User Reviews

This show is clearly building towards something so I'm surprised to see the hate after just 2 episodes. I'm interested to see where this goes and I think it has much more potential than early reviews that I've seen. Brian Tyree Henry is a phenomenal actor and Kate Mara is underrated.

This show seems like the type that could be really great or really terrible, and since it's a miniseries they must have some sort of ending in sight which leads me to believe this show will only get better.

After only 2 episodes in I really think this show has potential, and I'll be watching it just to see where it ends up going.

I think it's good enough to deserve a chance to see if this story ramps up as the season progresses.

I have to get this out of the way first. A governments mass surveillance of its own population has nothing to do with the safety of that populous. And saying you do not care about your 'right to privacy' because you have nothing to hide, is like saying you do not care about your 'freedom of speech' because you have nothing to say. Has Edward Snowden taught us nothing?

...Anyway, 'Class of 09' has a great cast and equally stellar acting. Great cinematography and directing. While the show propagates some false stereotypes about the FBI and people in general, it doesn't take away from the entertainment value. Overall, I'm actually not too sure where the show is going but am willing to see where thats gonna be.

Maybe this was a case of too many cooks in the kitchen (read: too many producers with script notes) but it had such a great first half (perhaps first 3/4) and then just felt like it shed all of it the elements that were keeping it artfully together to do a mad dash to the finish line. It needed at least an extra episode--these 8 episode runs are almost never nearly enough and it seems like the HBO model of 12 episodes for a show, or season of a show, has always felt the best to me, not too long not too short. Class o'09 was a nuanced exploration of the good and bad potential for using AI in law enforcement. I know personally I would generally fall on the negative side of the debate for using AI but the show did a great job of demonstrating that there are potential upsides if there were ever real checks and balances baked in. But then, right around the time the show felt it had made its philosophical points, it just rushed to end everything and tie everything up in a tidy gift bow. If I had to guess, I'd say there were budgetary constraints foisted on the writers. I bet they had great scripts and had to cut them down. I mean, even the last episode was kind of unceremoniously short compared to the rest. Also there were a couple characters that felt very tacked on that I wonder if they had a more fleshed out backstory in earlier script revisions. Regardless of all that, the two lead characters, Poet and Tayo, really carried the show with their performances and made the overarching themes of a Pandora's box and a Golem convincing as realistic possibilities. Also, I'll say that I've never before watched a show that made me wish I'd had different goals when I was younger and had considered the option of joining the FBI. And I don't feel like this show serves as copaganda while it also doesn't serve as the opposite. To sum up, I've seen a few other shows fall harder off the cliff in a run up to ending the series or mini series and this show didn't come close to those *cough cough Dexter cough cough*. Definitely an entertaining and thoughtful watch that I wish I could have given a 9 or 10 but the last episode I rate as a 4 so that brought down the average.

Class of '09 jumps back and forth between three different time periods following a class of FBI agents. I was interested in this show, because of Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara, who are two great and somewhat underrated actors. The show itself, was a bit underwhelming to me. It explored some intriguing topics, but overall felt a little flat. I think it suffered from not having any characters that were likable. The guy who played Poet's love interest was particularly unlikable, which was unfortunate considering he was one of the four main characters. The scenes which depicted the friendship between Mara and Henry's characters were probably the best scenes of the show, since both actors are so great and enjoyable to watch. Unfortunately, most of the time Poet (Mara) and Tayo (BTH) were acting in separate storylines. The Poet love triangle was a waste of time in my opinion, it wasn't very interesting or necessary and it took up a lot of time as it was a main plot point of the series. I was often confused by some of the plot lines in the show, because of all the bouncing back and forth. It was just a little hard to follow at times. Honestly, I had a hard time paying attention to the show at times, which probably added to my confusion, it was just to dry at times. A positive note, the visuals of the future timeline were pretty cool as well as the production design. I think that if the show had been 12 episodes instead of 10 it could have been better in terms of pacing. I also feel that if the three time periods were presented in chronological order rather than a zig zag order, it could've been more enjoyable. Maybe 3 sets of 4 episodes dedicated to each time period. Overall, nothing special in my opinion, but I am not someone that has ever really been interested in this genre, so it was as I expected. I definitely think there is an audience for this series, but unfortunately the series fell a little flat for me.

