The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle

I love Jennifer Saunders, and as others have indicated, I think people were probably expecting Ab Fab going into this and were disappointed when they didn't get it. If you simply view this show with no expectations, it is genius... Saunders and Miranda Richardson are absolutely hilarious in this cynic's wet dream... I love a show where the heroes are vile villains. I'm American, and I have to sometimes google things to make sense of the Britishisms scattered here and there, but the same can be said for Ab Fab or any British show. But it's worth it. I just got the DVD. Eagerly awaiting series 2. and 3+....

This so called comedy is probably one of the unfunniest that I have ever had the misfortune to watch. For a start off it is years too late to parody trash talk shows. Anyone going to do it should have done it years ago when they were relatively new. Secondly, it seemed to rely on the use of obscene language throughout to try and get laughs. Absolutely Fabulous was a genuinely funny classic piece of TV, but is this puerile nonsense the level that Jennifer Saunders has sunk to? Similarly Miranda Richardson, what on earth was she thinking taking part in this garbage? There wasn't a single thing in the half hour that even made me smile let alone laugh. How on earth it was ever commissioned is beyond comprehension. Truly, truly awful and definitely not worth watching again.

This series will definitely have its detractors, but I'm sure that both Jennifer Saunders and Tanya Byron already knew that going in. Still, they are holding up a mirror ...

Sometimes it's incredibly brutal and tragic; sometimes shockingly so. Take a look around at our world. If you're honest about what you see, you'd see this show as an indictment of media corporations and the celebrities they produce for worship, true that. However, you'd also see regular, vulnerable people who don't even try to communicate anymore unless there's some bit of technology between them and others, be it television or the Internet or their celphones. A character says 'association by disassociation' and I think that's such an accurate and succinct description of the contradiction that many of the more vicious daytime talkshow hosts thrive off of.

Meanwhile, we're all still here together: wanting to connect with others and struggling with our own difficulties wherever they find us.

This show is brilliant. I'm actually surprised that it made it this far. Yes, there is hilarious comedy in there, too, but this is not garden variety satire merely for the sake of laughs. And Jennifer Saunders' amazing portrayal and that of her supporting cast is only heightened by the outstanding writing and direction. There were so many moments that literally took my breath away.

I love Vivienne Vyle!

Basically I think people is expecting "a new Ab Fab" which is just ridiculous. I mean, I LOVE Ab Fab and bought all the episodes and I'd be the first to scream and cry with happiness if Jen decided to do Ab Fab again, but come on! We can't expect Jen to do the same thing forever! I think it's brilliant of her to do something so different, and not just get stuck in the Ab Fab-y sort of comedy. I watched the pilot of Mirrorball and I'm glad it didn't get picked up. Sure, it was entertaining, but it was also practically the same as Absolutely Fabulous, with the same types of characters. Vivienne Vyle is something completely different and has a darker style of comedy and may therefore not be appreciated by all the Ab Fab fans, but I really loved it! V.V. is not even supposed to be a comedy actually, but a sort of a dark drama containing comedy. It's advertised as a comedy only because Saunders is in it, and therefore people will watch it. I think this show only proofs to us that Jen has several talents ad not just in comedy. She's like an onion! Not that she smells bad and makes people cry, but she has layers. Terrific layers. Either you only love her for her hilarious ones, or you can appreciate her for her deeper sides as well, as I do.

Hurrah for VV!

I would tend to be very open minded about anything with a cast and production team with this pedigree, and I wanted to like it. On the whole, I DO like it, but it is too dark for my taste. Having said that, I cannot ignore the craftsmanship in the production. It has subtlety which you would not expect from the subject material. I can recognise the depth that has been put into the writing, direction and acting, and for that, I applaud it. Miranda Richardson is frightening stark and awful in her interpretation - a skill she has always been able to project. It is her darkness that gave me the most discomfort...a credit to her. I sense it is something that I may want to watch a few times to really grasp.

Watch it...it is a scary (and funny) indictment of modern television.