Class of ’07is a hilarious new Australian comedy on Amazon Prime Video about a group of women attending their 10-year-high school reunion. While they are happy to say their hellos, drink, and be merry then move on, plans change when the apocalypse hits. The Earth is covered in water, and with the school at a nice elevation, they manage to survive. But they’re also stuck, and old high school drama and unresolved issues begin to bubble to the surface.
The show is reminiscent of many other apocalyptic shows, past and present. It beautifully weaves the story of the end of the world with one about women finally confronting their inner demons, childhood trauma, and bullies. The stories get dark at times, but a healthy dose of humor keeps fans laughing, too.
1‘Yellowjackets’ (2021 - )
Yellowjacketsis much darker thanClass of ’07, but it shares many similarities, including the almost entirely female main cast and the discord among them. Just like withClass of ’07, the women inYellowjacketseach had their issues. While they were largely all “friends” in high school, there was evidence of bullying, jealousy, and betrayal.
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The interactions among the girls, who are stranded in the wilderness inYellowjacketsand in a school inClass of ’07, are what truly stand out between these two shows. All the old feelings come back many years later, drudging up past memories, resentment, and trauma.
2‘The Wilds’ (2020 - 2022)
Another series centered around a group of young women,The Wildsdoesn’t involve an apocalyptic scenario. Rather, the high schoolers are purposely crashed onto a remote island and studied while they attempt to do what is necessary to survive.
There are no comedic elements withThe Wilds, which is completely raw and filled with heartbreaking emotion. This series is more about the masks these girls put on in their real lives. But it also shows how, when faced with the pressures of survival, they’ll surprise themselves. Girls who never interacted in real life strike bonds and friendships with one another, which happens inClass of ’07as well.
3‘The Afterparty’ (2022 - )
What makesThe Afterpartysimilar toClass of ’07is the setting of a high school reunion. Interestingly, both also feature a crime in the beginning: the suspicious death of a main character inThe Afterpartyleaves fans theorizing about who the killermight be. InClass of ’07,it’s the disappearance of a former student that is the subject of several episodes. While the characters inThe Afterpartyare not stuck somewhere due to an apocalypse, they are unable to leave the home they’re in due to police interrogations.
The Afterpartycombines drama and comedy likeClass of ’07, touching on multiple genres throughout. In both shows, former classmates must face one another and deal with issues they had when they were younger. Interestingly, in both shows, there’s even a character who everyone forgot existed.
Another series hailing from a country outside of North America,Bad Sistersis from Ireland whileClass of ’07hails from Australia. Both feature a largely female cast though the main characters inBad Sistersare siblings while those inClass of ’07are former classmates and friends.
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Both stories involve an attempted murder and characters trying to cover it up. In both shows, the person the group was trying to kill managed to survive, at least for a while. Both are dramatic shows with comedic undertones that flow beautifully from one genre to the other.
5‘Friends From College’ (2017 - 2019)
ThoughFriends From Collegedid not last beyond its first two seasons,the criminally underrated sitcomfeatures a similar storyline of college classmates who remained friends for many years after. Now adults, however, their lives have gone in different directions. They find that remaining friends isn’t easy, as some of the women onClass of ’07realize as well.
The group includes a fun mix of personalities, just like inClass of ’07, from the wealthy upper-society friends to the struggling writer and the perpetual party boy. There’s a reunion of sorts among these friends as they all deal with their own personal and career troubles.
6‘The Society’ (2019)
This mystery teen drama follows a group of teenagers who find themselves in a precarious position: they return from a field trip that was canceled to find that everyone in their town has strangely disappeared. All that surrounds them is a forest and there’s no telephone or Internet connectivity.
Forced to fend for themselves, as are the women inClass of ’07(who are now adults), the teens inThe Societyhave no choice but to learn how to survive. Indeed, the themes of survival and finding resources when there is seemingly a limited supply is at the heart of both shows.
7‘Heartbreak High’ (1994 - 1999)
There is a Netflix reboot of this series, released in 2022. But it’s the original Australian version that will appeal to fans ofClass of ’07. Similar toClass of ’07, the show features a floating timeline, going back and forth between the past and present day.
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There’s no end-of-the-world concept inHeartbreak High, but the show does deal with the typical challenges teens face in high school. There are some similar storylines as well, including one dealing with the death of a parent, a student dating a teacher, and difficulties posed by high school cliques.
8‘Big Little Lies’ (2017 - 2019)
Originally supposed to be a limited series, like many others nowadays that were tremendously popular,Big Little Lies, one ofthe best shows on HBO Max, returned with a second season. The main characters are adults but many of them have been friends, or at least acquaintances, for many years. Most of them are wealthy except for the new single mom who moves in. She can be likened to Phoebe inClass of ’07, who never felt like she could live up to her peers because she was only admitted to the prestigious school by scholarship.
There’s no end-of-the-world scenario, but there is a murder and the ladies banding together to help one another and cover things up, like what happens inClass of ’07.
9‘Orange Is The New Black’ (2013 - 2019)
Another series with an almost entirely female cast,Orange is the New Black, one ofthe best Netflix originals, follows women who are stuck, but in a much different scenario. They are in a minimum-security prison. Even so, there are still cliques that form, certain women who are dominant and others follow (Red inOITNBand Saskia inClass of ’07).
The main character inOITNBis an upper-middle-class woman named Piper who feels like she doesn’t quite belong there. But like many of the uppity women inClass of ‘07, they quickly harden as required in order to survive. It’s not an apocalyptic scenario in this show, but at its heart, this show is also about women trying to get by in the face of extreme challenges.
10‘Pretty Little Liars’ (2010 - 2017)
The premise ofPretty Little Liarsbegins when the leader of a clique mysteriously disappears, and her five remaining best friends start getting harassed by someone. The anonymous person threatens to release all their deepest, darkest secrets.
There’s the theme of best friends and a reunion among them along with the idea of surviving, albeit against an anonymous threat and not the end of the world.Pretty Little Liarsrecently saw a spin-off,Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, the fourth spin-off in the franchise overall.
