''Deadly Class'' is an American television series developed by

Rick Remender Rick Remender (born February 6, 1973) is an American animator, comic book writer and television producer who resides in Los Angeles, California. As a comic book creator, he is best known for his work on ''Uncanny X-Force'', ''Venom'', ''Captain A ...

and Miles Orion Feldsott for

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

. It is based on the comic book series of the same name created by Remender and Wesley Craig and published by

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

. The series stars

Benedict Wong Benedict Wong (born 3 July 1971) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Kublai Khan in Netflix's ''Marco Polo'' (2014–2016), Bruce Ng in '' The Martian'' (2015), and Wong in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since ''Doctor Strange'' (2 ...

Benjamin Wadsworth Benjamin Wadsworth (February 28, 1670 – March 16, 1737) was an American Congregational clergyman and educator. He was trained at Harvard College (B.A., 1690; M.A., 1693). He served as minister of the First Church in Boston; and as president ...

Lana Condor Lana Therese Condor (born Trần Đồng Lan; May 11, 1997) is an American actress, producer, and singer. She made her acting debut starring as Jubilee in the superhero film '' X-Men: Apocalypse'' (2016), and gained international recognition for ...

María Gabriela de Faría María Gabriela de Faría Chacón (born 11 September 1992), is a Venezuelan actress and singer known for appearing in television series across South America. She has starred as Isabela "Isa" Pasquali in Nickelodeon's '' Isa TKM'', as Mia Novoa ...

, Luke Tennie,

Liam James Liam James (born August 7, 1996) is a Canadian actor, known for his role as Noah Curtis in the 2009 film ''2012 (film), 2012'', List of Psych characters#Young Shawn, young Shawn Spencer on the USA Network television series ''Psych'', and the lead ...

, and

Michel Duval Michel Duval (born February 10, 1994, in Mexico City) is a Mexican actor, singer, songwriter, composer and model. known for ''La rosa de Guadalupe'', ''Señora Acero'. Early life Michel Duval was born on February 10, 1994, with the name of Michel ...

. Set in the late 1980s, the series revolves around King's Dominion, an elite private academy where students are trained to become assassins. The series is produced by

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainm ...

Universal Cable Productions Universal Content Productions (UCP) is an American television production company operating within the Universal Studio Group division of NBCUniversal. History Universal Cable Productions In July 2008, Universal Cable Productions was split off ...

, in association with Gozie AGBO, Chipmunk Hill and Getaway Productions. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo serve as executive producers alongside Remender, Feldsott, Mick Betancourt,

Lee Toland Krieger Lee Toland Krieger (born January 24, 1983) is an American film director and screenwriter best known for the films ''The Vicious Kind'' (2009), ''Celeste and Jesse Forever'' (2012) and ''The Age of Adaline'' (2015). Early life Krieger was born an ...

, Mike Larocca, and Adam Targum. In November 2017, casting began for a pilot ordered by

. In April 2018, the series was picked up for an order of 10 episodes. Filming takes place in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. The first episode premiered as a special preview online on December 20, 2018 and on Syfy on December 30; the series officially premiered on January 16, 2019. It has received mixed reviews from critics, with many praising the cast, visuals, and choreography while criticizing the tone and pacing. The series was canceled in June 2019.

Premise

Set in a dark, heightened world against the backdrop of late 1980s

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

, ''Deadly Class'' follows a homeless, disillusioned teen, Marcus Lopez Arguello, who is recruited into King's Dominion, a storied elite private school chiefly serving the offspring of the world's top crime families. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques, and his own adolescent uncertainties soon prove vital for the youth.

Cast

Main

as Master Lin, the ruthless, no-nonsense headmaster of King's Dominion *

as Marcus Lopez Arguello, King's Dominion's newest addition and Saya's pledge *

as Saya Kuroki, the leader of the Kuroki Syndicate and Marcus's sponsor *

as Maria Salazar, a member of the Soto Vatos and Chico's former girlfriend * Luke Tennie as Willie Lewis, leader of the F.W.O. (Final World Order) and Marcus's best friend at King's Dominion *

as Billy Bennett, a punk rocker who is one of Marcus's best friends and the son of a corrupt, drug smuggling cop *

as Chico, the leader of the Soto Vatos, and Maria's former boyfriend

Recurring

Taylor Hickson Taylor Delaney Hickson (born 11 December 1997) is a Canadian actress raised in Kelowna, British Columbia. After graduating high school, she was granted an acting audition with a casting agent, who signed her the same day. Following a minor par ...

as Petra, a goth hailing from a death cult *

Siobhan Williams Siobhan Williams is a British-born Canadian actress. Career Williams' first role was as recurring character Jamie Lewis on ''Heartland (Canadian TV series), Heartland''. In 2012, she appeared in Disney's ''Radio Rebel'' and played the antagonist ...

