Deadly Class (TV series)

Deadly Class is an American television series developed by Rick Remender and Miles Orion Feldsott for Syfy and is based on the comic book series of the same name created by Remender and Wesley Craig and published by Image Comics. It stars Benedict Wong, Benjamin Wadsworth, Lana Condor, María Gabriela de Faría, Luke Tennie, Liam James and Michel Duval. Set in the late-1980s, the series revolves around King's Dominion, an elite private academy where students are trained to become assassins.

Deadly Class
Title card
Genre
Based onDeadly Class
by Rick Remender & Wesley Craig
Developed by
  • Rick Remender
  • Miles Orion Feldsott
Starring
ComposerNathan Matthew David
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducersJohn G. Lenic
Albert J. Kim
Production locationsVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
CinematographyTim Ives
Owen McPolin
EditorsJeff Groth
John Peter Bernardo
Running time43–54 minutes
Production companies
Distributor
Release
Original networkSyfy
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseJanuary 16 (2019-01-16) –
March 20, 2019 (2019-03-20)
External links
Website

The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Universal Cable Productions, 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, Mike Larocca and Adam Targum. In November 2017, casting began for a pilot ordered by Syfy. In April 2018, the series was picked up for an order of 10 episodes. Filming takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The first episode premiered as a special preview online on December 20, 2018 and on Syfy on December 30; the series would officially premiere 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.[1]

Premise

Set in a dark, heightened world against the backdrop of late '80s counterculture, Deadly Class follows a homeless, disillusioned teen recruited into King's Dominion, a storied elite private school where the world's top crime families send their next generations. Maintaining his moral code while surviving a ruthless curriculum, vicious social cliques and his own adolescent uncertainties soon prove to be vital.[2]

Cast

Main
  • Benedict Wong as Master Lin:[3] The ruthless, no-nonsense headmaster of King's Dominion.
  • Benjamin Wadsworth as Marcus Lopez Arguello:[3] King's Dominion's newest addition and Saya's pledge.
  • Lana Condor as Saya Kuroki:[3] The leader of the Kuroki Syndicate and Marcus's sponsor.
  • María Gabriela de Faría as Maria Salazar:[3] A member of the Soto Vatos and Chico's former girlfriend.
  • Luke Tennie as Willie Lewis:[3] Leader of the F.W.O. (First World Order) and Marcus's best friend at King's Dominion.
  • Liam James as Billy Bennett:[3] A friendly punk rocker who is the son of a corrupt drug smuggling cop and also one of Marcus's best friends.
  • Michel Duval as Chico:[3] The leader of the Soto Vatos, and Maria's former boyfriend until she kills him.

Recurring
  • Taylor Hickson as Petra:[3] A goth hailing from a death cult.
  • Siobhan Williams as Brandy Lynn:[3] A racist Southern belle and the leader of the Dixie Mob.
  • Sean Depner as Viktor:[3] Notorious for being the son of Joseph Stalin's top assassin.
  • Jack Gillett as Lex Miller:[3] An easy going 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:[3] Marcus's psychopathic bunkmate at the boy's home.
  • Sam Jin Coates as Yukio: A member of the Kuroki Syndicate and a student at King's Dominion.
  • Brian Posehn as Dwight Shandy:[3] An aging stoner.
  • Olivia Cheng as Madame Gao:[3] Head of assassins guild and Master Lin's sister.
  • David Zayas as El Alma Del Diablo:[3] Chico's father.
  • Viva Lee as Nahia: Master Lin's daughter.
  • Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon as Holy Ghost: El Diablo's enforcer

Guest
  • Henry Rollins as Jürgen Denke:[3] Former Poison Lab instructor.
  • Erica Cerra as Miss De Luca:[3] Hand-to-Hand Combat instructor.
  • Ryan Robbins as Rory Heemsle:[3] 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 as Master Zane:[3] Atypical Combat Skills instructor.
  • French Stewart as Scorpio Slasher:[3] Fundamentals of Psychopathy instructor.
  • Chanelle Peloso
  • Ice-T as Himself[3]
  • Doralynn Mui as Riku: A top lieutenant in the Kuroki Syndicate.

