The pilot for English Teacher was ordered by FX in June 2022, with creator Brian Jordan Alvarez serving as writer and executive producer alongside Paul Simms. FX did not officially order the full series until November 2023, over a year later.

When the show was first announced, Julian Sergi was cast as Markie Hillridge, but he was later replaced in the role by Sean Patton before the series premiered.

Carmen Christopher's character Rick Santana started as a recurring role in season 1 before being upgraded to a main cast member for season 2.

The first season of English Teacher earned a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 44 critic reviews and a Metacritic score of 83/100, indicating 'universal acclaim'.

Despite its critical acclaim, English Teacher struggled in linear TV ratings, premiering with just 212,000 total viewers, and was ultimately canceled by FX in November 2025 after two seasons.

According to streaming aggregator Reelgood, English Teacher was the eighth most-streamed program in the U.S. during its premiere week in 2024, and it reached No. 3 on Hulu's 'Top 15 Today' list shortly after launch.

The series aired internationally on Disney+, while in Canada its first two episodes premiered simultaneously on linear FX before becoming available on Disney+ the next day.