as Brandy Lynn, a racist

Southern belle Southern belle () is a colloquialism for a debutante in the planter class of the Antebellum South. Characteristics The image of a Southern belle is often characterized by fashion elements such as a hoop skirt, a corset, pantalettes, a wide-b ...

and the leader of the Dixie Mob * Sean Depner as Viktor, notorious as the son of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

's top assassin * Jack Gillett as Lex Miller, an easygoing outcast * Isaiah Lehtinen as Shabnam, son of a wealthy banker who is shunned by his peers * Juan Grey as Juan, a member of Maria's clique Soto Vatos * Tom Stevens as Chester "Fuckface" Wilson, Marcus's psychopathic bunkmate * Sam Jin Coates as Yukio, a member of the Kuroki Syndicate and a student at King's Dominion *

Brian Posehn Brian Edmund Posehn (; born July 6, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, musician, and writer. After numerous appearances as a television guest star, Posehn acquired his first major recurring role in HBO's ''Mr. Show with ...

as Dwight Shandy, an aging stoner * Olivia Cheng as Madame Gao, head of that assassins guild and Master Lin's sister *

David Zayas David Zayas (born August 15, 1962) is a Puerto Rican actor. He is best known for his roles as Angel Batista on Showtime's series '' Dexter'' and Enrique Morales on the HBO prison drama series '' Oz''. Early life Zayas was born in Ponce, Puer ...

as El Alma Del Diablo, Chico's father * Viva Lee as Nahia, Master Lin's daughter *

Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon, sometimes credited as Victor Trelles, is a Canadian actor from Quebec. He is most noted for his performance in the 2012 film ''The Torrent (Le Torrent)'', for which he received a Prix Jutra nomination for Best Actor ...

as Holy Ghost, El Diablo's enforcer

Guest

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rolli ...

as Jürgen Denke, former Poison Lab instructor *

Erica Cerra Erica Cerra (born October 31, 1979) is a Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of Deputy Jo Lupo on the Syfy series ''Eureka'', and artificial intelligence A.L.I.E. and her creator Becca on ''The 100''. Career Cerra was born in Vancou ...

as Miss De Luca, Hand-to-Hand Combat instructor *

Ryan Robbins Ryan John Currier (born November 26, 1972), better known as Ryan Robbins, is a Canadian actor. Early life Robbins was born in Victoria, British Columbia. Career Robbins is known for his roles as Ladon Radim in ''Stargate Atlantis'', Henry F ...

as Rory Heemsle, homeless man who terrorized and preyed on other homeless individuals * Graeme Meekison as Jaden, an attending student at King's Dominion * Theresa Wong as Shu, Master Lin's wife * Kelcey Mawema as Gabrielle, a young woman who befriends and romances Willie *

Christopher Heyerdahl Christopher Heyerdahl (born September 18, 1963) is a Canadian actor who portrayed Alastair in '' Supernatural,'' the Wraith Todd in ''Stargate Atlantis'', Sam in ''Van Helsing,'' "Swede" in ''Hell on Wheels,'' and Marcus in '' The Twilight Saga ...

as Master Zane, combat skills instructor *

French Stewart Milton French-Stewart IV (born February 20, 1964), known professionally as French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for playing Harry Solomon on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. He also played Marv Murchins in ''Home Alone 4'', In ...

as Scorpio Slasher, psychopathy instructor *

Chanelle Peloso Chanelle Peloso (born January 21, 1994) is a Canadian television actress known for her role as Hailey Yarner in '' The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco'', for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a ...

as Sue Ann, Chester's ally * Ice-T as Himself * Doralynn Mui as Riku, a top lieutenant in the Kuroki Syndicate

Episodes

Episode titles are taken from punk rock songs of the 1980s.

Production

Principal casting for the pilot of the series was released by

in November 2017, with

, Benjamin Wadsworth,

, Luke Tennie,

and

announced as the pilot's leads. It was picked up to series by

on April 18, 2018, for a planned 2019 debut. The visual effects for the series, including the Las Vegas sequence in Episode 5, were created by

FuseFX FuseFX is a motion picture special visual effects (VFX) company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Their creative studios include FuseFX, Folks VFX, Rising Sun Pictures and El Ranchito. Established in 2006, the company develops visual ...

, CVDVFX, Zoic and One. Six One Eight.

Reception

Critical response

On the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the series has an approval rating of 64% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 6.23/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite well executed action and smart casting, ''Deadly Class'' struggles to meet the mark set by other spooky teen shows."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 58 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Ratings

Notes

References

External links

* {{Syfy Shows 2010s American crime drama television series 2010s American high school television series 2019 American television series debuts 2019 American television series endings American action television series English-language television shows Syfy original programming Television series about teenagers Television series based on Image Comics Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series by Universal Content Productions Television series set in 1987 Television shows set in San Francisco Works about Mexican drug cartels Works about the Yakuza