Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week.

The taboo of a female teacher getting sexually involved with her male high school student has been covered in pop culture before, most notably in “Dawson’s Creek” and more recently on “Riverdale.”

So there was reason to be skeptical of the 10-episode limited series “A Teacher,” streaming Tuesday on FX on Hulu (AKA Hulu), especially when the first episode features a scene of the teacher stealing a tube of lipstick from a store. It’s a smack-you-over-the-head moment designed to indicate the teacher, Claire (Kate Mara), needs to seek out self-destructive thrills.

Early episodes – each a half-hour — where viewers can see the tension building between Claire and high school senior Eric (Nick Robinson, “Love, Victor”) feel extremely familiar, from Eric’s I’m-more-mature-than-my-peers vibe to her lip-biting initial reluctance to Eric’s “I’m the man!” self-congratulations after they have sex in her car the first time in episode four.

But “A Teacher” earns its raison d’etre in episode six as the show begins exploring the aftermath once their relationship is out in the open (since this isn’t a new plot, it’s no spoiler to reveal the show’s obvious trajectory).

“A Teacher” abruptly shifts gears. In the early going, fans of a doomed romance may have cheered the Claire-Eric coupling, but “A Teacher” doesn’t hesitate to make clear the damage the relationship causes for both parties and particularly the emotional toll it takes on Eric.

Once even-keeled and well-behaved, Eric finds himself moping through the day, seeking one high (alcohol) after another (dangerous behavior).

Robinson, in particular, delivers a nuanced performance in a series that could best be improved by less build-up and even more exploration of the affair’s victim.

TV writer Rob Owen: rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow RobOwenTV on Twitter or Facebook.

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