The acclaimed Peacock original series A.P. Bio is known for its collection of extremely intelligent yet painfully awkward high school students trying to balance scholastic success with their personal happiness. Making matters worse is their washed-up philosophy teacher, Jack Griffin (Glen Howerton), who is out to redeem himself and get back at his most hated rival. Along the way, Griffin’s students and coworkers teach him a slew of life lessons.
The A.P. Bio characters demonstrate their intelligence through a number of ways, including their educational background, scholastic occupation, current academic record, wily street smarts, and ability to manipulate Griffin for their own benefit.
Dr. Jack Griffin
Despite being painted as a disgraced philosophy professor in much need of an attitude adjustment, the fact remains that Dr. Jack Griffin is a Ph.D. educated Harvard graduate with a brilliant mind. The show’s complicated protagonist is loathed to take a position teaching A.P. Bio at Whitlock High in Toledo, Ohio, and refuses to instruct his class on the subject. However, he uses his position to take full advantage.
That is, Griffin shrewdly consigns his students to help him mount an elaborate revenge campaign on his rival, Miles Leonard (Tom Bennett), who stole his dream job. However, the smartest thing Griffin does is slowly warm up to his students, help them with their issues, and express remorse over his vindictive nature. It’s this dynamic that makes Griffin one of the best fictional teachers on TV.
Miles Leonard
As Griffin’s chief rival in the series, Miles Leonard is a highly venerated philosophy scholar who not only stole the protagonist’s dream job but went on to head Stanford’s philosophy department as well. There’s no denying Leonard’s superior intellect as a memorable sitcom villain, which prompts Griffin’s neverending slew of manipulative payback schemes.
Although he has limited appearances on the show, the looming presence of Miles and the intellectual competition Griffin’s insecurities keep him mired in throughout the show says a lot about Griffin’s need to grow up and evolve for the better and serve as a positive role model for his students.
Marcus Kasperak
The smartest student in Dr. Griffin’s class is Marcus Kasperak (Nick Peine), a brown noser who the teacher absolutely despises. Griffin often pokes fun at Marcus as his least favorite student, but there is no denying how intellectually inquisitive Marcus remains throughout.
Also serving as the student council president, Marcus uses his book smarts to make key decisions on behalf of the entire student body. With a host of past scholastic achievements decorating his bedroom walls, Marcus expresses his intellect through sarcastic skepticism which makes him question Griffin’s every move as an incompetent instructor.
Heather Wilmore
After Marcus, the smartest character in Dr. Griffin’s class has to be Heather Wilmore (Allisyn Ashley Arm), an excellent student who often hijacks the lesson plan in biology class to make crass remarks about her own sexual experiences. In one episode, Heather is revealed to have an IQ of 140.
Although Heather is smarter than most of her classmates, her constant need to express her sexuality leads to some of the show’s funniest moments. Moreover, she uses her intellect to write extremely salacious erotica that she tries to publish in the school paper but is deemed far too racy.
Stef Duncan
As Whitlock High’s bubbly fan-favorite history teacher, Stef Duncan (Lyric Lewis) knows far more about the past than any other character on the show. Often seen and heard speaking multiple languages as well, her worldly knowledge gives her a leg up on her coworkers and students half her age.
The whip-smart Stef often uses her keen intellect to concoct wild pranks on behalf of Griffin, Mary (Mary Sohn), and Michelle (Jean Villepique), who form their own little alliance to take down a slew of rivals on and off of campus.
Michelle Jones
Another main character who holds years of intellectual experience over her students is Michelle Jones, a brilliant educator who teaches the Whitlock students crucial lessons in health and home economics. When she isn’t imparting wisdom onto the impressionable minds of her students, Michelle often teams with Mary and Stef to plan well-thought-out revenge plots.
For instance, Michelle uses her behind-the-scene knowledge at school to help bring down the superintendent and later deliberates on a jury panel that also showcases her surprising legal expertise.
Grace
Grace (Sari Arambulo) is one of Dr. Griffin’s brightest and most vocal participants in his A.P. biology course, often relaying her underlying dark side. At one point, Grace claims to have been possessed by the soul of an altar boy and is fluent in Latin now as a result.
The bilingual A.P. student also works part-time at the local Target, which she smartly advertises for during class to drum up more business. The shrewd enterprising student also uses her vast intellect to help Dr. Griffin exact his petty revenge schemes in the most creative ways, including the use of a bloody ransom note to scare Griffin’s neighbor. Of all the unanswerable questions A.P Bio left viewers with, Grace is at the heart of most of them.
Lynette
To succeed as Dr. Griffin’s eventual romantic partner, Lynette (Elizabeth Alderfer) must show the flexibility to navigate his warped intellect. That she does, doubling as Whitlock High’s competent and mathematically inclined payroll accountant responsible for keeping the school’s books tidy and organized.
Lynette also has the thankless task of detecting all of Griffin’s BS, which requires a keen understanding of his own human nature and how it relates to others. Despite being a supporting character, Lynette uses her money-moving skills to negotiate school budget cuts that keep Whitlock afloat.
Sarika Sarkar
Often presented as the leader of Griffin’s AP Bio class, Sarika Sarka (Aparna Brielle) is a no-nonsense Harvard University hopeful who is allergic to having fun or joking around. Expressly intent on learning as much about biology as humanly possible, Sarika’s constant head-butting with Dr. Griffin provides endless entertainment on the show.
Sarika’s unwavering determination for higher learning makes her a constant thorn in Griffin’s side, as she learns to outwit his manipulative games by giving him a dose of his own mendacious medicine. A budding professional on a fast track to success that will not be derailed, Sarika is smart and self-determined in equal measure.
Caleb
Once joining Dr. Griffin’s biology class in Season 2, Caleb (Jacob Timothy Manown) immediately showed off his superior intellect. But beyond showing top-notch dissection skills in class, Caleb proves to have a well-rounded wealth of knowledge that he uses to excel in the drama club and to write stories in his free time as a hobby.
Caleb is also wise enough to not make enemies with Principal Durbin, going out of his way to express how much of a fan of Durbin’s old ska band he is. He may be a minor character, but Caleb’s clearly one of Whitlock’s smartest students.
