Syfy Releases Deadly Class Premiere Episode A Month Early

Orientation — and Christmas — came early. 

We're still a few days out from jolly Ol' Saint Nick shimmying down our chimneys, but that didn't stop Syfy from leaving a present under our tree. The network released the full first episode of its upcoming comic book series Deadly Class on Thursday, five days ahead of the holiday and a month in advance of the show's planned January 16 debut. 

Lana Condor, who moves from leading Netflix's ultra-charming rom-com To All the Boys I've Loved Before to portraying the rising yakuza and Kuruoki Syndicate leader Lana on Deadly Class, took to Instagram to celebrate the surprise drop. 

"I can't believe the time has finally come," she wrote. "The whole cast and crew of @deadlyclasssyfy worked our butts off on this show for you loves! Check out the link in my bio for a special early release of the first episode now! xox and thank you always for the support #deadlyclass #saya #SYFY."

Those eager to catch Deadly Class, which adapts the acclaimed graphic novel series of the same name by Rick Remender and Wes Craig, won't have to hop down the social media rabbit hole to get the link to the first episode. They can watch the full, hour-long premiere above. 

We'll keep things light on spoilers and let you dig into Deadly Class for yourselves, but we'd be remiss not to tell you that the series has no trouble finding its footing and will have you hooked within minutes. 

From the get-go, the story excites — teenage street-dweller Marcus Arguello (Benjamin Wadsworth) joins the elite King's Dominion Atelier of the Deadly Arts, an academy for up-and-coming assassins and the next generations of the world's most powerful crime families — and the action is tight, which comes as no surprise since Avengers: Infinity War directors Joe and Anthony Russo are the producers behind Deadly Class. The setting? A dramatized, extra-punky late 1980s that crackles with counter culture coolness. And the crew at King's Dominion? There's the blade-twirling Soto Vatos member, Maria (María Gabriela de Faría); the powerful Soto Vatos leader Chico (Michel Duval); the gothic death cult member, Petra (Taylor Hickson); the punk rock kid with a corrupt cop for a father, Billy (Liam James); the sharpshooter and Final World Order leader Willie (Luke Tennie); and many more. So yeah, let's just say Deadly Class has a lot going for it.

Response to the Deadly Class premiere has been wonderful thus far — with plenty applauding it for its "spot on" writing, direction, and music, and for its ability to faithfully adapt the source material while expanding it with exciting additions. "Incredible job by the cast bringing this ensemble of characters I love so much to the screen!" one viewer wrote. "The biggest excitement is seeing my favorite couple from the comic come to life and the show has already begun to cement them! From the first few issues, I was hooked on Maria and Marcus and @BenjaminWadzy and @mgabrieladfc play it perfectly! Can't wait to see the rest of the series and how they portray all the twists and turns."

Dive into Deadly Class now, then tune into Syfy in January to catch more of the series.