One of the problems I've had, and continue to have, with The Class since it premiered this past fall was that the show had just too many characters and too many stories. Sure, the storylines with Lina and Richie were sweet and had the most dramatic impact, and the stories with Kat and Ethan were often very funny. But the Duncan and Nicole storyline seemed right out of the Friends playbook and the Kyle/Holly/GayButNotGay Husband story? Ugh... the less said about it, the better.But it looks like the show's creators, David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, are getting the message. According to this AP article, they have decided to create more epsiodes where the group is together, rather than the disparate storylines that dominated the first ten or so episodes of the season. They admit that, while having a soapy, separate-thread structure for the show was a novel concept for a sitcom, it just wasn't working. And the actors wanted to do more scenes together, too, so it seems like going back to a traditional format is working better for everyone.
The article also describes how the young actors on the show are benefiting from the direction of sitcom veteran James Burrows, and how the show will still deal in the dark topics it's been dealing with all season -- Richie's suicidal tendencies, his crappy marriage, Nicole's infidelity, Kat being Kat -- in the same lighthearted way.
I will say this; despite the fact that I've stopped reviewing the show, I'm still watching it. The episodes that were more group related have been better than the earlier, separately-threaded episodes. But it's still not anywhere near being what I'd consider to be a quality sitcom, mainly due to the fact that there's still too many people floating around. I'd imagine that, if this show gets a second season, they'll "disappear" at least two of the characters (sorry, Lucy Punch, you're cute and all, but Holly is the least interesting and most annoying character of the bunch) and get down to a more manageable six.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-18-2006 @ 9:09PM
Kingcob Bob IV said...
Can't say I'm excited about this one...
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12-18-2006 @ 9:47PM
Tim said...
I kind of liked that it was different from all the other typical sitcoms. I am disappointed to hear that they are going the more traditional route, where it just becomes another Friends knockoff.
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12-18-2006 @ 10:23PM
David4 said...
It will be canceled either way.
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12-19-2006 @ 12:37AM
TVSeriesFinale.com said...
I think its pretty obvious CBS believes in the show -- they really seem to want to give it a chance to find its way. I enjoy it.
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12-19-2006 @ 12:33AM
lillyg said...
I'm glad that they've decided to do this. I actually enjoyed (and even laughed out loud at some parts) of the bee in the car episode, where they were all in one place.
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12-19-2006 @ 4:34AM
Bradlee said...
I love this show. I laugh every week and look forward to it.
Its a bit different, and quirky. I love the sarcasm, lenea, the gay guys--and Lena.
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12-19-2006 @ 4:26AM
Adam said...
This show has actually become one of my favorite shows on TV. I can't wait to watch it each week. I have one true test for how funny I think a show is: how many times I have to pause the TiVo because I'm laughing out loud. And I do that several times each episode. It has joined the ranks of Family Guy and The Daily Show as my favorite shows.
And I have to disagree slightly with Holly. While I do think her character is weak, I love the two gay guys. Their interaction with her is hilarious. If they did drop Holly, I'm not sure they would be as funny. (The Thanksgiving scenes with them and her were priceless.)
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12-19-2006 @ 1:11PM
Josh said...
After hating the first few, I actually thought the most recent episodes were really funny. Even Holly/Kyle added humor to the show. I loved the one where she steps on the bunny, and then when it was brought up in the car crash episode.
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2-09-2007 @ 8:43PM
Julie said...
My husband and I love this show. At the end of each show we want more. It is well written and the characters are so different from each other and it works. Taking Holly out will also take Perry out. He was hilarious. Just walking across the set he was funny. I do hope they give this show a fair chance. So many times they cut shows before they get a chance to reach an audience. To cut any of the characters and throw the remaining cast together more when they obviously have no reason to be is going to turn this in to a Friends knock off (not a Friends fan). Nobody should want this.
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