Failing Grade for CBS' "The Class"

Sitcoms are tricky things nowadays, what with the push-and-pull between single-camera and traditional multi-camera, lowbrow yet commercially successful fare like According to Jim versus nearly serialized cerebral comedies like Arrested Development. It's an odd time for traditional situation comedies, which many have said are clinging on for dear life.

Enter CBS' answer to that ongoing dilemma in the form of The Class, the new sitcom created by Friends creator David Crane and Mad About You's Jeffrey Klarik, which seems a blend of both new, modern comedy storytelling and traditional sitcom setup, along with a 30-minute advertisement for Classmates.com thrown in for good measure.

While CBS was generous enough to send me the first three episodes of The Class, I have to admit that I was only able to get through the pilot (and barely at that). The Class seems a throwback to the mid-90s where comedies about twenty-somethings were all the rage. In this case, they might not be gorgeous and successful Manhattanites who spend all day sipping oversized lattes and chatting, but rather the diverse third-grade classmates of Ethan (Jason Ritter) who organizes a party celebrating the 20th anniversary of the day he met his fiancee and reunites many members of their class.

The overall premise feels entirely contrived and ridiculous and I just really couldn't suspend my disbelief. Why on earth would these random people reunite at some guy's house 20 years later? (We're supposed to believe that people even flew into town for this exclusive gathering, no less.) The group is an "eclectic" mix of diverse personalities, some of whom are successful and married, some still live with their mothers, and some are still trying to figure things out. And others still are suicidal, like Ritchie (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), who decides to come to the party rather than kill himself when he gets the invitation. Isn't that just... hysterical?

Of course, Ethan's plan fails miserably and his fiancee dumps him right there in front of all of these strangers who have nothing better to do but attend impromptu reunions of their elementary school classes. And, wouldn't you know it, the class decides to stick together and become friends, weaving in and out of each other's lives.

Which leads me to my main complaint with the series: I'd be able to overlook the forced premise if the show were, you know, actually funny. But sadly, it's not funny at all, much less amusing. It's sappy and nearly soapy and, while downright staid, seems to think that it's being ground-breaking and subversive with its nearly serialized format. But unlike Arrested Development or British series 'Allo 'Allo (which both successfully toyed with ongoing comedic storylines and multiple plotlines in their day), The Class doesn't present us with characters that we can connect with or care about. Instead, they seem like stock archetypes straight out of central casting: sensitive guy who gets his heart broken (Ritter) and must pick up the pieces; a fierce girl whose sarcasm belies a heart of gold (Lizzie Kaplan); a quirky, unlucky-in-love girl with a penchant for "jaunty" hats (Heather Goldenhersh in a performance that made me question if she were actually mentally challenged); a nerdy, suicidal guy who finds a reason to live (Ferguson); a formerly popular guy (Jon Bernthal) who lives at home with his overbearing mother (Julie Halston); the prettiest girl at school (Andrea Anders) who is now married to an older former pro-football star turned shill (David Keith); an uptightly corporate wife and mother (Lucy Punch) who never got over being dumped at the prom by a guy who's now (wait for it!) gay and in a same-sex relationship (Sean Maguire, putting on a decent American accent). If those descriptions seems overly simplistic, they are. When you're introducing about 12 series regulars in the first episode alone, you better make sure that they're layered and nuanced off the bat and not one-dimensional stereotypes.

But I think I've said enough. Ultimately, this is one Class that just doesn't make the grade.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Rock Star: Supernova (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Blue Collar TV/Blue Collar TV (WB); Dancing with the Stars (ABC); Bones (FOX); Desire (MyNet)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Dateline (NBC); One Tree Hill (WB); ABC Sneak Peek: The Dramas/ABC Sneak Peek: The Comedies (ABC); Justice (FOX); Fashion House (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); Jimmy Kimmel Live's All-Star Salute to Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

10 pm: Project Runway on Bravo.

On tonight's episode, the final five contestants find themselves under even more pressure than before. And for Laura, it looks to be too much to handle. Will this fiery (and pregnant) red-head cave in? Or keep fighting?