This show is completely different. It's sci fi teenage horror ish all in one. It's bloodier and has sex scenes inappropriate for children. It is, however, entertaining if you go into it thinking of it has an alien sci fi series. I think it's quite creative in its invasion ideas. The writing, yeah it's teenage based thinking. I enjoyed it for what it was.
55 Reviews
Has potential and need to be continued
magusta15 May 2017
- Cute characters: Most of the characters are decent human being (or alien being ?) with interesting backstory. - Cute Relationship: I really appreciate TV show that feature a casual same-sex relationship, with a balance drama and natural romance. I'm glad that "Class" treats Charlie and Matteusz's love like every normal romantic relationship. - The plot line is increasingly getting better, and I think the most significant episode is Detained. - It can get a bit dark sometime but still a good show that has potential. I hope it would be continued soon.
incomplete
SnoopyStyle30 December 2018
This is a dark spinoff of Doctor Who. The students of Coal Hill Academy has to deal with strange other worlds in between class. Miss Quill is the harsh new teacher. New kid Charlie Smith is secretly a refugee, Prince of the Rhodians, from another planet. Quill is forced to be his protector. The battling races were caught unaware when their planet was conquered by the Shadow Kin. The Doctor rescued them and placed them in the school.
The chemistry with the kids is still developing. The kids are questionable as actors. The show is darker and faster pace than the Doctor Who of its time. It's pushing a bit too fast and too hard that the story gets a bit jumbled. The characters don't have the space and time to develop their relationships. Miss Quill is probably the best character. All in all, this is an interesting start but it's incomplete as a show. It needs more time. It's cancelled after an eight episode first series.
The chemistry with the kids is still developing. The kids are questionable as actors. The show is darker and faster pace than the Doctor Who of its time. It's pushing a bit too fast and too hard that the story gets a bit jumbled. The characters don't have the space and time to develop their relationships. Miss Quill is probably the best character. All in all, this is an interesting start but it's incomplete as a show. It needs more time. It's cancelled after an eight episode first series.
Great!
DoctorThotcer10 November 2018
Caught it on Netflix, went in blind with no preconceptions, loved it, great production values, clever effects, exciting scripts, I honestly wished there were more episodes, but instead I come to look for some BTS info and discovered there is all this hate about its PC-ness because it has different races, strong women and gay people in it.
Well, I'm sorry, but so does the world, I'm currently sitting next to my gay friend who is a chemical engineer who works with muslims and has a female boss, welcome to the modern world people, get over it.
Well, I'm sorry, but so does the world, I'm currently sitting next to my gay friend who is a chemical engineer who works with muslims and has a female boss, welcome to the modern world people, get over it.
Already good but has so much potential
abedein726 November 2016
OK, so Class is, on its own, a very good show if you are a young adult (like myself) and are into sci-fi. Of course, compared to Doctor Who, it can't compete but by looking at it from an objective, individual point of view its rather brilliant. After watching the first two episodes, I wasn't hooked but I liked it. But by episode 3, I think the best episode of the series (so far), it really highlighted Ness's capability as a writer. Class was still going through its growing pains for the first couple of episodes but, for me, the series started to shine as it progressed. The characters really developed into something unique and special, particularly April who has become one of my favourites. 'Her' two parter focused on her character's development which was done really well, even if the actual story wasn't amazing. After watching "Detained", the sixth episode, made me start to properly love the series as much as Torchwood. The acting, particularly by Greg Austin (Charlie) stood out and helped the lesser experienced actors along Episode 7 was different. But in a good way. Ms Quill, who had really been the comic relief of the series had uncovered a completely different side of her character, opening up to the viewers in a way. I am really looking forward to the finale, the trailer looks amazing and hopefully Patrick Ness can really end this new, ambitious series on a high. I would love a second series and I think not only will it help the show itself but also Doctor Who since there hasn't been a spin- off, which makes the Whoniverse bigger, for 5 years
Overall, a decent television series with a whole lot of potential in it
Overall, a decent television series with a whole lot of potential in it
Hoping to see more
stepan_roberta18 March 2017
I love this TV show and i hope to see more of it i love everything about it.
The characters are well written and the details are amazing.
The scenes look so real i got really surprised it even made me want to go watch doctor who from where i left it.
I hope it doesn't stop here like some others....
I also love the couples and how they came together.
The characters are well written and the details are amazing.
The scenes look so real i got really surprised it even made me want to go watch doctor who from where i left it.
I hope it doesn't stop here like some others....
