Streaming on Peacock (US); UK聽to聽be聽announced
From 10 May: Hulu (US); Disney+聽(UK)
ARTIFICIAL intelligence has been a staple of science fiction for decades. But now, as it becomes an all-too-real presence in our daily lives, its portrayal in fiction comes with a greater sense of urgency.
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Two new shows feature AI as a tool that reshapes the world. Mrs. Davis and Class of 鈥�09 take very different stylistic approaches, but both treat AI with scepticism and, often, outright hostility.
The chaotic, playful Mrs. Davissets its AI title character in opposition to a nun who is convinced she is on a literal mission from God, while Class of 鈥�09 offers a more sombre, grounded perspective, with AI as a tool of government control.
In both shows, the lead character finds herself working with an underground network to undermine or even destroy the secretive AI. For Mrs. Davis鈥榮 Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin), it is akin to a holy war. For Class of 鈥�09鈥榮 FBI agent Ashley Poet (Kate Mara), it is a matter of redemption for the agency to which she has devoted her life. In their own ways, both women are true believers.
It is nearly impossible to summarise the plot of Mrs. Davis, a globe-spanning, kaleidoscopic adventure that opens in 14th-century France and goes on to encompass casino stage magic, Super Bowl commercials, bull riding and a castaway named Schrodinger who lives on a deserted island with his cat. Creators Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof fill the show with goofy, tongue-in-cheek references, which help balance out the weightier themes about technology versus religion.
Set mainly in an alternate version of 2023, Mrs. Davis presents a world where the sudden appearance of a mysterious AI 10 years before 鈥� the eponymous Mrs Davis 鈥� has allegedly put an end to hunger, war and unemployment. Not everyone thinks this algorithm is a benevolent overlord, and Sister Simone has spent a decade cloistered away from contact with it. But when Mrs Davis decides it has a mission for her, it marshals all its resources to make sure she can鈥檛 refuse.
The sheer density of twists, fake outs and narrative detours can feel exhausting, but Gilpin holds it together with a witty, charming performance that mixes snark with melancholy. Sister Simone is a vibrant, complex character who is more fascinating to watch than the convoluted story unfolding around her.
Mara has a more straightforward presence, befitting the espionage drama she stars in, which comes from novelist and creator of TV drama London Spy Tom Rob Smith. Class of 鈥�09takes place in three time periods, following Poet and her colleagues as trainees in 2009, as established agents in 2023 and as high-level operatives in 2034.
By then, Poet鈥檚 former classmate Tayo Michaels (Brian Tyree Henry) has ascended to the position of FBI director and implemented a crime-stopping AI nicknamed Better Tomorrow.
Although the AI was supposed to be a glorified criminal database, it now functions more like the prescient systems in the film Minority Report or the TV show Person of Interest, initiating arrests for crimes people have yet to commit.
Class of 鈥�09 is slow to explore those implications because it devotes substantial time to the characters鈥� early training and to the investigations that shaped their world views. Those episodes are solid but unremarkable cop thrillers, and it is only when the show moves into the future that Smith explores more thought-provoking ideas about the balance between safety and freedom and the supposed 鈥渆quality鈥� of justice via AI.
There is still plenty of suspense in Class of 鈥�09, however, and Mara and Henry make for effective opposing forces, gradually finding themselves at odds over the nature of law enforcement.
It is more likely that the actual AI of the future will resemble Better Tomorrow than Mrs Davis, although both systems are suitably frightening. It is that mix of thrill and dread that makes AI so compelling, both in reality and in sci-fi.
Josh Bell is a writer and critic based in聽Las Vegas, Nevada
