A.P. Bio Season 3 Review: Flashes Promise to Stay One of TV’s Freshest Shows

NBC’s cancelled-then-saved A.P. Bio faces the ultimate test.

Virtually everyone that streams the A.P. Bio Season 3 premiere on Peacock will turn into a critic. Is it worth clicking a few buttons and signing up for the $5/month subscription to check out the other seven episodes (plus access to the rest of the streaming library)? Is it even worth the hassle of signing up for a free week trial? 

The verdict here leans more toward that latter option as opposed to enthusiastically signing up for a subscription for the sole purpose of supporting one of TV’s freshest comedies. 

Perhaps that reaction is more in response to the uber high expectations left on this reviewer from the Season 2 finale that promised a whole new direction featuring Helen (Paula Pell, Wine Country) as a foil to Jack (Glenn Howerton, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and his exploits with the titular class and no actual relevant (though often many inappropriate) lessons. 

As far as that’s concerned, Pell is definitely featured more and continues to prove she’s one of the most underrated talents in comedy. The season premiere certainly positions her in a more vital role, potentially to insert a fresh layer of humanity and emotion for Jack beyond his progressing, ever-charming relationship with Lynette (Elizabeth Alderfer, Disjointed). 

Hopefully the rest of the season digs into this more, despite that making up only the middle act of a premiere that struggles to find its direction. It understandably picks up in the middle of the episode, rescuing itself from becoming just another season of Jack forcing his students into what could potentially be defined as indentured servitude. It’s a good misdirect, only for the story to fall right back into those terms. 

Not that it’s a bad spot to be. All the students’ well-defined traits (however one-dimensional they might be) are still all rocking. Heather (Allisyn Snyder, Sonny with a Chance) is still ride-or-die with Mr. G. Marcus (Nick Peine, Office Christmas Party) somehow still manages to be a perfect blend of cool and nerdy. At least Grace (Sari Arambulo, Party of Five) has developed an unusual passion for her job at Target in addition to her signature morbidity. And a quick shoutout for Eduardo (Miguel Chavez, Dave) who always makes the most of his couple lines to ramp up some of the show’s more awkward moments. 

From a production standpoint, thankfully nothing has really changed despite the show’s transition to NBCUniversal’s streaming platform Peacock. There’s even a whole new set that’s partially destroyed. Was all of the budget thrown there? Hard to say without checking out the rest of the season. Thankfully there’s a free option to test those waters. 

A.P. Bio Season 3 is currently streaming on Peacock.