I also love the couples and how they came together.
Good fun, but has got a few issues to sought out
Equalizer1629 October 2016
Class is the new spin off from the world of Doctor Who, revolving around a group of youngsters at a Coal Hill School or Academy. Together they are earths first line of defence against new threatening aliens entering the world through cracks in space and time.
The first two episodes of Class really through out what show is, by implying and hinting what we may expect from the series. Bottom line is you have really fun easy to watch science fiction drama, that still has that Doctor Who atmosphere but with a different audience. It clearly shows off that it wants to be dark, bloody, scary, and adults for young mature audiences.
Granted the show hasn't quite lifted off the ground yet it does have a few issues so far it needs to work on. Its pacing and structure are not quite perfect yet and need a bit more consistency throughout the 45 min limit. There is some dialogue that kind of losses itself and doesn't quite work, and a reasonable anticlimactic end to some of the adventures.
Episode 3 Nightvisting, was a massive improvement though, with a clear passion and emotion that the show wants to express, really well executed in round 3. A much more puzzling story as well which is good, and less awkward acting and dialogue.
So though we are only 3 episodes in Class is rally good fun, Patrick Ness has got a lot of ideas he wants to put forward which is good, but should become a gradual process rather than throwing all of it right at us, But a satisfactory start so far, hope this picks up further on in the series. 8.3/10
The first two episodes of Class really through out what show is, by implying and hinting what we may expect from the series. Bottom line is you have really fun easy to watch science fiction drama, that still has that Doctor Who atmosphere but with a different audience. It clearly shows off that it wants to be dark, bloody, scary, and adults for young mature audiences.
Granted the show hasn't quite lifted off the ground yet it does have a few issues so far it needs to work on. Its pacing and structure are not quite perfect yet and need a bit more consistency throughout the 45 min limit. There is some dialogue that kind of losses itself and doesn't quite work, and a reasonable anticlimactic end to some of the adventures.
Episode 3 Nightvisting, was a massive improvement though, with a clear passion and emotion that the show wants to express, really well executed in round 3. A much more puzzling story as well which is good, and less awkward acting and dialogue.
So though we are only 3 episodes in Class is rally good fun, Patrick Ness has got a lot of ideas he wants to put forward which is good, but should become a gradual process rather than throwing all of it right at us, But a satisfactory start so far, hope this picks up further on in the series. 8.3/10
A breath of fresh air
suse-prinas30 October 2016
After the first three episodes I can safely say that this show is awesome. Especially the third one, and I can't wait for more.
It is somewhat like Torchwood meets The Sarah Jane adventures. It's not as bleak as Torchwood, but it is way darker (and with more blood) than The Sarah Jane adventures. It is the right combination of dark and humorous. I like how it focuses more on characters and how meeting aliens affects them, instead of on the actual monsters itself. It's not just another "monster of the week" type of a show.
The diversity of characters is great as well. Being part of the LGBT community myself I really like the fact that we are finally getting a main character in a Sci-Fi show that seems to be gay. Yes, Torchwood had similar, but with that we never really had as much time to actually enjoy those scenes. With this being a slightly lighter show focused on the characters we actually can do exactly that. But at the same time the fact that those characters are gay doesn't really detract from the characters overall personality. I think that this show made the first perfect gay character. One that will appeal to straight and gay population.
For me the Doctor Who spin-offs were always more interesting than the main show (I still love the main show of course). And I think that this show is continuing that tradition. It's been a long while since the last time I was so anxiously waiting for a new episode of any TV show. And I am glad to have that feeling again.
It is somewhat like Torchwood meets The Sarah Jane adventures. It's not as bleak as Torchwood, but it is way darker (and with more blood) than The Sarah Jane adventures. It is the right combination of dark and humorous. I like how it focuses more on characters and how meeting aliens affects them, instead of on the actual monsters itself. It's not just another "monster of the week" type of a show.
The diversity of characters is great as well. Being part of the LGBT community myself I really like the fact that we are finally getting a main character in a Sci-Fi show that seems to be gay. Yes, Torchwood had similar, but with that we never really had as much time to actually enjoy those scenes. With this being a slightly lighter show focused on the characters we actually can do exactly that. But at the same time the fact that those characters are gay doesn't really detract from the characters overall personality. I think that this show made the first perfect gay character. One that will appeal to straight and gay population.
For me the Doctor Who spin-offs were always more interesting than the main show (I still love the main show of course). And I think that this show is continuing that tradition. It's been a long while since the last time I was so anxiously waiting for a new episode of any TV show. And I am glad to have that feeling again.
