November 13, 2001

10:28 PM

A bit late, but I found the first new episode of Absolutely Fabulous to be fairly lackluster. Seemed forced and disjointed. Should Jennifer Saunders have left well enough alone?
posted by juniper (18 comments total)

I don't watch tv.
posted by trioperative at 10:29 PM on November 13, 2001

You posted to the front page about a show you didn't even like?
posted by Doug at 10:37 PM on November 13, 2001

I can't get enough of AbFab. "Fairly lackluster" made me lust after the new series. Even when it's bad, it's good. Joanna Lumley gets better and better - she'll have an Oxford college named after her one day - and the general political incorrectness is always refreshing. I like that line from the current advertising campaign, something like: "You can't buy anything you want. But you can charge it!"


Oh and thanks for sharing, trioperative!
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:41 PM on November 13, 2001

I'm inclined to agree with Juniper (and Doug, she obviously loves the show, why else would she care about the new episodes?), found the first new one kind of forced.

It definitely lacked the density of the first run, there were 2-3 laughs per half-hour, the originals had 2-3 laughs per minute! And the whole dotcom/multimedia/china white/young london thing seems a bit dated already. However the new Labour jokes were spot on.
posted by chaz at 10:53 PM on November 13, 2001

Yeah, I was just being a jerk. But still, hardly worthy of a front page post.

And yet, I wonder if my real motivation for this is that I just hate Absolutely Fabulous? I don't get that show. I never got ABFab, OR The Full Monty. How do those two things connect? It's tenuous at best.
posted by Doug at 11:31 PM on November 13, 2001

They're both extremely regional?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:56 PM on November 13, 2001

There was never any structure or plot development in AbFab, which is why I never thought it was that great. It was more like one big sketch. The new series is just Jennifer Saunders pouting a lot and falling over. You've got to love Jane Horrocks though (Bubble).
posted by Summer at 2:43 AM on November 14, 2001

Joanna Lumley gets better and better - she'll have an Oxford college named after her one day

She's already been immortalised in wax at the London Madame Tussaud's -- an honour that I would've thought should go first to French and Saunders as creators of the series. Odd that.

Anyway, I'm quite bummed that I slept though the first episode (the horror!) and I cannot comment, but the synopses of the plotlines that I read seemed like classic AbFab -- it has rather a Seinfeldish quality, I always thought, in that the shows really aren't about anything, just the girls in one outrageous situation after another. I am scouring the Comedy Central schedule to find out when and if the show will re-air. I'll be quite peeved if I've missed the only scheduled broadcast.
posted by Dreama at 4:37 AM on November 14, 2001

I caught some of the first episode, and boy did it look bad. Didn't bother me though as I have never liked it that much anyway.

HOWEVER, COOGAN HAS DONE BAD. His new series Dr.Terrible's House of Horrible was on Monday, and boys & girls, let me tell you, it was shite.

He owes me half-an-hour of my life. DO YOU HEAR ME COOGAN?!?!? YOU OWE ME 30 MINUTES ! !

Stick to Partridge.
posted by Frasermoo at 4:50 AM on November 14, 2001

ah, i remember in 8th grade, getting my first taste of AbFab on comedy central and loving it, but then finding no one who could relate to with. i didn't know they were showing new episodes though.. what times/channel? or is it not showing in the states yet?
posted by lotsofno at 4:55 AM on November 14, 2001

Comedy Central, Mondays at 8pm EST

I enjoyed the first episode. There were some very funny lines like when Eddy's mother was dancing down the stairs and commented about how much fun her Guacamole Classes were. Saffy corrected her: "No, It's Salsa Dancing."
posted by TacoConsumer at 6:40 AM on November 14, 2001

Oh god yeah, Dr Terrible's House of whatever was complete shite. Why parody something that's already a parody of itself?
posted by Summer at 7:02 AM on November 14, 2001

I liked it, but the first episode wasn't as good as any in the first three series. But hey -- a bad AbFab is better than a brilliant "Everyone Loves Raymond" to me. And I have faith that future episodes (well, to us here in the States they're future episodes) will be fun.
posted by paddbear at 12:10 PM on November 14, 2001

Past its sell-by date, sweeties. And still, most Americans don't really appreciate the BritCom in-joke of having June Whitfield as the grandmother. (Oh, but "Coupling" is on BBC America. As is this...)
posted by holgate at 12:45 PM on November 14, 2001

she'll have an Oxford college named after her one day

Well, a research fellowship is a decent start.
posted by holgate at 12:48 PM on November 14, 2001

The Joanna Lumley Research Fellowship at Green College

Wow, holgate, I'll certainly be voting for you if you ever stand for Vice-Chancellor, I can tell ya. * (cue holgate explaining you can't actually "stand" and, since he's a doctor already, there's no question of an honorary doctorate either. And, to the tune of Morrissey's "Margaret on the Guillotine", screw that chemist Margaret Thatcher, who deservedly didn't get it, while we're at it.)
Why is she so popular? I very strongly agree with Dreama that, if someone should be so honoured, it would have to be Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. She's very easy to love and all, but she is only an actress. (Remember The Avengers?) Is it a class thing? Is OK Posh attractive right now? (sincere question)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:22 PM on November 14, 2001

He owes me half-an-hour of my life. DO YOU HEAR ME COOGAN?!?!? YOU OWE ME 30 MINUTES ! !

If you add up all that time pissed away on Tony Ferrino arn't we talking days? DO YOU HERE ME COOGAN? YOU OWE HOURS OF MY LIFE ! ! ! GIVE THEM BACK ! !
posted by feelinglistless at 3:32 PM on November 14, 2001

I just wanted to say that I identify with the character of Saffron Monsoon.
Oh, I'd also like to say that the fact that I identify with her frightens me. When I first got interested in the show, I looked at Saffy, saw myself in her, and said "Do I fidget with my glasses like that? Look downward shyly in uncomfortable social situations?" (I do this a bit less now.)
Also, Julia Sawalha (who plays Saffron) is incredibly cute!
posted by CrunchyFrog at 4:05 PM on November 14, 2001