The Class - Amici per sempre

This was a very underrated show. Every time I saw Jason Ritter doing physical comedy I could see his father John. It was a great ensemble cast and had the potential of rivaling "Friends". With David Keith's performance of Yonk Allen ex Philadelphia Eagle's quarterback and Lizzy Caplan's cynical character marks a wonderful cast. I could never warm up to The Big Bore er Bang Theory.

Okay, so "The Class" was never going to rank up there with the absolute classics of television. But for what it was (a light-hearted romp full of relatively well-to-do people in their late twenties and early thirties), it was something good, and had the potential to be the next "Friends". "The Class" was a way to spend a nice half-hour in a rose-tinted world, where characters such as Ethan, Kat, Richie and Lina just ask to be hugged without even saying anything. And yet despite pleasing enough ratings (from the looks of it, anyway), it gets axed. Which is a real shame, as the series was engaging enough to merit lasting around at least two or three more seasons. "The Class" gets played on E4 and/or Channel 4 in the UK, like many of the American hits do over this side of the Atlantic. If only the silly network bosses in the States allowed it to be a lasting hit...like I said, this could have been the next "Friends".

What can one expect from the programming geniuses but to cancel a potentially great show before its time? Smartly written and with a flawless cast from David Crane, the creator of "Friends", "The Class" should have been allowed to blossom in a weekly slot the viewer could look forward to. (Sorry, Monday @ 8pm was not a good choice).

The plot was simple, a group of former classmates from the third grade meet at a party and their lives become entwined and relationships develop: Ethan and Cat- opposites whom you root for the way we rooted for Ross and Rachel to find each other; the "nebbish klutzy" Richie Velch (great name!) who meets his true love Lina by running her over with his car; Duncan and Nicole, former high school sweethearts whose lives have taken them down different paths, but whose feelings for one another never died; These and other characters become "friends", and we were able share their growing pains with laughter and tears. I just finished watching the complete season again and remain stunned at the stupidity of CBS for flushing this winner down the drain. What- "Rules of Engagement" is more deserving of renewal? A lost treasure that (along with another CBS cancellation - "Out Of Practice") demonstrates that the networks don't get the TV audience, and continue to assault and plunder us with inane sitcoms, reality shows and endless spin-offs of crime shows. Enough said.

First of all, I disagree with the other reviews. This series has eight very distinct and fresh characters. After some of them re-unite at the party, most go their separate ways. But like in real life one event can change your life forever. And keep changing it. Even characters who didn't connect that night are starting to now. And none of it seems contrived. As for funny, I prefer that laughs come from a character's personality and aren't jokes for jokes sake. I've laughed more during THE CLASS then any of the single camera shows that everyone is so in awe of. Someone mentioned that the creators "moved away" from the idea of the pilot, but I've read that this is exactly the way they planned the show to go. Anyway, I think THE CLASS is smartly written and emotionally satisfying and I'm liking it more every week. Don't be so hard on it.

The class, was one of the best sitcoms in terms of characters and casting and plot. However it was announced that CBS wouldn't continue it on for a second season due to slow viewer number of 15 million. Nevertheless I considered to be one of those sitcoms and experienced actors like Jon bernthal and Lizzie Caplan that were the heart and soul of the show and that is still yet to be discovered by today's young adults and society.