The Syfy comic book adaptation Deadly Class was canceled after one season. What went wrong and what changes can make a future adaptation work better?Here’s why it deserves another chance on cable or a streaming platform.
If you’re a comic book fan and not reading Deadly Class, you’re missing out. The series is unlike anything you’re currently reading.
The story starts off in the 1980’s when Ronald Reagan was in office. During his time in office, there were funding cuts to mental health facilities. This caused a mentally ill person to accidentally kill Marcus Lopez Arguello’s parents. This starts the downward spiral in his life that leads him to Kings Dominion School of the Deadly Arts. A place where high school kids learn to become trained killers.
This may seem cool just off of that, but there’s more to the comic. During this time, the characters learn a lot about themselves, what true family is, betray each other, find love, and, of course, learn to kill.
In this comic book, no one is exempt from death. Not even the lead characters. A TV show like this should have been incredibly popular. Unfortunately, it was canceled after just one season. Having read the comic series more than a few times, this is disappointing. Rick Remender’s story is incredible. It wasn’t canceled because of the source material. That part is aces. A lot of it had to do where it was placed.
If the show had changed some things, it could have worked out so differently and ultimately been a success.
The Syfy Channel wasn’t the right choice
This isn’t going to be kind, but it will be true. Among the many TV channels and streaming platforms to choose from, Syfy isn’t the channel that the masses are picking. Sure, when you’re looking for Sharknado or another random amalgamation of animals to kill humans, they’re the place to go. Otherwise, it’s not the greatest channel for a show like this.
A comic book show that isn’t coming from the big two (DC and Marvel Comics) isn’t going to get a lot of hits. It doesn’t help that cable itself isn’t doing as well as it once did. People are watching streaming platforms more and more every day. Not just to binge either. Shows that come out once a week like The Handmaid’s Tale remain must-see and most-watched programming.
Another problem with Syfy is they couldn’t really tell the tale properly. Syfy isn’t HBO, Amazon, or Netflix. They can get away with certain things that’s only acceptable there. Deadly Class had a plethora of drug use and bad language that Syfy just wouldn’t be able to explore to the extent that other networks could have. There was a lot of graphic violence as well.
While you’d get that same blood and gore in the aforementioned Sharknado, or Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus, it’s different when it’s teenage kids getting slaughtered or beaten left and right. It can be a bit intense.
Long story short, Syfy wasn’t the proper channel to produce Deadly Class.
Make it a cartoon
One thing about the Syfy version that was superb was the flashes back to the comic. At certain points during the show they’d show parts of the original comic as an animated short. It was a nice nod to the Deadly Class comic series. However, this also showcased what could have been. Deadly Class would have worked better as an animated series.
Adult Swim can take a lot of credit for this take. They made it popular to have cartoon violence and adult subjects. Of course shows like the Simpson and South Park paved the way, but Adult Swim was strictly adult animated shows for a while. Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Boondocks, and Venture Brothers are three examples that prove adult content works in animated form. To bring things more current, you have Rick and Morty. A show that has taken the world by storm. No one could have seen it becoming this cultural phenomenon. Yet, here it is.
Deadly Class had the opportunity to be another popular cartoon geared to mature watchers – especially the ones who grew up in the 1980s. There are a lot of topics and language that would’ve undoubtedly made them smile, taking them back to growing up or being a teenager in those days. You might even have grabbed the younger viewers who appreciate the 1980s for all it was.
Don’t Game of Thrones yourself
The Deadly Class comic series is still going. 43 issues in and the series is still going strong. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, Rick Remender throws a curve-ball at you. Things like this kept people glued to Game of Thrones for eight seasons. That and incredible story telling and amazing characters.
However, as much as people loved Game of Thrones, there were some issues towards the end. One glaring problem was season 8. There were things in the end that infuriated viewers. One way this could have been avoided was waiting until the books were finished.
First, hindsight is 20/20. It’s easy to sit here and criticize. Writing a book takes months and sometimes years to complete. Even then, there’s no guarantee that the material will work or that people will enjoy it. It’s impossible to satisfy everyone. In this case, it may be a good idea to wait until Deadly Class concludes before adapting it again.
Having a beginning, middle, and end mapped out for it means that the people producing the show know exactly what they’re working with. Being able to see the entire picture means you know the finished product.
You’ll never get everything done perfectly. It’s not realistic. Plus, some things don’t translate well from page to screen. Nonetheless, finishing the story allows for things to not get lost in translation.
Don’t change too much
One of the great things about Deadly Class the comic is the characters. Each of them served a purpose. Even if they were evil.
You had kids like Brandy Lynn. She’s one of the worst people in the book. However, her rotten personality made her crucial to the story; you may hate her whenever you see her, but she’s important. There’s also the headmaster of Kings Dominion Master Lin. A seemingly frail old man who is stronger and more skilled than he looks. He’s also completely uncaring. His only concern is keeping Kings Dominion running and secret. However, the show turned him into a bit of a family man. It was weird and didn’t fit the point of his character.
There has been a trend among film and TV antagonists as of late where viewers are shown their side of the coin. Sometimes this is a good thing, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thanos and Killmonger come to mind. But others are supposed to be deplorable.
Part of the story is Master Lin being a heartless monster. This leads to a bit of an uprising against him. Him having a wife and kid made him likable and more well-rounded as a character, but your’re not supposed to relate to him. When Master Lin does evil things, you’re supposed to hate him. Doing them for noble reasons takes away from that, and it’s another reason this didn’t work.
This isn’t for everyone
Deadly Class is a phenomenal comic book. It has everything needed to succeed. One thing that’s for certain, however: It’s not for everyone.
That’s not a bad thing. Look at the popularity of Amazon’s The Boys or Preacher. Two comic books turned into programs that remained what they are without sacrificing much. Things were changed in both, but not so much that it ruined the story.
Deadly Class has a lot of parts that may make mainstream viewers angry – chief among them is the language. There are a lot of things said that will make people uncomfortable. I’m not easily offended and even I cringed at times. However, as you continue reading, you see it wasn’t done for shock value. It helped the story move and develop the characters.
This is a big part of the issue with the show. Syfy went in hoping that the changes made would allow everyone to enjoy it. That can’t be the case if another network ever attempts a reboot. We’ve seen that there can be a balance.
Hopefully, Deadly Class will get another chance. If so, there will have to be some changes in order to make it more successful than the Syfy series. Thankfully, Rick Remender is writing a comic book with the blueprint for success.
What do you think? Did you like Deadly Class the way it was? Should changes be made? Let us know in the comments below.