Episodes

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

No.Title [4]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [4]Prod.
code [4]		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Reagan Youth"Lee Toland KriegerTeleplay by : Rick Remender & Miles Orion FeldsottDecember 30, 2018 (2018-12-30)[lower-alpha 1]1000.355[6]
In 1987 San Francisco, Marcus, a homeless teenager, fights for survival and unexpectedly finds purpose to his life when he is recruited by Master Lin, the headmaster at an elite academy of assassins called King's Dominion. In order to pass his classes, he must learn the deadly arts - while dealing with unwelcoming schoolmates.
2"Noise, Noise, Noise"Adam KaneRick RemenderJanuary 23, 2019 (2019-01-23)1010.438[7]
Feeling remorse for killing Rory, Marcus begins to socially integrate himself into the school. More situations arise when a party is being held at Shabnam's – with all the school students being invited. Meanwhile, a certain emotion-filled instructor decides to tell Master Lin that he is ready to resign from the murderous academy.
3"Snake Pit"Adam KaneKrystal Houghton Ziv & Kevin RodriguezJanuary 30, 2019 (2019-01-30)1020.435[8]
Marcus begins to find himself involved with the pranks and hazings between the two school cliques, the Legacies and Rats. Master Lin realizes that he is struggling with conflicted feelings about Jürgen's attempt to escape the academy.
4"Mirror People"Alexis OstranderMiles Orion FeldsottFebruary 6, 2019 (2019-02-06)1030.516[9]
Being caught and punished by Master Lin for the mischief that took place at the dance party, Marcus and the other students are forced to serve detention. After breaking into a locked weapons room out of boredom, Saya’s yakuza past comes back to haunt her when the school experiences a sudden massacre at the hands of the Kuroki Syndicate.
5"Saudade"Adam KaneRick RemenderFebruary 13, 2019 (2019-02-13)1040.416[10]
Marcus, Saya, Maria, Willie and Billy make a drug fueled trip to Las Vegas in an old convertible in order to kill Billy's father. All but Billy take acid, but Marcus takes 7 times as much as the rest. Billy's father dies in an accident while fighting Marcus and Billy. Marcus encounters Chester in an elevator, but Chester feels he hasn't made sufficient preparation to kill Marcus with enough showmanship. Chico interrupts Marcus and Maria making out, severely beats up Marcus and is finally killed by Maria.
6"Stigmata Martyr"Paco CabezasMaggie Bandur & Alex EbelFebruary 20, 2019 (2019-02-20)1050.365[11]
The group's attempts to cover up their involvement in Chico's death are jeopardized by Maria's bipolar behavior. Master Lin and his sister Madame Gao clash over the proper way to run the academy. Chester prepares to make his debut as a serial killer, and sets the stage for a confrontation with Marcus.
7"Rise Above"Anthony LeonardiDave Anthony & Hilliard GuessFebruary 27, 2019 (2019-02-27)1060.355[12]
Marcus reveals Chester's threat and their shared history to Saya, who along with Billy help him set out to track Chester down. Maria is forced by Chico's family to go after a suspect in his disappearance. Willie bonds with his girlfriend. Gao discovers Lin's most closely guarded secret.
8"The Clampdown"Ami Canaan MannRayna McClendonMarch 6, 2019 (2019-03-06)1070.372[13]
Lin institutes a lockdown until he can determine who killed Chico and Yukio. Tensions boil over between the Kuroki and Soto Vatos, with Saya and Maria caught in the middle. Meanwhile, some of the students begin exploring an alliance with Gao.
9"Kids of the Black Hole"Wayne YipRick Remender & Miles Orion FeldsottMarch 13, 2019 (2019-03-13)1080.368[14]
Marcus and his friends prepare to take the battle to Chester, and Marcus separately tries to balance his feelings for Saya and Maria. Saya is forced to choose between her duties to Lin and her love for Marcus. Willie's loyalty to his friends is tested by his pacifist ideals. Lin implements his plan to deal with Gao, but she proves to be one step ahead of him.
10"Sink With California"Adam KaneRick RemenderMarch 20, 2019 (2019-03-20)1090.340[15]
Marcus and his friends invade Chester's hideout and find themselves in pitched battle with his family. Elsewhere, Lin works frantically to keep his daughter alive and stay ahead of El Alma Del Diablo's forces.

