As an anniversary gift to his live-in girlfriend Joan who met when they were in the third grade, Ethan throws a surprise party inviting their entire third-grade class. A Few members of the class agree to come although they have not seen each other in years.This is a stupid premise. The biggest problem is the difficulty to manufacture reasons for the group to come together. It felt forced, and it's too easy for the group to drift off. Once apart, it is too difficult to create chemistry. What saves this is the fun group of actors. The lead Jason Ritter is a solid actor with some of his father's comedic timing. Andrea Anders is the girl next door. Jesse Tyler Ferguson plays the married guy who falls for the geeky girl. Lizzy Caplan plays girl Friday to Jason Ritter's character. And wacky Lucy Punch stars as a flustered reporter. Even though the group is apart a lot, these actor give enough fun to create chemistry. That's hard to do.

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.

This is the funniest sit-com that came out of the new season! But, where is Holly Ellenbogan?? Her and her "gay" husband were so funny. Does anyone know, has she been written out of the show? I hope this is a show that will last for more seasons. We haven't had a funny show like this since Seinfeld. I love the fact that the cast is brand-new to us, and the characters have evolved into their own. Richie is priceless, and the relationship he and Lena have is so great. Thanks CBS for bringing back the wacky sit-com! If anyone knows if this will be back next season, post it here. I can't wait for Monday nights just to watch!