ShareThisBy TERRY MORROW
With "The Class" _ the story of eight former classmates reunited _ a "Friends"-envious CBS has made the right pals.
At least the Tiffany Network gets an "A" for effort.
"The Class" (which premieres, 8 p.m., EDT, Monday) is the best new sitcom to come along on CBS in recent memory. The characters are more crisp and the writing sharper than the standard CBS product.
With proper guidance, "The Class" will be able to copy the proper parts of the "Friends" formula, and possibly its success, too.
If nothing else, it moves CBS away from its mechanical stupid husband/ skinny wife format _ a trend begat from "Everybody Loves Raymond" that has been the signature of CBS comedies for almost a decade.
"The Class" is something new on Mondays _ the result of more recent successes, the not-as-finely-focused comedies such as "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men." They focus on younger characters and their single-minded travails. A group of former third-grade classmates is brought together by one of their own, a love-smitten doctor Ethan Haas (Jason Ritter). He proposes to his girlfriend in front of his old pals. She dumps him and walks out the door.
But the reunion party continues. The now-wealthy Nicole ("Joey's" Andre Anders) arrives with her much-older husband, a former pro athlete named Yonk (David Keith). Seeing Nicole stirs up old feelings for Duncan (Jon Bernthal), a contractor who still lives with his mom.
Suicidal Richie (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) reconnects with the dippy Lina (Heather Goldenhersh). Lina's hard-worn sister, Kat (Lizzy Caplan), comes along for the ride, and ends up comforting a heartbroken Ethan.
And rounding out the group is Stepford wife Holly (Lucy Punch), who has no gay radar. She ends up confronting a now-outed crush (Sean Maguire), but doesn't realize her husband is probably gay himself.
"The Class" flirts with tackiness _ suicide is never funny and the attempts Richie makes are cruelly played for laughs. Holly's gay husband is a harsh stereotype that is downright insulting.
Despite those lapses, "The Class" has an engaging heart. Ritter has the makings of a real star, and his first major turn at TV comedy is perfect for his skills.
The quirky love story between Richie and Lina represents the core of the show. In the hands of Ferguson and Goldenhersh, this story is certainly tender and honest. For all intents and purposes, they are worthy successors to Ross and Rachel.
The ill-fated, star-crossed romance of Nicole-Duncan is the familiar stuff of "Friends." But with Nicole being married, it's not as easy to watch, and not as acceptable.
CBS has long wanted its own "Friends."
Well, finally, it has it.
