Imagine the world ending Noah’s Arc-style. Now, imagine the world ending Noah’s Arc-style in the middle of your 10-year high school reunion, revisiting both the boarding school campus you used to call home, as well as the now-estranged women you used to share classes with. That nightmare-inducing premise is the backdrop for Prime Video’s newest high-concept comedy Class of ‘07, delivering another entry into the female survivalist drama while inserting a comedic edge into the tense atmosphere of the end of the world.

This Australian import, from creator Kacie Anning, follows the titular class of 2007 of Ridge Heights Catholic Ladies College, who have reunited ten years after graduation to be nosey about their classmates’ lives and feel more insecure about their own. Though, the class’ most buzz-worthy attendee, Zoe (an ex-The Match—a Bachelor spoof—contestant who went viral for an unfortunate dove-related incident and has secluded herself from the rest of the world as a result, played by Emily Browning), shows up late due to an evacuation order after the land under her feet begins cracking and spewing water. Mid-way through the party, social pariah Amelia (Megan Smart) attempts to leave, but finds their mountain-top school surrounded by the endless ocean. Forced to band together or die trying, the group look to reformed mean girl Saskia (Caitlin Stasey) for guidance as they attempt to adjust to post-apocalyptic life at their old high school.

While the past few years have been fruitful in delivering ensemble female-survivalist series (see: Yellowjackets, The Wilds), Class of ‘07 separates itself from the pack through its comedic tone and lens. The absurdist and raunchy comedy of the series offers a sense of much-needed levity to the otherwise dismal scenario, including laugh-out-loud moments on par with its female-focused comedy peers like The Sex Lives of College Girls. However, too many other jokes and comedic beats just don’t land, resulting in a comedy series that is funny, but only occasionally. However, the drama and character work presented through the high school hellscape are infinitely more interesting than the comedic elements of the series, and are elevated far beyond the various shitting-in-holes jokes cracked within the four episodes made available for review. Where some of the levity falls flat, the strong narrative picks up the slack. Saskia in particular is a series stand-out, offering the kind of layered and disturbing antagonist that a show like this desperately needs—played to perfection by Stasey. It’s one thing to be haunted by your high school trauma for the rest of your life, but it’s another to be transported back in time and simply stuck there while the world ends, and the high-emotion, life-or-death stakes offer an incredible avenue to explore the lasting scars one’s teen years can leave behind.

And everyone in this class has scars. Zoe and Amelia, for instance, were best friends in high school, only for some mysterious circumstance to break them apart, causing them to lose touch after graduation. Phoebe (Steph Tisdell) still has the scholarship fund-shaped chip on her shoulder from her high school years, Genevieve (Claire Lovering) is still hanging onto her status as second-string Class Captain, and Laura (Rose Flanagan) was presumed dead, but now finds herself nicknamed “Forgettable Laura.” Whether the series is trying to make you root for Zoe and Amelia to finally make-up, or introducing you to the charm of class stoners Tegan (Bernie Van Tiel) and Megan (The Wilds vet Chi Nguyen), Class of ‘07 achieves it through its endless charm and bubbling tension. It’s Lord of the Flies-meets-decade-old teenage baggage, and the outcome of this would-be social experiment is both expected and unexpected so far, in all the best ways.

Ultimately, the biggest mistake I could make in reviewing this show is trying to put it into boxes, as it has proven itself to be much more than just its comedic undertone or the confines of its female-survivalist lens. So far, it’s a brutal and raw examination of womanhood and the aftereffects of high school, a love letter to female friendships, and a raunchy and rowdy good time to boot. Class of ‘07 may be an unapologetically Aussie import, but the universality of intense female friendships, high school bullies, and the base need for survival is a tale as old as time.

Class of ‘07 premieres March 17th on Amazon Prime Video.

Anna Govert is an entertainment writer based in middle-of-nowhere Indiana. For any and all thoughts about TV, film, and the wonderful insanity of Riverdale, you can follow her @annagovert.

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