Amandaland

I was wondering if this would be as good as Motherland and it absolutely was. I binge watched all 6 episodes in a day and loved it. All characters were great and it was fab having Amanda being Amanda.

There's a lot more of Joanna Lumley which is good to see. Both Amanda and Felicity really grow on you in this spin off. I really hope there is another series to come and it would be nice to see some of the other Motherland characters turn up in the future. Ann is her usually funny self and Della, Fi and Mail are a great addition.

I can't believe it's had negative reviews I loved it and would definitely recommend.

In short:

It's hard to root for Amanda, She needed a redeeming moment straight away so we could champion her, so unfortunately she's still the horrible person we saw in motherland.

Motherland is better, but I wouldn't be against watching a 2nd series.

I wrote quite a detailed, slightly negative review of this originally that took a lot of time and effort and for some reason it was deleted, hmmmm..

So that's why I gave the quick review up top.

And for the synopsis:

Recently divorced Amanda must navigate parenting teenagers in new surroundings after downsizing and moving to South Harlesden in London...

Must get Series 2 immediately!!

Brilliantly acted, just love Joanna Lumley but all the supporting cast are so good.

The writing is very good, the teenage characters are expertly written.

Anne is acted so well, I long for her to get her own show too.

Lucy Punch is just brilliant as Amanda, she is always trying to do the right thing by her children, whilst being totally fake . It's an excellent dichotomy of her personality.

The storyline are engaging and fairly true yo family life motherland was also excellent so I'd re commend you watch that too. I was hoping they would do another series. This could be even better. Thanks.

I have not watched Motherland but I will now as I did enjoy this spin off.

I watched it because of trailers on the BBC and because Joanna Lumley is in it. Lumley can be credited with at least 4 of the stars in my rating of Amandaland. Her character is not too far removed from Patsy Stone so of course she is brilliant.

For the rest, even though I found parts of the first couple of episodes cringeworthy I did binge watch the series to see if it got any better. Either it did, or, I warmed to the characters and the style of comedy. The comedy is often delivered subtly and dry as it is in real life. When it is slapstick that's when it becomes cringeworthy. The Irish ladies Anne and Della are given the best comedic lines. I was wondering why there were 2 Irish characters featuring prominently in a London-based comedy, reading other reviews it seems this may be the legacy of Motherland. Anyways they are 2 funny ladies. As for Amanda herself, I wonder if her character is based on a real life Amanda we all know?

Most of the poor reviews are from people who barely watched the first episode. Seems they were determined not to like it from the start. It's utterly brilliant. Amanda isn't likeable, that's the point, but she shows a few sparse moments of vulnerability, of needing to be loved, of shedding the aspirational veneer. People are missing the point! Lucy Punch is brilliant, as is Philippa Dunne. I split my sides as Anne recognises Amanda outside the school. Her reaction? Priceless and so funny. The new cast had a lot to live up to but they do so splendidly. Mal is a perfect foil to Amanda; I'm sure we will see more of the two of them if there is another series. Yes, I miss Kevin, who wouldn't, but these bite-sized, half hour episodes are perfect for a post-work pick me up. Whoever can't find this series hilarious or at least funny needs a personality reset. Don't believe their humbug and watch it all - right to the end! LOVED IT!