BBC America’s Doctor Who spin-off Class premiered tonight for US audiences.
The series has been described by many critics as the next Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Vampire Diaries, but it seems closer to the former than the latter. There is no love story, well, one that the story doesn’t surround the story. There are just aliens and humans fighting against dark forces that invade their school. Imagine if Doctor Who were set in a school and the Doctor is a teacher who hated their life. This is Class.
Coal Hill Academy teacher Miss Quill (Katherine Kelly) is an alien who is forced to protect her enemy, alien prince Charlie (Greg Austin). They were sent to Coal Hill Academy by the Doctor to blend in since their home planet was destroyed. Unfortunately, the forces that want to kill Charlie show up and cause havoc at the school, which include fellow students – lonely April (Sophie Hopkins), young genius Tanya (Vivian Oparah), and popular jock Ram (Fady Elsayed).
After all four students see shadow monsters appear in the university, they must work together to get rid of them. Of course, sweet and innocent April ends up sharing a heart link with the shadow leader, so there’s that. This gives our characters some sort of attachment to alien life other than three students working with aliens.
The series does require you to know the Doctor Who universe because the Doctor appears in the pilot episode. The Doctor, of course, saves the day with the courage of the students.
The characters are all established in the beginning of the series – Tanya is a young genius with an overbearing mother; April is a lonely teenager who yearns to fit in; Ram is the cocky star player on the football (soccer) team; Charlie is the alien prince who lost his home to the shadow people; and Miss Quill is an alien who is punished by Charlie’s people into becoming his bodyguard on Earth.
Miss Quill is pretty entertaining as the tormented prisoner-turned-body guard who is tasked to take care of Charlie, her sworn enemy. Instead of a wise teacher, she’s just in contempt in what she has to do and with funny results. Ram is a likable character, especially when you see him fight for the people he cares about. After losing his girlfriend, he wasn’t afraid to die. His character has proven to the Doctor and his classmates, he’s a valuable team player. I can’t wait to see more of it.
Class airs every Saturday after Doctor Who on BBC America.
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