Class of '09

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.