Good, not great, not bad, good.
ewansuttie23 October 2016
Despite not having major advertisement, Class still managed to grasp my attention. Doctor Who used to be one of my favorite shows, and to see another spin off, aside from Torchwood was great.
We are introduced to our characters in a very well filmed opening tracking shot, as the camera pans on each of them. But I still can barley remember any of their names, unlike a TV show like Skins where I managed to learn all their names in the first episode. I couldn't learn them because the characters are boring, aside from two, that I found to be very interesting, these two tie heavily into the plot, and you'll know them when you see them.
But despite the boring characters, the plot of the pilot is pretty great. So great in fact, that I can remember nearly everything from it.
One last thing before the verdict, when seeing the trailer, I really didn't think it was going to be that good, I thought it was going to be a poorly acted, directed and cheap knock off of a British classic. But I was wrong, Class bring something to the table that Doctor who doesn't, a violent, well told tale about a group of regular teenagers defending their school. Sure the dialogue sounds unrealistic in some places, however Class is a fun teen drama that makes you think twice about the world of Doctor who.
My final verdict for Class is a - 7.3, as it's fun and has a brilliant narrative, however I found the characters to be a little boring and unrealistic.
We are introduced to our characters in a very well filmed opening tracking shot, as the camera pans on each of them. But I still can barley remember any of their names, unlike a TV show like Skins where I managed to learn all their names in the first episode. I couldn't learn them because the characters are boring, aside from two, that I found to be very interesting, these two tie heavily into the plot, and you'll know them when you see them.
But despite the boring characters, the plot of the pilot is pretty great. So great in fact, that I can remember nearly everything from it.
One last thing before the verdict, when seeing the trailer, I really didn't think it was going to be that good, I thought it was going to be a poorly acted, directed and cheap knock off of a British classic. But I was wrong, Class bring something to the table that Doctor who doesn't, a violent, well told tale about a group of regular teenagers defending their school. Sure the dialogue sounds unrealistic in some places, however Class is a fun teen drama that makes you think twice about the world of Doctor who.
My final verdict for Class is a - 7.3, as it's fun and has a brilliant narrative, however I found the characters to be a little boring and unrealistic.
I won't be going back
samsjackson25 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Do you like Buffy the vampire slayer? well so does Patrick Ness as Class is pretty much a British knock off. Do you like the most basic archetypes? well so does Patrick Ness as Class contains the most boring, simple characters types we've seen in every piece of college fiction written in the past 30 years. Do you like relatable characters? No? Well good because pretty much everyone in Class is unlikable to the point where I'm not sure I want the episode to be resolved, if the villains of episode one won I really wouldn't care. Our "hero" is a somehow simultaneously an alien prince slave owner and the most boring man on the planet, his or ours. The rest of the cast are all really boring stereotypes, the jock, the nerd, the kind one. All brought together in a really forced way. This is Patrick Ness's first TV project and it shows with characters dancing around flashing neon exposition and jokes so clunky you can literally hear the thud as they fail to land. Characters are vain and have ridiculous leaps in logic such as April, a girl with so few defining character traits I actually forgot she was on the team, April is attacked by a "Shadow-kin" and, after being rescued we get the back story of our "hero" and her response "We're going to have to cancel prom", now in Buffy that would be the joke the scene ended on but no we continue on making the character just look insane and insensitive to the fact the person who saved her life just told her about how his planet died. No one would act like this, and that's my main problem, these characters are really fake, they're not what actually teenagers are like, they are what a group of writers and executives think teenagers are like, what they think will appeal to them. I should know, I'm in my second year at sixth form, I'm the target audience for this and all I'm seeing is a group of target psychographics flailing across a screen for 50 minutes. And don't even get me started on deus ex machina, the Doctor, the title character of the series the show spun off from is reduced to nothing but a get out of jail free card appearing to fix the problem and then leaving twice! This leaves the writer with the problem that they now have to write around why they can't just call the Doctor every time now. But I believe this series doesn't respect its roots in using the Doctor as nothing more than a tool, but that's just me.
That being said this show does a have some redeeming qualities, Ms Quill for one is the break out character of the show, she's by far the most memorable and interesting but even she is restricted by poor dialogue. The story is basic, a twist on the riches to rags story so it can't really go to wrong. The VFX both practical and digital are spectacular rivalling even Doctor Who for some of the best I've seen on British TV in a long while so its got that in its corner. All in all I believe this series is bad, but not irredeemable, its the kind of thing I would check back with next season as the rest of the season is written by Patrick Ness so little chance of the series changing direction at this point. Give the series a try if you're in the UK as its free on Iplayer and make up your own mind.
