Class is back in session! After cancelling A.P. Bio in May, NBC has decided to bring back the show for its forthcoming streaming service. The show initially ran for two seasons before being cancelled. This marks the first time broadcast comedy has been revived by a streaming service under the same corporate umbrella, unlike shows like Lucifer that were cancelled by their network and picked up elsewhere.
A.P. Bio is a comedy series about Jack Griffin, a Harvard philosophy scholar, who is forced to become an advanced placement biology teacher at an Ohio high school. Jack Griffin is played by Glenn Howerton who is known for his role as Dennis on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Patton Oswalt (The Goldbergs, Veep) also stars as Principal Ralph Durbin. Other cast members include Nick Peine (Office Christmas Party), Lyric Lewis (Baskets), Mary Sohn (The Boss), Jean Villepique (BoJack Horseman) and Paula Pell (Saturday Night Live). The cast will have to sign new contracts with Universal TV because their deals expired in June. However, members of the cast have been active on social media in regards to the season three announcement, so they are expected to return.
A.P. Bio was created by Mike O’Brien. O’Brien executive produces the series with Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live), Seth Meyers (Late Night with Seth Meyers), Mike Shoemaker (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) and Andrew Singer (Portlandia). O’Brien, who previously said A.P. Bio was his “favorite project of [his] life,” shared his excitement for the revival in statement, “I’m so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the fans. The cast and I are thrilled that we get to make more and I’m excited to work with the NBCU streaming platform.”
A.P. Bio struggled in the televised ratings with a low 884,000 total viewers. However, the show’s resurgence is likely the result of its strong online performance. 47 percent of the show’s 35-day demo rating stems from digital platforms. A.P. Bio only ranked behind Brooklyn Nine-Nine on NBC’s platforms. Howerton acknowledged the streaming numbers in his thank you message.
Not much is known about NBCUniversal’s upcoming streaming platform, other than that it is set to launch in 2020. The third season of A.P. Bio will join the platform with other NBC series, like The Office.