P. Bio is fun. A.P. Bio, for lack of a better term, is just plain cool.

Mike O’Brien’s sitcom reminds me of another under-appreciated yet passionately-adored series: Community. Both shows excelled at delivering a distinct brand of weird, offbeat humor that resonated with a certain subset of fans. Few network sitcoms are as adept at comedic innovation as Community and A.P. Bio (The Good Place being the exception), but the reason I love as opposed to merely liking these shows is the way they mix off-kilter comedy with a stealthy heart. Community is nominally about a suspended lawyer doing the bare minimum to get his law degree. A.P. Bio is technically about a disgraced Harvard professor trying to escape Toledo and return to the good life. But at their core, both shows are actually about a group of oddballs coming together to form a makeshift family. Jeff Winger was a jerk who became a better person through the restorative magic of friendship. Jack Griffin was a vengeful misanthrope who started to improve once he embraced his work family.

Community and A.P. Bio promote the idea that authentically connecting with other people is the key to happiness. Also, they’re both explosively funny, which helps.

Instead of imploring you to catch-up with A.P. Bio on Hulu and asking you to tell a friend (which, duh, you should! #SaveAPBio), I’m going to share a few of my favorite memories from the series.

The Relationship Between Jack and Helen:

How can you not love Paula Pell? Helen’s unflinching optimism is the perfect foil for Jack’s surly disposition. Glenn Howerton and Patton Oswalt are the stars of the show, but A.P. Bio boasts the best ensemble on television.

From Paula Pell’s scene-stealing Helen to Lyric Lewis (Stef), Mary Sohn (Mary), and Jean Villepique (Michelle) adding insane amounts of humor to each episode to Brendan Jennings (Dale), Charlie McCrackin (Coach Novak), and Jaime Moyer (Joyce) injecting a fun comedic energy into the series, A.P. Bio has the top to bottom funniest cast on television.

Am I forgetting anyone? Oh, of course…

The Addition Of Elizabeth Alderfer’s Lynette

How good is Alderfer as Lynette? The scenes between Jack and Helen sizzle because of their conflicting personalities, while the romance between Jack and Lynette works because Lynette is a worthy advisory. I mean, the duo steal Christopher Lloyd’s dog while on a date. I don’t know if I believe in the idea of soulmates, but I believe in Jack and Lynette.

The A.P. Bio Plots Are Wonderfully Ludicrous 

Here’s how Season 2, Episode 2 (“Nuns”) begins:

Here are a smattering of A.P. Bio plots:

• Jack steals from a church.
• Jack falls down a sewer.
• Durbin, Helen, and the teachers try to catch the notorious “Sugar Daddy” litterer.
• Jack wants his chair back.
• Anthony basically becomes the principal.
• Jack needs a new cell phone plan.
• Jack convinces his students to catfish his nemesis.

Season 2 has been a creative success because the writers tweaked what worked in Season 1 and amplified it for Season 2. Jack as a character hasn’t fundamentally changed, but he has softened a bit. Toledo has changed him. He cares about his students as much as if not more than getting revenge, which sounds crazy but is actually substantial character growth.

This leads me to the absolute best part of A.P. Bio:

‘A.P. Bio’ Has The Best Cast Of Young Actors On TV

I wrote about this very subject last year, but holy cow, they’re all just so damn talented. Allisyn Ashley Arm (Heather) has the best “words said to laughs earned” ratio on TV, Jack’s intense disdain for Marcus is always a treat, and every single student brings something new to the series. If you’re a casting director, hire these actors!

Unless another network decides to jump in and save A.P. Bio, the final two episodes of the series will air on Thursday, June 13th. NBC may have given the show an incomplete, but I’ll always remember A.P. Bio as a straight A-student.

Where to stream A.P. Bio