Production
Promotional poster

Principal casting for the pilot of the series was released by Syfy in November 2017, with Benedict Wong, Benjamin Wadsworth, Lana Condor, María Gabriela de Faría, Luke Tennie, Liam James and Michel Duval announced as the pilot's leads.[3] It was picked up to series by Syfy on April 18, 2018, for a planned 2019 debut.[16] The visual effects for the series, including the Las Vegas sequence in Episode 5, were created by FuseFX, CVDVFX, Zoic and One. Six One Eight.[17]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 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."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 58 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19]

Ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of Deadly Class
No. Title Air dateRating
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)		DVR
(18–49)		DVR viewers
(millions)		Total
(18–49)		Total viewers
(millions)
1 "Reagan Youth" December 30, 20180.10.355[6]N/AN/AN/AN/A
2 "Noise, Noise, Noise" January 23, 20190.10.438[7]0.30.620.41.05[20]
3 "Snake Pit" January 30, 20190.20.435[8]0.20.690.41.13[21]
4 "Mirror People" February 6, 20190.20.516[9]0.20.550.41.06[22][lower-alpha 2]
5 "Saudade" February 13, 20190.10.416[10]0.30.640.41.06[23]
6 "Stigmata Martyr" February 20, 20190.10.365[11]0.30.580.40.95[24]
7 "Rise Above" February 27, 20190.10.355[12]0.30.540.40.90[25]
8 "The Clampdown" March 6, 20190.10.372[13]0.20.490.30.87[26]
9 "Kids of the Black Hole" March 13, 20190.10.368[14]0.30.540.40.91[27]
10 "Sink With California" March 20, 20190.10.340[15]0.20.490.30.83[28]

Notes
  1. The timeslot premiere was on January 16, 2019, which received 598k viewers and a 0.2 18–49 rating.[5]
  2. Live +7 ratings were not available, so Live +3 ratings have been used instead.

References
  1. Andreeva, Nellie (June 4, 2019). "'Happy!' & 'Deadly Class' Canceled By Syfy". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  2. Burlingame, Russ (January 3, 2019). "'Deadly Class' Featurette Embraces the '80s". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  3. Petski, Denise (November 9, 2017). "'Deadly Class': Syfy Sets Full Cast For Comic-Based Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  4. "Deadly Class (SYFY) Listings". Futon Critic. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  5. Metcalf, Mitch (January 17, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.16.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  6. Metcalf, Mitch (January 2, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 12.30.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  7. Metcalf, Mitch (January 24, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.23.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  8. Metcalf, Mitch (January 31, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.30.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  9. Metcalf, Mitch (February 7, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.6.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  10. Metcalf, Mitch (February 14, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.13.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  11. Metcalf, Mitch (February 21, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.20.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  12. Metcalf, Mitch (February 28, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.27.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  13. Metcalf, Mitch (March 7, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.6.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  14. Metcalf, Mitch (March 14, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.13.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 14, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  15. Metcalf, Mitch (March 21, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.20.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  16. Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (April 18, 2018). "Syfy Picks Up To Series 'Deadly Class' Drama Based On Graphic Novel From The Russo Brothers". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  17. Failes, Ian (March 26, 2019). "DEADLY CLASS Goes on a Trip with VFX and Animation". VFX Voice. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  18. "Deadly Class: Season 1 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  19. "Deadly Class: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  20. Welch, Alex (February 8, 2019). "'Teen Mom II' leads, 'Suits' returns with solid gains in cable Live +7 ratings for Jan. 21-27". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  21. Welch, Alex (February 21, 2019). "'Teen Mom II,' 'Project Blue Book' stay on top in the cable Live +7 ratings for Jan. 28 – Feb. 3". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  22. Pucci, Douglas (February 15, 2019). "Live+3 Weekly Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Winter Premiere the Dominant Cable Leader (and Seventh-Ranked Among TV Overall) in Adults 18-49 Raw Gains". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  23. Welch, Alex (February 28, 2019). "'Deadly Class' leads percentage gains in the cable Live +7 ratings for Feb. 11-17". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  24. Welch, Alex (March 7, 2019). "'The Walking Dead,' 'Project Blue Book' lead viewer gains in the cable Live +7 ratings for Feb. 18-24". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  25. Welch, Alex (March 14, 2019). "'Deadly Class,' 'Suits' score biggest percentage gains in the cable Live +7 ratings for Feb. 25 – March 3". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
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