That being said this show does a have some redeeming qualities, Ms Quill for one is the break out character of the show, she's by far the most memorable and interesting but even she is restricted by poor dialogue. The story is basic, a twist on the riches to rags story so it can't really go to wrong. The VFX both practical and digital are spectacular rivalling even Doctor Who for some of the best I've seen on British TV in a long while so its got that in its corner. All in all I believe this series is bad, but not irredeemable, its the kind of thing I would check back with next season as the rest of the season is written by Patrick Ness so little chance of the series changing direction at this point. Give the series a try if you're in the UK as its free on Iplayer and make up your own mind.
Superb! Why isn't Patrick Ness the showrunner of Doctor Who?
rabbitfish6314 December 2019
The one and only season of "Class" is brilliant, coherent, emotional, and superbly constructed. It puts a lot of balls in the air and juggles them with aplomb. There are no places in the entire season where you feel like they've forgotten about any of the characters or the world they're creating.
The diverse cast is all wonderful and believable, and the adventures they go through always serve character: whether it's pacifist Tadeusz struggling to keep his boyfriend Charlie on a moral course, or Tanya's insecurity about her age, or Quill's dual pull between caretaking and revenge, the stories always reveal more and more about them.
The show looks great, especially episodes like the one where the town is covered in killer vines, and the acting is all top-notch. Yes, it's fairly bloody and doesn't totally settle into its rhythm until the second episode, but this show is anything but second-rate Who. It is a model of action/adventure/SF and it's a tragedy that it never got its second season.
The diverse cast is all wonderful and believable, and the adventures they go through always serve character: whether it's pacifist Tadeusz struggling to keep his boyfriend Charlie on a moral course, or Tanya's insecurity about her age, or Quill's dual pull between caretaking and revenge, the stories always reveal more and more about them.
The show looks great, especially episodes like the one where the town is covered in killer vines, and the acting is all top-notch. Yes, it's fairly bloody and doesn't totally settle into its rhythm until the second episode, but this show is anything but second-rate Who. It is a model of action/adventure/SF and it's a tragedy that it never got its second season.
Not Bad
Manwhofell23 October 2016
Wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't disappointed. No spoilers here. It was pretty entertaining. Not as "kiddie" as The Sarah Jane Adventures (which I did enjoy), but sort of along those lines. Too soon to judge the format after watching only one, but it seems to mix the idea of a monster of the week with an arcing subplot. I was hoping for grittier visuals but they fall more along the lines of the RTD era of Doctor Who. We all already know it's a spin-off, so I don't think this is a spoiler - but just in case - a guest appearance really elevates the episode. I'm only going to go 6 out of 10, based on the single episode, but I could see future episodes bringing that rating higher. Hoping for more character development as we go on, which I can't imagine not happening. All in all a solid start, not earth shattering, but strong enough to get me to see episode 2.
***Updated*** Okay, I'm 4 episodes in, and re-rate this a 7.5 (it only gives whole number options), it's getting better. Not Doctor Who good, but worth watching. At the end of episode 4, I'm left wanting episode 5. And that is how good television should be.
***Updated*** Okay, I'm 4 episodes in, and re-rate this a 7.5 (it only gives whole number options), it's getting better. Not Doctor Who good, but worth watching. At the end of episode 4, I'm left wanting episode 5. And that is how good television should be.
Hoping it gets better.
whotobe30 October 2016
Having watched every available Doctor Who episode from the beginning, K9 (2009), The Sarah Jane adventures and Torchwood I have seen a wide range of stories from the Doctor Who universe. This series is an odd mix from the SJA and Torchwood. It is geared to a younger audience but not too young. The blood, violence, and partial nudity seem out of place for a viewer too young. Overall the series feels like kids from SJA being thrown into Torchwood but without Captain Jack. That said, previous programs had an anchor that makes the show interesting and is a focal point. The Doctor, Captain Jack or Sarah Jane all fit that mold. This show lacks a leader or a team effort (so far). This may change since at this writing only three episodes have aired. The plots are pretty basic and the characters have a long way to go in development. However, this is true of any new show (case in point Star Trek: TNG took two seasons to hit it's stride). The brief appearance of the Doctor also felt very forced and not well written. The board on the school wall of student names was a nice touch though (freeze frame it to see several names you recognize). The show has potential but right now it is fair at best. I am hoping for better writing and character development. I even grew to like Matt Smith a little after he grew into the part of the Doctor after David Tennant left so there is hope if the production team put some effort into this.
