Absolutely Fabulous Returns (Again!)

Image from source, EW.

Fans of British television can often quote long lines of dialog verbatim from their favorite shows. The reason is, they've seen each episode many times. Even the most popular programs often only total a dozen or two episodes. Supposedly, it condenses all the goodness into six or eight episodes, rather than padding it out to 22 or 24 as we do in the States. They may have a point, and channels like HBO, AMC, Showtime and Starz have been running shorter seasons than the networks. But when you really like the show, it can be frustrating that there are so few episodes to watch.

Thankfully for fans, the classic series Absolutely Fabulous keeps coming back for more. Originally, it ran for three seasons. Then a fourth. Then some specials. Then a fifth. And there's more to come! And that's fabulous news, sweetie.

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First Look: 'Absolutely Fabulous' returns with Patsy and Edina

Ab Fab is back, darlings! As EW reported back in August, the cult British series is returning early next year on BBC America and Logo with a trio of new specials. But you don’t have to wait that long to reunite with the boozy Patsy (Joanna Lumley) and Edina (Jennifer Saunders): EW has the exclusive first look at how the fabulous duo are holding up in the new specials, which marks the first time they’ve reunited since the BBC America comedy Clatterford in 2006. . .

Read more at: Entertainment Weekly

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link.

No American Version of AbFab

Image from source, TVSquad

My favorite "BritCom" of all time is Absolutely Fabulous. AbFab is one of those "grows on you" British comedies that is most probably untranslatable to American audiences. There will always be the niche audience that "gets it," but putting the characters into a traditional American sitcom just doesn't seem like it's going to happen.

In the last season of Roseanne, the titular actress tried to bring Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone into our world. But it didn't take. Jean Smart and Mary McDonnell tried to emulate them with High Society. But that didn't take either. Most recently, FOX commissioned a pilot for an American version of the show, but it seems as though the network has passed on that as well. It's just as well. The original version will live on forever, and now will not be diminished by a US version.

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Fox says "no, sweetie darling" to US AbFab

Remember that American version of Absolutely Fabulous that Fox was so high on? Well, they are high no more. Fox has passed on AbFab after viewing the pilot. Now while I am not the kind of person to be happy about someone else's failure, this is an instance in which I'm thrilled that this show is going nowhere. . .

Read more at: TV Squad

Little Britain Gets Movie Treatment!

Image from Daily Mail

Little Britain, the British sketch comedy show, is uneven. It's wildly scatter shot. You will be confused, repulsed and repelled by something in nearly episode. Oh, and it is hilarious. You have to be a fan of British humor. You have to be able to turn off your "I'm so offended" instinct. And, like so many English shows, you have to let it grow on you.

Black Adder was like that for me. Absolutely Fabulous too. But I eventually grew to love them. Like those two programs, Little Britain has grown beyond its initial short seasons on the BBC. It's had specials, and an American version (with the original stars). But now, it is going to be a movie. Can't wait.

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"Little Britain" Gets A Feature Film

Creators & stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams have just finished penning a script for the film that sets the action in Las Vegas. "We’re really happy with it, but the whole film project is still kind of dependent on how much we can raise our profiles in America" says Walliams. . .

Read more at: Dark Horizons

American Remake of Brit-Com Not so Fabulous?

Image from source, Qweerty

I'm a big fan of the British cult-classic sitcom, Absolutely Fabulous, and have even posted a few items about it in the past. So, you'd think I'd be excited about the prospect of an American version of the show. But everything I've seen about the project has been to report about how unfabulous it is.

Several British shows have been remade here in the States, some with spectacular success, like All in the Family, Three's Company and Sanford and Son. But for every The Office, there are bombs like Coupling, Kath & Kim, or the Fawlty Towers remake with Bea Arthur, Amanda's. The new AbFab could land in either category, but early consensus says the latter.

They've tried to bring AbFab to American television before. Roseanne brought the original actresses--in character as Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone--to the final, "fantasy" season of her show. Roseanne was planning on making a US version of the show, but her plans apparently fell through. Then, Jean Smart and Mary McConnell brought High Society to the air. It was a sitcom not based on AbFab, but it was clearly an homage or rip-off, if you prefer. It was cancelled after a single season.

The problem with doing an American version is the unique "Britishness" of the show, and the fact that Edina and Patsy are hedonistic, drug-using, alcohol abusing, cigarette smokers. Patsy likes sex a lot, and both are horrible to Edina's sensible daughter, Saffy. US television--even on FOX--is going to have to clean these characters up a bit, and in doing so, they will suffer in comparison. The key to success will be to make the show and its characters different enough that they're not direct copies. But doing that will tick off the fans. Sounds like a lose/lose to me.

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The Ab Fab Diary: On the Remake Set With Edina and Patsy

Have you ever heard a straight man say the words “absolutely fabulous” in a hetero monotone? This was our introduction to the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City where the rent-a-cop peaked in my car, took one look at me and my friend George in his Gautier glasses, and flatly asked, “Absolutely Fabulous?” Try saying “absolutely fabulous” with no emotion. It is laughable. George and I repeated it in our best straight man voices sporadically throughout the evening — an evening spent remaking the hit 1990s comedy Absolutely Fabulous. . .

Read more at: Qweerty

Little Britain, USA Debuts September 28th

Image from Daily Mail

Do you like British comedies? Not everybody does. I certainly didn't when it came to Absolutely Fabulous the first time I saw it. Same thing with Blackadder, Are You Being Served? and Keeping Up Appearances. But a funny thing happens for me with British humor. . .if I stick with it, and keep watching, I like them more. In fact, once I "get" where they're going, I love it. All of the shows in this list have become favorites of mine to a different degree (AbFab on top, KUA toward the bottom--yes, Mr. Humphries, I mean you).

One of the bigger hits from across the pond in recent years was Little Britain. It's a delightfully quirky, scattershot sketch comedy show. Like our own Saturday Night Live, it has fits of brilliance intermixed with spots that leave you scratching your head. Unlike SNL, the bits don't go on forever, and if they don't hit your funnybone, they're gone in half a minute. And unlike anything on American television, Little Britain is dreadfully, shockingly inappropriate to everybody in every way--in short, my kind of show.

HBO has wisely brought the show to America as Little Britain, USA, and it debuts on Sunday, September 28. Take a look at the preview below for a hint at what it's like. And do yourself a favor; if you don't get it at first, or don't like it. . .watch it some more. I'll guarantee you, after two or three shows, you'll be quoting the shows you thought you didn't like!