NBC’s new comedy A.P. Bio is about Jack Griffin (Glenn Howerton, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), a Harvard philosophy scholar who’s been hired as a high school Advanced Placement biology teacher. He’s not happy about his new job. His dream job was taken by his academic rival Miles Leonard (Tom Bennett). Obsessed with taking down Leonard, Griffin shows up at the high school in sweatpants and refuses to teach biology. Instead of teaching science, Griffin has the students “Catfish” Leonard. When Principal Ralph Durbin sneaks into the classroom to hear how it’s going, Durbin is surprised by the conversation and to see Griffin in sweatpants.) Durbin wears a Sipowicz-esque uniform — short-sleeves with a tie). When Durbin inquires about Griffin’s appearance and his teaching technique, Griffin suggests Durbin shouldn’t ask so many questions especially if he wants to become friends with cool, laid-back Griffin. Durbin (who is not cool and follows rules) would love that.
Principal Durbin is portrayed by Patton Oswalt. The stand-up comedian is known for his roles on Veep (Teddy Sykes), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Billy Koenig), Two and a Half Men (Billy Stanhope), United States of Tara (Neil), and The King of Queens (single MTA booth worker Spence Olchin), among many others. Or maybe you recognize his voice from animated shows or The Goldbergs (Oswalt is the narrator). A.P. Bio airs Thursdays at 9:30pm on NBC.