Very enjoyable spin off that takes a little while to hot up.
Sleepin_Dragon12 June 2017
I've read some of the negative reviews, and I can assume is they watched one or two episodes and judged on that basis, having gotten through til the end I would say it starts off slowly but develops into something rather good. Nightvisiting is the best of the early episodes, but the latter episodes are exceptional, the finale is brilliant.
The series perhaps suffers slightly by the confines of the School, but there is so much more mileage here, I genuinely think with a new team this could be turned into something memorable. A definite failure by the schedulers, putting this on at absurd times, it was never going to build a following. A Saturday evening slot would have been so much more effective.
Solid performances I would say, the show benefits enormously when Pooky Quesnel arrives as the new Headmistress. Her last scenes contain a true squee moment.
Series two is a must, this show really does deserve a second chance, it's so easy to axe a show after one series, especially sci fi, give it a chance. 8/10
The series perhaps suffers slightly by the confines of the School, but there is so much more mileage here, I genuinely think with a new team this could be turned into something memorable. A definite failure by the schedulers, putting this on at absurd times, it was never going to build a following. A Saturday evening slot would have been so much more effective.
Solid performances I would say, the show benefits enormously when Pooky Quesnel arrives as the new Headmistress. Her last scenes contain a true squee moment.
Series two is a must, this show really does deserve a second chance, it's so easy to axe a show after one series, especially sci fi, give it a chance. 8/10
Another Spin-off
dormesher-2156516 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Class Definitely the weakest out of the Dr Who spin-offs but still in my opinion a great show and one that fans should watch very interesting story and some great characters especially Mrs Quill she is such a bad ass and there alot of twists with her character in this series.
However the thing with this series is it doesn't feel like a spin-off and dosent really feel connected to Dr Who which really let's it down for me like apart from The Doctor showing up in the first episode and it being set in Coal Hill there is no connection at all except the the show would of been much better in my opinion if one the characters had shown up in Dr Who first and had some sort of connection so we could get attached more like we did with Jack and Sarah Jane who had great spin-off cliffanger which I'll get two.
The effects in this series are great and I love the design of all the species that show up in the show. The last episode of the series is brilliant in my opinion great story arc for Mrs Quill and ends her story on such a cliffanger.
The biggest cliffanger in the series is definitely the Weeping Angel showing up at the end what are they doing there and why are they here well unfortunately we will never because it was canceled great cliffanger and I want to know hopefully we get to see an episode in Dr Who dealing with this and end This story.
Verdict Pretty decent show with some great characters however dosent feel connected to Dr Who a s dosent really feel like a spin-off in my opinion 7/10
However the thing with this series is it doesn't feel like a spin-off and dosent really feel connected to Dr Who which really let's it down for me like apart from The Doctor showing up in the first episode and it being set in Coal Hill there is no connection at all except the the show would of been much better in my opinion if one the characters had shown up in Dr Who first and had some sort of connection so we could get attached more like we did with Jack and Sarah Jane who had great spin-off cliffanger which I'll get two.
The effects in this series are great and I love the design of all the species that show up in the show. The last episode of the series is brilliant in my opinion great story arc for Mrs Quill and ends her story on such a cliffanger.
The biggest cliffanger in the series is definitely the Weeping Angel showing up at the end what are they doing there and why are they here well unfortunately we will never because it was canceled great cliffanger and I want to know hopefully we get to see an episode in Dr Who dealing with this and end This story.
Verdict Pretty decent show with some great characters however dosent feel connected to Dr Who a s dosent really feel like a spin-off in my opinion 7/10
I really enjoyed it
duffieldmarissa11 June 2017
I understand that most adults wouldn't enjoy this show but this show isn't meant for adults. Class my not contain the best acting or writing I've ever seen but it is interesting with an engaging plot and mostly likable characters. I also really liked that the main character was openly gay and in a happy relationship, being that I myself am gay.
It's not a show for everyone but people need to remember that this show isn't targeted for everyone. In my opinion it was a great show, that I loved, and I really hope that season 2 is going to be confirmed soon.
It's not a show for everyone but people need to remember that this show isn't targeted for everyone. In my opinion it was a great show, that I loved, and I really hope that season 2 is going to be confirmed soon.
