When disgraced Harvard philosophy scholar Jack Griffin (Glenn Howerton) loses out on his dream job, he is forced to return to Toledo, Ohio, and work as a high school Advanced Placement Biology teacher.
As he comes crashing into Whitlock High School, Jack makes it absolutely clear he will not be teaching any biology. Realizing he has a room full of honor roll students at his disposal, Jack decides instead to use the kids for his own benefit. Eager to prove that he is still king of the castle, Principal Durbin (Patton Oswalt) struggles to control the force of nature that is Jack Griffin.
The Knockturnal: What attracted you to the show?
Glenn Howerton: The writing. The writing and the pedigree behind the show. I mean, because it’s one thing to write a great episode of the show, which Mike O’Brien, the show’s creator did do, but it’s not about the pilot, it’s about the other 120 episodes that you have to write. So for me, I had to trust that I was in the right hands, that I was gonna sign on to do a show with a guy who could write the other 120 episodes. So, getting to know Mike a little bit, that was one part of it, but then knowing that Seth Meyers was behind it, knowing that Lorne Michaels was behind it. There was enough there that made me feel like I was going to be taken care of if I wasn’t going to be writing itself, which I’m used to.
How much of yourself do you put into your characters?
Glenn Howerton: I think a lot of it’s subconscious, but more than I’d probably like to admit. I think it’s probably arguably the worst impulses that I probably have, but would never actually act on. There’s a part of me that if I were to allow myself to become the worst version of myself could possibly become these people. So it’s a chance for me to exorcize my own demons maybe.
The Knockturnal: Free therapy!
Glenn Howerton: Free therapy, exactly. It’s given me a chance to act out in a way that would be totally unacceptable in society. It’s a chance for me to behave in the worst possible way and to actually get away with it and get some laughs.
The Knockturnal: Tell us about your character.
Glenn Howerton: He wants to be better than everybody. He thinks he needs to be better than everybody, which is sad. And I think it’s a disease that exists in our culture, which is why it’s important to tell those stories. Dennis on It’s Always Sunny suffers from the same thing. Basically, I think ultimately deep down if you don’t feel good about yourself, you need to feel better than everybody else, that’s one way to overcompensate for things that you don’t like about yourself. And also, if you’re talking to me, I tend to get a little philosophical about things. That’s just the way I am.
The Knockturnal: Talk about what we’re gonna see you go through this season.
Glenn Howerton: In his own way you’re going to see him get a little bit closer to these kids, a little closer to Patton Oswalt’s character, the principal, a little closer to the other teachers. And I think to a certain degree find that maybe he doesn’t hate his own hometown as much as he thought he did. But there’s really only so much growth a character on a TV show can go through because you still have got to make a lot of episodes of that show. Yeah, but there is some growth there. I think you’ll see the cracks, you’ll see the cracks in him.
The Knockturnal: What do you think people will take away from A.P. Bio?
Glenn Howerton: Ultimately we really do just want to entertain people. But I want to give people something they’ve never quite seen before. And I think this show is different. It’s strange, it’s a little absurd, it’s a little odd, it’s a little dark. I think the best you can really hope for is that people take something different from it.
The Knockturnal: What are some of the themes that the show explores?
Glenn Howerton: I mean, if I had to get really philosophical about it and talk about the themes of it I would say that we’re exploring a man’s idea of what he thinks he should be versus just who he is. Sort of like authenticity, right? Are you comfortable just being a guy, or do you feel like you have to be better than everybody? Do you feel like you have to have achieved something great in order to be happy? And I think this show is saying, “No, you don’t, you just have to be happy.” You have to have a connection with the people around you and be happy with who you are and I think to have gratitude for what you have.