I really liked the show, super interesting compared to allot of tv shows out now days.

My only complaint is the time jumps made it confusing for no reason, to be honest if they had run the show with a linear timeline I think it would have been more enjoyable. The time jumps really didn't add anything to the show and I think the storyline and premise of the show would have been strong enough to captivate the audience without trying to be mystical and time jump.

I would have also enjoyed seeing more of their training timeline and their relationships evolving throughout their time at the academy.

This show had a lot of promise. You have Kate Mara and Brian Tyree Henry as well as the excellent Mark Pelligrino playing a Joker type villain. The miniseries begins grounded but falls into extravagant superhero-esque plot contrivances. The cgi is particularly awful when catastrophic scenes or fake mist are put onscreen.

I really was rooting for this show with its ambitious three decades spanning story, but the far-fetched plot and poorly executed action scenes left me feeling cold. It is a shame but thankfully it is only a miniseries that will not continue on.

I have not heard anyone talk about this series, and it is probably for the best.

I literally just stubbled across this show--via a poor review that was linked on Twitter. The reviewer, from an online site, felt that "Class of '09" didn't do anything interesting and compared negatively to films like "Minority Report."

I agree this is no "Minority Report" and we're not watching Spielberg--but "Class" is a solid series. The performers, of which Kate Mara is the best known, are surprising good. The characters and storyline is, IMO, a notch above most cops & robbers AND sci-fi that's on any platform. The locations (it's shot in Georgia) bring life to the action, and the production design is a nice mixture of now and future house & design.

My guess is that people may be put-off by the three separate timelines in which the characters exists. I can see that it was a nice hook during the series pitch: the viewer gets to see the past & the present--and the results it has on the future. But, yes, after a while the cuteness wears off.

Bottom line: I believe "Class of '09" is an entertaining, middle-weight series, that doesn't ask too much of the viewers...and offers a pleasant way to relax the evening away.

NOTE: I've only seen the first 3 episodes of 8; so, I can't vouch for the remaining five.

What if Artificial Intelligence entered the criminal justice system?

This series deals with a possible scenario. Considering this series was shot before Microsoft went public with their AI system and Google Bard is in hot pusuit, the makers could be said to have made a pretty impressive "prediction" of where AI is headed.

It's no more about the jobs that may be lost due to big tech companies and their elite CEO'Ss employing AI for economic benefit. It's a question now of what if AI prosecutes the innocent, or maybe ... what if AI finds these very same elite guilty of crimes? A computer incapable of being bribed, coerced or influenced.

The possibilities are endless. Thos series on Hulu is watchable, gripping, and takes viewers down a dark tunnel we're only beginning to wake up to.

Shaune B. Ryder.

Introducing viewers to only two-time frames in the first five minutes made everything that happened in these first two episodes easier to absorb. Kate Mara's performance as Poet is so good that you are (easily) pulled into the third time frame (Present 2023) without it feeling disruptive.

You could argue that this story could have been just as good without the time jump. But it feels more attractive told this way and complements the dystopian part of the story set in 2034.

The showrunners, writers, and actors did a great job showing the good in 2009 and the ugly in 2034 offering only a glimpse of the bad that's about to happen with a great cliffhanger at the end of episode two. This direction made it thrilling and fun to watch.

Structuring a series like this is difficult and often loses focus with all the back and forth, but this new limited series from FX may be the exception. I look forward to seeing how this story plays out.

Thanks for reading Keep It Interesting and Stay Channel Surfing

Damian At TalkTeaV.

Great cast, acting, story.

Ruined by this new trend (many series/movies are using) of jumping all around time. Completely ruins the experience. If you must tell the back story - use the first couple episodes to do so, but literally doing 5-10 minutes of flashbacks and jump forwards episode after episode ruined it for me.

It was still a good show, but it could have been exceptional.

Props to whoever cast the show, wrote the show and to the actors.... Wish that the directors hadn't fallen into the same trend that is currently ruining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but they did. If there is a season 2, hopefully they tell a linear story - so the viewers can enjoy the acting and story and not waste time putting puzzle pieces together. If this was a mystery/thriller type of LEO movie I'd be ok with the jumping around, but this wasn't a who done it.

