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Series / The Class (2006)

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The Class is a short-lived sitcom lasting only one season (nineteen episodes) in which a third-grade class reunites for the surprise twenty-eighth birthday party of one of the classmates, as it marks the twentieth anniversary of his meeting her fiance. However, she dumps him at the party while the rest of the class watches in amusement. Following that party, several of the classmates become friends, and hilarity ensues. Series regulars included Jason Ritter as Ethan, Lizzy Caplan as Kat, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Richie, Heather Goldenhersh as Lina, Jon Bernthal as Duncan, Andrea Anders as Nicole, and Lucy Punch as Holly Ellenbogen.

Not to be confused with the Doctor Who spin-off Class, or the 2007 Estonian film Klass.


Tropes present in the series:

  • Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Duncan's mom attends Thanksgiving at Yonk and Nicole's, and as she leaves to look at Yonk's trophies, Duncan has to tell Yonk that "I know she's my mom and all, but, uh, she steals."
    • She also eavesdrops on phone calls and voices her opinion.
  • Bed Trick: Kat and Ethan pretend to be other people's blind dates at a bar. Kat does this successfully, but Ethan does not understand the concept and attempts to pursue a relationship with the woman, all the while pretending to be Dan Slutsky.
  • Brain Bleach: Kat shows them pictures taken of body parts from a cadaver.
    Ethan: Dear God, what is this?!
    Kat: It's a tongue!
    Ethan: It's not in a mouth!
  • Brutal Honesty: Kat. Always. Her first line ever in the show was "I gotta say, while parties normally bum me out, this one sounds particularly creepy." She continues to say, "I have no recollection of either you or Joanne, but you really sound like people I would hate."
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Holly Ellenbogen is last seen in the twelfth episode receiving a threat from Richie's wife Fern, who is also never seen again. There is no explanation given for her disappearance, leading to the unfortunate possibility that she may have been hurt in some way by Fern.
    • A later episode does show Perry again, assuring viewers that his wife is still alive by referring to her and calling her on the phone.
  • Comically Missing the Point: Yonk Allen does this frequently. For example, on their first anniversary, Nicole gets him a newspaper from the day of the '75 Sugar Bowl, at which point he exclaims, as though to inform Nicole, "Why, I played in that!"
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: Nicole and Yonk go on a diet with no red meats. Duncan brings steak sandwiches to Nicole while Yonk is out for dinner, but Yonk comes home early while they're eating them together, at which point Duncan hurries out while they make excuses to Yonk. Particularly funny because Nicole and Duncan have actually cheated together before.
  • The Ghost: Aaron becomes this after Christien de la Fuente left the show. Rather than recast the role, suddenly the character was always "at work", or on the other end of a phone call, and in one episode played by a clearly different actor (from behind) being hugged by Kyle at the airport, after coming home from a long trip. It's possible that the producers hoped de la Fuente would be back, but then the show was cancelled.
  • Grand Romantic Gesture: The kickoff of the show is how Ethan has gotten his old third grade class together as a surprise for his girlfriend, a member of the same class. It completely backfires as she sees all of his romantic gestures as overly controlling and smothering and this is the final straw to break up with him.
  • I Know You Know I Know: Richie must determine how Duncan's date went for Nicole, but since he's a Bad Liar, he ends up revealing Nicole's secret, then Duncan's secret, then both.
  • Interrupted Suicide: Twice to Richie in the first two episodes.
  • It's a Small World, After All: Several ties between characters that develop in later episodes are due to chance encounters. For example, when Ethan is pretending to be Dan Slutsky, he attends the birthday party of a friend of Sue's son; this friend happens to be Oprah, the daughter of Holly Ellenbogen, and Kyle Lendo is also in attendance. This results in a friendship between Kyle and Ethan.
  • Lethal Chef: In "The Class Eats Moroccan Chicken", Lina cooks something she calls "Morrocan Chicken" and she can't taste it since she's a vegetarian. Later, at the dinner party, everyone finds it repulsive.
  • Longing Look: Nicole to Duncan and vice versa. All the time.
  • Monochrome Casting: The show was criticized for having an all-white main cast, despite the fact that it's set in Philadelphia, where the plurality (44%) of the population is black.
  • Stalking Is Funny if It Is Female After Male: Kat stalks Benjamin, taking disturbingly specific pictures of him and developing them herself, then stacking them in large piles and knowing exactly where to find a particular picture. Initially funny, until she starts dating Benjamin and he finds the pictures. But then he forgives her.
  • Stereo Fibbing: Yonk finds out that Nicole and Duncan dated in high school.
    Yonk: So, how long did you guys go out?
    Mrs. Carmello: Three years. / Nicole: Two weeks. / Duncan: Five months.
    Yonk: How's that?
    Nicole: Uh, three years, five months, and two weeks, thanks to everyone who contributed to that.
  • Suicide by Pills: The series starts with Richie attempting to kill himself in this way only to be interrupted. He tries again in the next episode and is also interrupted.
  • Token Minority: Kyle's boyfriend Aaron is introduced as a secondary character to counteract the Monochrome Casting.
  • Will They or Won't They?: Duncan and Nicole. They do. At the end of the first episode. And then again later in the season.

Alternative Title(s): The Class TV, The Class

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