Jam & Jerusalem

I thought the first episode was quite poor.

However, it improved and from week 3 I was very happy with it. Although, I watched them in a block over four nights, having taped them with Sky plus. The acting is consistently good and the scripts have little gems all the way through - e.g. Rosie's holy potato and the vicars blessing of the stones.

There is a refreshing lack of typical sitcom situations and characters. Whilst to some it may be quaint, there is a subtle edge to the whole thing which gives moments of sadness and joy.

I know this is at odds with prior posts, but, having sat through the whole series I feel that it does not deserve to suffer for the couple of episodes that it took to establish the characters and the situation.

So to sum up, it is well worth watching in my opinion and I am really looking forward to the second series.

So, yeah, it's not abfab and it's true: at first, it feels like one of those inside-joke french and Saunders sketches that go on too long. HOWEVER, this show isn't meant to be the laugh-fest that abfab was. It's a much more balanced and calm series, one that finds humor in very human situations and subtleties. This may sound far-fetched, but there definitely is a sort of Chekhovian feel to Saunders' writing. Nothing much happens, but it is fascinating to watch the characters interact. The show touches on the awkwardness of living with such truth -- and therein lies the comedy (as with Chekhov, some viewers will only read tragedy... it's really a matter of perspective). The reason it may not catch on at first is because of the time necessary to establish the characters (there are perhaps too many) and adjust to the numerous subplots (it is an extremely ambitious show, spanning many tele-genres). Because of the character development and greater humanity of the writing, the show feels more like a full TV series than Jennifer Saunders' other work, and I think it's a sign of a certain maturity on her part. The classic Saunders quirks and humor are all still there, but it's toned down to approach something more like reality (unlike abfab, it is sans a laugh track, if that says anything). So, yeah, you have to realize Jam is a different animal.

Also, you've got to give Saunders credit for assembling a fine ensemble of older woman -- a demographic that is widely ignored by contemporary TV.

When this appears on U.S. TV, it will be compared to "The Golden Girls." It is my fondest wish that NO ONE take such a comparison seriously. J&J is NOT a sitcom, thank Jennifer Saunders.

It is a sweet, charming, funny slice of life in a West Country village filled with eccentric, idiosyncratic folks. There is no one there I don't like and many I would love to know.

It has so far been a complete delight, filled with Jennifer's trademark wit, a delicious cast, beautiful locations and wonderful music. No laugh tracks, no dumbed-down humor here. It has an almost Robert Altman-like quality with overlapping dialogue and wonderful set pieces (episode five has several, my favorite being the pony trials). U.S. viewers might not get some of the references but for those of us who grew up in large towns and now live big cities, it is a temptation to chuck it all and move in with these people.

British TV is noteworthy for not padding episodes with exposition and back story which is a refreshing change. You'll pick everything up, trust me.

While Jennifer plays a small role as perpetually nettled Caroline Martin, it is Sue Johnston's show. I loved her work in "Waking the Dead" and am delighted that she gets to show off her comic side. The rest of the cast is really solid, particularly Sally Phillips as Tash, (you haven't lived until you've seen her UK Valley-girl/hippie/stoner routine), and Dawn French's Rosie takes turns making me laugh and breaking my heart. Pauline McLynn plays Sue's best mate and has totally won me over.

The only weak spot might be Joanna Lumley's Delilah Stagg. It's pretty clear that Delilah is a somewhat re-worked version of the aged Patsy Stone from "Ab Fab." She seems to turn up, do a bit of business each episode and disappear. Not sure where Jennifer's going with Delilah, but who knows maybe that's the point.

Really first class TV. Can't wait for Series 2. Get busy ladies.

(Each episode runs a full 30 minutes.)

.... and thank God for that!! I have heard nothing but bad things about Jam and Jerusalem but I think that it is excellent. It seems that anything that Jennifer Saunders does is compared against Absolutely Fabulous (which should have given up after the second series and was only kept alive for the lucrative BBC America audience) and I think it is a shame that many people do not seem to have given it a chance.

This is not a laugh a minute and I do not think that was the intention. The characters are excellently written and are subtle. Unlike Absolutely Fabulous where the viewer learned that (s)he was dealing with an old tart and an aging hippy and their 'hilarious antics' after 10 minutes of the first episode (or indeed after the two minutes of the sketch from French and Saunders from which Ab Fab sprang) the characters in Jam and Jerusalem are more complex and will need at least one more series to come into their own, in much the same way that the characters of 'dinnerladies' took time to develop.

People who want slap-stick, American, literal comedy should steer well clear of Jam and Jerusalem. Fans of French and Saunders and comedy that requires some thought on the part of the viewer will love it.

After the first episode, which was disjointed and not funny, the show did a remarkable turnaround. My daughter and I watched all 6 shows of the 1st series, plus the Christmas show. The more the series went on, the more we liked it. As has been mentioned, it is not meant to be like AbFab. It is funny and heartwarming at the same time - a character driven show. Though at first it was disappointing to not see much of Jennifer Saunders on screen (she plays only a minor character), I found that I really enjoyed watching Sue Johnston (Sal Vine) and Pauline McLynn (Tippi Haddem)develop their characters. Dawn French as Rosie was endearing and hilarious. I am looking forward to Series 2.