Likable teenage fantasy - bad pacing
elliest_526 April 2017
The main influence of this series isn't Doctor Who but Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There is a long list of similarities, from the high-school grounds being the center of adventures, to the teen angst, and to easy parallels between the two monster-fighting gangs (prime example: the reluctant ally who would hurt the main characters if it wasn't for a brain implant). The show does well to openly acknowledge this influence (mentioning the similarity to Buffy's "Hellmouth" in the very first episode), which is actually part of a very good start: at first, the show doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, throwing in lots of jokes and pop-culture references.
This good start is later spoiled by the very wrong pacing, which makes the show run out of steam and out of ideas remarkably quickly. It's as if the creators decided to condense 22 episodes into 8. The development of the characters and of the dynamics among them skips several steps, there's hardly any bonding, team-building and character-developing episodes, since almost every single episode past episode 3 addresses the main story arc and feels like a finale. The rushed nature of the whole season is so obvious that I can't help but thinking it was for external reasons (budget cuts leading to a much shorter season than originally planned maybe?). In any case, a good opportunity has been missed in this show. It *could* recover if a second season returns to a normal pace, but there are a lot of rushed plot lines that need to be fixed for this to work.
This good start is later spoiled by the very wrong pacing, which makes the show run out of steam and out of ideas remarkably quickly. It's as if the creators decided to condense 22 episodes into 8. The development of the characters and of the dynamics among them skips several steps, there's hardly any bonding, team-building and character-developing episodes, since almost every single episode past episode 3 addresses the main story arc and feels like a finale. The rushed nature of the whole season is so obvious that I can't help but thinking it was for external reasons (budget cuts leading to a much shorter season than originally planned maybe?). In any case, a good opportunity has been missed in this show. It *could* recover if a second season returns to a normal pace, but there are a lot of rushed plot lines that need to be fixed for this to work.
Very good but not ground breaking
jkilroy-8759629 October 2016
So far class has been improving with every episode so if keeps improving at this rate we should have a very solid TV series in no time. Though there may be some aspects that bring the series down such as it's lack of interesting set pieces there are more than enough good points for that to be a problem. It has a very good use of CGI considering it is a BBC 3 spin of to doctor who as well as telling some very interesting story's and setting up a very imaginative arc with the main villain and April (a character in the show). The show also has some Easter eggs and fan service to the main show with it being set primarily in Cole hill school and the inclusion of the doctor in episode 1. Over all class is a great show but needs some more fresh ideas like it's main show doctor who.
A fun series
tthdOz1816 August 2020
It's just so bad
Alisyed2029 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Before I start I should say that if you're expecting something similar to Torchwood/Doctor Who then this isn't the show for you. But on the other hand if you want to watch a shitty sci-fi Waterloo road then yes mate go for it. Now don't get me wrong, the acting is half decent, especially from Fady, but holy crap the acting as well as the special effects and prosthetic makeup are as good as it gets. Let's start it off with the writing which was atrocious, even cringeworthy at some points. For example, Ram's girlfriend just got killed. Now this isn't a stranger in one of the opening scenes of Doctor who where we as an audience aren't supposed to feel empathy for anyone killed - this is a student - an 17/18 year old, and it's just brushed underneath the carpet. Sure Ram grieves a bit but the others are just patting him on the back and saying it's OK? What the hell is that? And then a couple days later he's professing his love for another character! And don't get me started on that flipping weird alien sex scene with the shadow kin or whatever. If it was supposed to make us laugh... The characters - as previously mentioned, the acting isn't that bad, but damn the characters were written terribly. These aren't British teenagers - these are American teenage stereotypes and I sure as hell cant relate to them. The alien teacher/freedom fighter who isn't really a teacher (I can't remember her name) is supposed to be the Jack Harkness of this show, but just ends up being flipping annoying and she reminds me of that creepy lady of the Midnight episode in Doctor Who. What worked for Torchwood/Doctor who/Sarah Jane is that those characters had a sense of security around them, and that they were extremely likable - this lady sure as hell isn't likable. Now I can't go on about how this show is just a massive facepalm to me, and I'm pretty sure that I'm the target market (18 year old British teenager), but if you'd watch it you'll understand, but as I said at the beginning - this really isn't anything like Doctor Who.
Good opening of a new spin-off
facebook-8177423 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Class do open up as a good Doctor Who spin-off, it has potential to be a good show. I have just seen the first episode and it's packed with stuff that builds the framework for, what I guess, the rest of the series.
