25 of the most memorable TV teachers

Coach Mellor – The Goldbergs

Coach Mellor, played affably and endearingly by Bryan Callen, starts out as an antagonist to the Goldberg brothers and their overbearing smother, Beverly. The middle child, Adam, doesn’t quite have the athletic acumen as his other siblings, so P.E. is often a traumatizing and degrading experience. The dreaded rope climb is one of the main obstacles he has to face, and Coach Mellor has little patience for his reticence and fear.

Coach Mellor has since grown into a more developed presence in the show, and his interactions with the Goldberg family now transcend just the coach/student paradigm.  He’s become a bit of a mascot for the family, and Beverly perceives him as someone she must take care of the same way she takes care of her family: forcefully and without regard for personal boundaries.

Beverly brokers a peace between Coach Mellor and his brother, another gym teacher, cleverly cast as former wrestler Bill Goldberg (no relation). She invites both brothers over for Thanksgiving, and she works tirelessly to bring the two back together. She also take the younger Coach Mellor into their house after Adam causes an injury, and she babies him just she would a child of her own.  Coach Mellor is often drawn as sad and lonely, but his recent episodes reveal him to be an actual human craving an emotional connection and family.

You can watch the evolution of this fun family on Hulu, and new episodes air Wednesdays on ABC.