While the cast is more than passable (BTH is wonderful as always), and the directing is fine, this style of storytelling is simply not conducive to getting the point across. Three stories from different stages in these characters' lives are interwoven seemingly at random, and regardless of intention, there seems to be no reason for this so far. The scripts feel like they were written for the sole purpose of using a confusing/interesting method of storytelling, and don't feel any deeper than that. And even if it eventually ties together in a compelling way, only one of these three storylines has any intrigue. Perhaps it will right itself later on, but as of now, there isn't much to latch onto.

First off the synopsis written here is absolutely wrong. It's not about a group of FBI agents reunited after a classmates death.

As per Wikipedia: "The series takes place across three distinct time periods: The Past (2009), The Present (2023 and 2025) and The Future (2034) and follows the lives and careers of a team of FBI recruits whilst focusing on the transformation of the U. S. criminal justice system as it is altered by the growing use of artificial intelligence to predict future crimes." Having watched all 8 episodes I can confirm this to be 100% accurate.

The premise was there and relevant given the world we live in today. That said it was somewhat predicable.

If you've seen 'Minority Report' you've basically seen 'Class of '09.' All in all not an original idea.

While I am normally a Brian Tyree Henry fan, something is a miss. Not with him, he's great as always, but with the show. Maybe it is because the last military show I watched ended quickly and badly and it scarred me to the point where I'm not a huge fan of the genre anymore. Blame Quantico. But I'm through episode two and so far, I'm left wondering if I will watch the remaining few episodes. The jury is still out. Maybe Brian needs a better supporting cast. It's hard being the lone wolf on a team by yourself. Ask Lebron. But I'm hoping it gets better because Brian is a master Actor and I enjoy watching him perform his craft.

I like the show, it's a solid 7.5. I think there was an expectation that this show would be more faced paced because it's an FBI show. Maybe the trailer didn't do it justice in terms of setting expectations to its space. But I like the characters and with the past, present, and future, it manages to capture the depth of the characters and character motives in a short time. I'm especially enjoying the slow burn and relationship between Or and Poet. I hope it goes where I think it's going. Overall a decent show that I'm excited to finish watching. I do wish they released all the episodes at once, I don't like shows that I have to wait for, I think that method is very outdated. A show for me is most enjoyable when watched over a short period, but especially this show where each episode is important for the next one. I probably would have rated this a lot less if I didn't start watching now and have access to the first four episodes all at once.

Class of 09 could have been so good but what's with the flashbacks in shows these days? This one is even worse, it's more like time travels. We have to deal with past, present and future. Sometimes you don't even realize the period changed. I don't think we are wired to witness life like this. It gets exhausting. Why not start in the past, progress into the present and then into the future, instead of back and forth. So many people complain about flashbacks but new series are still full of them. Other than that the acting here is top notch. Kate Mara is always great and still looking 20 at 40. Brian Tyree is proving to be a worthy actor. There are some writing issues, like in the 2nd episode. Why let people get out of your site if you're gonna go through the trouble of trying to kill them. I know it's because they have to get away for the story to continue but that's the difficulty of writing things like this. You have to write fiction while allowing the audience to suspend their disbelief. If it was easy, I would do it myself. So many shows are being produced today with little talent available. Back in the day not all talented people made it but all who made it had talent. It was true for TV series but also music and other art forms. Today it's all about, who you know, how you present something or how shocking you can be. I digress. Class of 09 is not bad but could have been so great.

This is a Great show. I Just started it and I love it! Yes it's slower paced but I personally love that. It really wants to tell you the story and keep you wondering what's next... The acting performances are solid as well. The characters are also likeable which makes this show even better. I'm not sure what people are expecting when they watch the show I don't know what I was expecting but I personally it's some different on TV and I def needed that. If you need a show to watch and are interested in a great story check it out! People are haters and I wouldn't listen to the low reviews!!!! !!!

For a limited 8-part series, every episode should be compelling in my opinion. The first two episodes were very flat, save for the brilliant acting by Brian Tyree.

The pacing is bad, the storyline is all over the place and even though the synopsis talks about the future and the implications of A. I, the series still feels a repetition of other fbi sci-fi shows, and a poor one at that.

