Sometimes the best crime TV shows are the ones that are less concerned with the cases that the heroes pursue and more so with the heroes themselves and their own philosophies regarding right and wrong. Creator Tom Rob Smith’s Class of ’09 — which is presented by FX and exclusively available to stream with a Hulu subscription — is one such series, following a group of FBI agents from their days at Quantico to their bitter, present-day reunion. Perhaps the Number One reason to check out this exciting new miniseries is to see the star-studded ensemble in the Class of ’09 cast, whom we will talk about in depth — including their characters and other notable career highlights — below.
Brian Tyree Henry (Tayo Michaels)
Insurance executive-turned-FBI operative Tayo Michaels is the latest character on an FX-presented series portrayed by two-time Emmy nominee Brian Tyree Henry, whose breakout role was Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles on one of the funniest shows on Hulu, Atlanta. His transition into movie stardom has gone swimmingly, though — having already appeared in a number of superhero movies (a brief part in 2019’s Joker, a leading role in Marvel’s Eternals cast, and voicing Miles Morales’ father, whom he is reprising in the upcoming superhero movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Also known for If Beale Street Could Talk, Godzilla vs. Kong, Bullet Train, and more, Henry became an Academy Award nominee in 2023 for his acclaimed performance in Causeway.
Kate Mara (Ashley Poet)
As Ashley Poet, who was a psychiatric nurse before receiving an unexpected invitation to join the FBI, we have Kate Mara, who also has a few superhero movies under her belt — including the 2006 family film, Zoom; a brief appearance in 2010’s Iron Man 2; and 2015’s Fantastic Four reboot as Susan “Invisible Woman” Storm. She is also an FX veteran, having appeared on American Horror Story Season 1 and earned an Emmy nomination for the network’s Hulu exclusive drama miniseries, A Teacher, in 2020, and her other notable TV credits include Netflix’s House of Cards and Black Mirror’s sixth season, which premieres June 2023. The sister of Rooney Mara is also known on the big screen from 127 Hours and The Martian, to name a few.
Sepideh Moafi (Hour Nazari)
Starring as data specialist Hour Nazari is Sepideh Moafi, who last played an FBI agent on the Apple TV+ true crime miniseries, Black Bird, which followed an eclectic variety of TV roles like a New York sex worker on HBO’s The Deuce or a realtor struggling to co-parent with her ex-wife on Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q. Moafi has also guest-starred on various popular crime dramas — such as The Blacklist, Elementary, and Blue Bloods — and played one of the leads of the heart-wrenching 2020 film, The Killing of Two Lovers.
Brian J. Smith (Daniel Lennix)
As Daniel Lennix, we have Brian J. Smith, who also has many guest appearances on crime series like Blue Bloods and Quantico on his resume, but is better known for his starring roles on sci-fi series like Stargate Universe or one of Netflix’s best sci-fi shows, Sense8. He also had a main part on USA’s short-lived Jason Bourne spin-off, Treadstone, and got the chance to be a big screen action star by joining the Matrix Resurrections cast alongside Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and more.
Jon Jon Briones (Gabriel)
FBI training instructor Gabriel is played by Jon Jon Briones, who is one of the Class of ’09 cast’s most experienced FX veterans — having played “Asian Elvis”on Sons of Anarchy, Modesto Cunanan on American Crime Story Season 2, warlock Ariel Augustus on American Horror Story Season 8, and himself on Better Things. His association with Ryan Murphy also earned him a main role in the Ratched cast on Netflix, for which he also leant his voice to the anime Trese. His most recent voice acting roles are on Nickelodeon’s Transformers: Earthspark and he also appeared a couple of episodes of Paramount+’s Picard in 2022.
Brooke Smith (Drew)
Before starring in Class of ’09 as Drew — an agent whose FBI career was cut tragically short — Kate Mara’s Random Hearts co-star, Brooke Smith, made her breakthrough as a woman rescued by an FBI agent (Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling) in the terrifying Best Picture Oscar winner, The Silence of the Lambs. She would go on to join the Grey’s Anatomy cast as Dr. Erin Hahn, also played a doctor on American Horror Story Season 2, and was a nurse in Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi drama, Interstellar. When not playing people in law enforcement or in the medical field, Smith has played a suffragette in HBO’s Iron Jawed Angels, Fox News executive Irena Briganti in Bombshell, and a realtor on Amazon Prime’s horror series, Them, to name a few notable examples.
Jake McDorman (Murphy)
As Murphy — an FBI recruit who gets more than he bargained for when he joins — we have Jake McDorman, who previously led a crime drama of his own as Brian Finch on the series spin-off of the Bradley Cooper movie, Limitless. He has also starred in some action-packed films like the fourth installment of the Die Hard franchise, Live Free or Die Hard, or the Oscar-nominated war biopic, American Sniper, from 2014, as well as lighter titles like A24’s coming-of-age dramedy, Lady Bird, or Hulu’s LGBTQ+ rom-com, Happiest Season from 2020. His other notable TV credits include college sitcom Greek, playing Murphy Brown’s son on the sitcom’s 2018 revival, and more recently starring in Peacock’s Mrs. Davis cast.
Rosalind Eleazar (Vivienne)
As Vivienne — a civil rights lawyer who wants to change how the justice system operates — we have Rosalind Eleazar, who previously played a disgraced MI5 agent on Apple TV+’s Slow Horses and someone on the opposite side of the law in Cinemax’s structurally reversed crime drama, Rellik. The English actor is also known for her major role on the Hulu period drama series, Harlots and for starring alongside Dev Patel in the 2019 Charles Dickens adaptation, The Personal History of David Copperfield.
Check out this talented ensemble by logging on to stream Class of ’09 on Hulu now.
