High Society

I never was a big fan of Absolutely Fabulous....so maybe that's why I liked this one so much! Although when they got rid of the Val character, it was a death blow to the show - I still have one of the episodes on tape because I enjoyed it so much. This was the episode where Stephano quit and Val took over the office. I've watched this with numerous friends numerous times and no one has hated it (as the person before me claimed). I'm unsure if this is because he may have only seen one episode. Anyhow, I had a feeling this would not make it because it was over the top and not a great fit for Murphy Brown (more like something that would go well with Will & Grace). Perhaps when the Gay network is up and running, they will put this on again.

This show was the first of the 3 big network's attempts to translate the British phenomenon "Absolutely Fabulous" for American tastes (read: less vulgarity, less foul language, NO overt drug-taking, less drinking, etc.) that actually reached the screen ("Cybill" is often reported as being an "AbFab" spin, but the two have very little in common to acknowledge its British cousin as an influence); its quick failure ensured that it would also be the last. Mary McDonell & Jean Smart made for a great comedy duo and shared a good deal of chemistry, but they were surrounded by a lackluster supporting cast and amusing but often messy writing that too quickly relied upon a one-liner than dialogue that could flesh out a character, no matter how funny that one-liner may have been. Yet another interesting attempt to adapt a British program to American tastes.

AbFab was successful in England. In fact, it was successful in America! Americans LOVE AbFab. So of course it made sense to try try try to make an American AbFab. AmFab, perhaps? But it just couldn't work. It could never work. Americans like to see themselves in a certain light. Sure, we drink. But the people we want to WATCH drinking are either funny southern/mountain folk, or angry violent urban youth... not middle-aged wealthy moms. Middle-aged wealthy moms have a pretty wide berth here, of course, but it just doesn't go that far. High Society may have offered less of everything we didn't want, but how could you really have anything resembling AbFab if you couldn't construct a situation where, say, Patsy wakes up in a garbage barge, and it's COMPLETELY RIGHT!?!

I have seen a lot of TV in my time, both good and bad, and I cannot agree with the comment that this show is hideous. My only problem is that I was too young to appreciate both AbFab and High Society when they first started airing. I have seen on this site where people scoff at the use of Valium as a way to get a laugh because the drug is too weak. Let's face it. None of the Americanized versions of British comedies were allowed to be as free with their material as their counterparts in the 1990's. American television was more restricted than other nations, especially on regular networks. People immediately labeled Jean Smart as "family TV" because of one role, so they failed to accept her as Ellie Walker. Mary McDonnell is a two-time Oscar nominee with amazing talent, so how could she possibly be funny? That's what people thought, and they were wrong. What's sad is that some of the people who put this show down are probably tremendous fans of the American adaptation of The Office. Funny how it's acceptable today to rip off a show, but ten years ago, it was a deadly sin.

I found this comedy magnetic and extremely funny. The chemistry between the two women flowed like an electrical charge that energized the humor and the humor and dialog were dead-center sync to the plot lines. It was a well-rounded and seamless and, like most 1st-season shows, a little vulnerable, but without the usual bumbling and apologies that go with a new show. It was great theater and funny enough to re-knot my belly button a few times per episode.

The constant comparison to "Ab Fab" seems to state more about the utter lack of imagination on the part of the reviewers than an actual likeness. "Ab Fab" was scored along the lines of "Benny Hill" and "High Society" was scored closer to some of the modern-day TV comedies like "Scrubbs" or "Desperate Housewives".