Tayo(Brian tyree) and Poet's (kate mara) friendship is heartwarming especially during their training days. Their past selves being so different from their future selves was interesting to see. Jon Jon briones, Jake Mcdorman and brooke smith had shorter scenes but gave the most intriguing performances. Sepideh moafi, who plays Hour Nazari, is really weak in her scenes, most of it are over acted.

Their is not much to look forward to, I would not complain if they did not release any of the other episodes.

This is an excellent thought provoking limited series. I must confess, I suffer from super hero/ star wars fatigue and was delighted to find something with a little more depth on Disney+.

The story revolves around a class of FBI recruits in three time periods, the past, the present and the future. In the future crime prevention and detection is managed by an A. I. The story explores its inception.

I found the acting to be exceptional, which is unsurprising considering the cast. The portrayal of the future is stunning and eminently believable. The themes explored are interesting and the writing clever. I highly recommend this series.

Unfortunately, it's got a small amount of good writing and acting surrounded by a bunch of cheesy, improbable, childishly silly fantasy-nonsense scenarios. There's a lot of empty pockets left where layered individual character development should be, and instead there's just repeated pepperings of interpersonal soap-operatic kaka. And, holy crow, the amount of psuedo-analytical psychological profiling and sexism in the narrative one has to endure as the viewer! (It's A Lot.)

For some reason, it's not entertaining being shown only the lifetime of baggage that fictional others in fictional law enforcement are carrying. It did start to feel like 'The Motivations of Each Character' was a goal, but it gets dragged out too far (and over time/continuity jumps) and doesn't seem very well focused. And yet, while it takes too long, it also uses blatant short-cuts and visual interpretations that are too literal to take seriously.

It was also pretty ridiculous with heavy uses of force on the part of law enforcement, tacky over-the-top prop use, cheap scene dressing, etc.; the unsophisticated production qualities were a distraction much of the time. (OMG, the way they tried to 'middle-age' a couple of the characters with hair and makeup was both comical and horrifying. What a crappy, ageist job they did!)

The dialogue is lacking/bad at times, and also the direction, the acting; it's a sort of C- to D-grade sitch. Much time was spent muttering at the screen, "No one would do that." and "This is stupid."

Conceptually compelling, but execution-wise, it's poor. Bummer that it didn't reach a better place by Ep 3.

I really like the format of this show. They go from 2009 to 2023 to 2034, and while I suspect this can be confusing for people with limited intelligence or attention span, I find it stimulating. A few years ago there was a show about a Police commissioner which did the same thing, though only past and present.

Maybe it's my background as a Clinical Psychologist that I find it interesting to see how the past influences the present and to see where it will go in the future.

The acting is uniformly good, and I like it that very few of the major characters are well-known so that there is always the chance something bad will happen to them.

If I had a wish it would be that the future was a little more futuristic. They succeed with some aspects, but the weapons and cars are pretty much 2023 versions.

I got into this show because initially it sounded interesting. I was even willing to look past Kate Mara in a starring role since her previous work has been uninspiring and basic. The acting is terrible. Script leaves much to be desired. Plot is boring. Lack of chemistry between characters. Bad makeup jobs (are we really supposed to believe that Kate Mara's character is in her mid 50s with a white stripe in her wig?). Continuity is bad too. I suppose I could have given it a lower rating but again I like Brian Tyree Henry and supporting roles like Brooke Smith as one of the instructors in the "Past" scenes. I may be willing to give it one more episode but if it can't pick up after 3 episodes then I'm out.

I binged episodes one through four of Class of 09. I was disappointed that this is a mini series with episodes published weekly as I was unable to watch the end of Season 1. Class of 09 itself is exciting and has an intricate plot, including situations from the past, present and future. It primarily features cadets for the FBI class of 2009 and their activities. The series has several mini-plots and goes back to the 1990s to demonstrates how a similar situation would have been handled in the not so distant past. The series moves to present day and delineates management of criminal activities and typical available tools. The series then fast forwards to the future, approximately 2034, to show major new advantages and technologies available for management of related circumstances. Time movement is easy to follow and coherent. Subplots are nicely organized. I am looking forward to watching the additional episodes.