You can not relax for a minute, cause then you might miss vital information. The Doctor are somewhat unfocused, just as it has been done in one take, I just can't put my finger on it, but there are just some "shortcut"-feeling about the doctors part in Class.
This documentary has potential and a gallery of persons that has potential to evolve into something really interesting. If I compare to Torchwood, this production feels a bit more weak in the opening, the sfx are a bit to much same-same over and over again.
You can not relax for a minute, cause then you might miss vital information. The Doctor are somewhat unfocused, just as it has been done in one take, I just can't put my finger on it, but there are just some "shortcut"-feeling about the doctors part in Class.
This documentary has potential and a gallery of persons that has potential to evolve into something really interesting. If I compare to Torchwood, this production feels a bit more weak in the opening, the sfx are a bit to much same-same over and over again.
Pretty decent but far from exceptional
GusF2 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This "Doctor Who" spin-off was pretty decent overall but far from exceptional. None of the episodes stood out as being particularly bad but none of them stood out as being particularly good either. It often felt like it was trying (perhaps a little too hard...) to be "Buffy" but it lacked the razor sharp dialogue, superlative characterisation and strong plots, to put it mildly. When it comes to genre shows which are centred around schools (at least initially), "Buffy" is on another level to "Smallville" but "Smallville" is on another level to "Class", I'm afraid.
Taking itself far less seriously would have probably helped matters. It really overdid the whole "tragic backstory" malarkey. Giving a character a tragic backstory does not automatically make them interesting nor, for that matter, does a character need one to be interesting. April's backstory was the worst of the bunch. It was obviously intended to provoke sympathy but the strongest reaction that it provoked in me was, "Christ, not another sob story!"
Charlie, Miss Quill and Dorothea Ames are quite interesting characters but the only human Coal Hill student that I actually liked was Matteusz. His family problems were certainly the best realised but there wasn't much competition in that regard. Charlie and Matteusz's relationship was very well handled and well acted by Greg Austin and Jordan Renzo. It was the only element of characterisation on the series with which I was entirely satisfied, quite frankly.
The other characters were kind of...flat. Even with all of the stuff with Corakinus and her father, April was pretty much a non-entity. So was Tanya. Fady Elsayed was utterly dreadful as Ram, which is a shame because his PTSD in "The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo" after witnessing Rachel's death in "For Tonight We Might Die" had the potential to be a very interesting story arc. Then he got over it ridiculously quickly when he started his utterly unconvincing (and almost as uninteresting) relationship with April. Oh well.
"Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart" - a title which I love, incidentally - and "Brave-ish Heart" had the most in the way of flashes of brilliance but almost all of them were contained in the B-story. The stuff with April and Ram in the A-story was a real chore to get through as was the stuff with her father. That said, April's relationship with her mum is sweet and at times quite touching. A greater focus on that would have been appreciated. The Shadow Kin were somewhat ineffectual as the series' main alien menace. I found it very hard to get excited about them, really. When it comes to the B-story, the killer petals were a very cool and creepy threat and easily my favourite sci-fi aspect of the series. I could well imagine the killer petals fitting into "Torchwood" extremely well. Charlie's moral dilemma about using the Cabinet of Souls was well done to boot.
As it stands, the series represents a missed opportunity. There are quite a few good ideas but the execution is sorely lacking when it comes to most of them.
Taking itself far less seriously would have probably helped matters. It really overdid the whole "tragic backstory" malarkey. Giving a character a tragic backstory does not automatically make them interesting nor, for that matter, does a character need one to be interesting. April's backstory was the worst of the bunch. It was obviously intended to provoke sympathy but the strongest reaction that it provoked in me was, "Christ, not another sob story!"
Charlie, Miss Quill and Dorothea Ames are quite interesting characters but the only human Coal Hill student that I actually liked was Matteusz. His family problems were certainly the best realised but there wasn't much competition in that regard. Charlie and Matteusz's relationship was very well handled and well acted by Greg Austin and Jordan Renzo. It was the only element of characterisation on the series with which I was entirely satisfied, quite frankly.
The other characters were kind of...flat. Even with all of the stuff with Corakinus and her father, April was pretty much a non-entity. So was Tanya. Fady Elsayed was utterly dreadful as Ram, which is a shame because his PTSD in "The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo" after witnessing Rachel's death in "For Tonight We Might Die" had the potential to be a very interesting story arc. Then he got over it ridiculously quickly when he started his utterly unconvincing (and almost as uninteresting) relationship with April. Oh well.
"Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart" - a title which I love, incidentally - and "Brave-ish Heart" had the most in the way of flashes of brilliance but almost all of them were contained in the B-story. The stuff with April and Ram in the A-story was a real chore to get through as was the stuff with her father. That said, April's relationship with her mum is sweet and at times quite touching. A greater focus on that would have been appreciated. The Shadow Kin were somewhat ineffectual as the series' main alien menace. I found it very hard to get excited about them, really. When it comes to the B-story, the killer petals were a very cool and creepy threat and easily my favourite sci-fi aspect of the series. I could well imagine the killer petals fitting into "Torchwood" extremely well. Charlie's moral dilemma about using the Cabinet of Souls was well done to boot.
As it stands, the series represents a missed opportunity. There are quite a few good ideas but the execution is sorely lacking when it comes to most of them.
Cardboard American stereotypes in a UK school
waffle2476 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
After hearing Doctor Who had been shelved for 2016 I was looking forward to something to sate my appetite. Unfortunately what we got instead was a high school prom, dating troubles & teenage angst like something out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all set in the extremely unlikely revamp of the inner city school we first met Susan in.
To make matters worse the scenario develops into a terrible parody of Captain Planet with the far too short cameo from the Doctor that came off rather like "Go team! Go! Go team! Go" before being shovelled with no care or attention into an obvious formulaic script for each episode after the pilot.
The graphics & production are about the only thing this show has going for it, the rest of it is a terrible attempt to milk the Doctor Who cash cow whilst once again not bothering to make any actual Doctor Who. The BBC should give up on these spin offs & spend the money on the show instead. The least they could have done was review the script & point out to the writer that UK schools are just not like this.
To make matters worse the scenario develops into a terrible parody of Captain Planet with the far too short cameo from the Doctor that came off rather like "Go team! Go! Go team! Go" before being shovelled with no care or attention into an obvious formulaic script for each episode after the pilot.
The graphics & production are about the only thing this show has going for it, the rest of it is a terrible attempt to milk the Doctor Who cash cow whilst once again not bothering to make any actual Doctor Who. The BBC should give up on these spin offs & spend the money on the show instead. The least they could have done was review the script & point out to the writer that UK schools are just not like this.
It's a well acted exciting series and no it's not Dr Who or Buffy
keeray-69-74246628 January 2017
OK - a summary - episode 1 isn't that great but from then one it gets really good. Yes, it's quite dark at times but it's FAR better than how Torchwood started. The cast are very skilled especially the girls in it. There are some important story-lines about family issues that are very well acted. Yes there's a teenage mixed race straight couple and there's a teenage white gay couple. There's a mother who's disabled and issues about parental divorce. Get over it. They're very realistic discussions including romantic feelings (sexuality is regarded as irrelevant) and on religious views.
When I saw the episodes of this series I was puzzled by the first one in it. Peter Capaldi's doctor is in the first episode but he's almost like an afterthought.
But from then on they get better and better. The acting is very good and the stories are exciting/interesting. I'm a Whovian and my wife's a Trekker/action film fan. We both became MAJOR fans of this series after watching episodes 2 and 3.
We both want another series after this one. It can only get better.
When I saw the episodes of this series I was puzzled by the first one in it. Peter Capaldi's doctor is in the first episode but he's almost like an afterthought.
But from then on they get better and better. The acting is very good and the stories are exciting/interesting. I'm a Whovian and my wife's a Trekker/action film fan. We both became MAJOR fans of this series after watching episodes 2 and 3.
We both want another series after this one. It can only get better.
Typical Saturday British SciFi... Slightly Better than Merlin ;-)
chazview30 October 2016
It's on a strict budget and it's not the best, but stacks up well to new Saturday viewing internationally. Obvious, but slightly above average CGI, and OK storytelling. It's very alien-of-the-week as opposed to having overall story arc, which is unfortunate as they could've done much better marching-on with the plot from the 1st episode.
When episode 4 rolls around, they jump back into the pilot-episode plot -- not sure how long it'll last, but it does continue on into episode 5. They've allocated special effects budget for these episodes, it becomes quite entertaining and engaging.
You could watch a lot worse for a Saturday matinée... ;-)
When episode 4 rolls around, they jump back into the pilot-episode plot -- not sure how long it'll last, but it does continue on into episode 5. They've allocated special effects budget for these episodes, it becomes quite entertaining and engaging.
You could watch a lot worse for a Saturday matinée... ;-)
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