Jam & Jerusalem

This show isn't a sitcom as such. Yes, it has comedy, and there is a "situation" - that of the lives of a women's guild in a small Devon town, but its much more subtle than middle aged women getting themselves into ridiculous situations.

It's about solidarity, friendship, grief and a whole lot of other very real things.

At the time the show came out Jennifer Saunders was still seen as the creator and star of Absolutely Fabulous and I think that causes some misunderstanding of Jam & Jerusalem, because whereas that is out and out wild comedy, this is much more of a dramedy. I think this possibly didn't help the show much because it wasn't what people expected from the creator.

However, even as a 42 year old man who lives in London I love this show. It IS funny at times, but also mixes sadness and poignancy into this and brings a show that is totally believable and very watchable. The beautiful country scenes as well as the incidental music used adds to this.

The casting is top notch with some of the UK's finest female talent playing a group of seemingly very different characters who on the surface would have nothing in common, but through the local women's guild they find friendship and kinship. Watch it, its lovely!

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.)

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.

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.

I just discovered the series. I became so absorbed that I ended up watching the whole 1st season in a weekend. In some ways, everyone is familiar with this community but, we rarely stop to see the humor that surround our daily life. This show reminded me to appreciate the odd moments that happen daily. I began watching because of how much I admire Sue Johnston's work and was again impressed. I was surprised, however, to see how much depth the rest of the cast showed. The scripts shifts quickly from humor to grief then on to love or annoyance and on an on. Usually one feels jostled with such transitions but the script and the expert acting by the cast keeps the plot flowing. I became absorbed in the story and only at the end did I realize how much was covered.

That can only be accomplished when a whole cast is up to the task. I can't wait for the next season!