User reviews

Edina "Eddy" Monsoon and Patsy Stone are successful businesswomen and best friends. Their spare time is filled with celebrity gossip, parties, alcohol and drugs. While middle-aged they still think they're twenty-something and it's the swinging seventies. This does not sit well with Eddy's straight-laced daughter, Saffron.

An hilarious, over-the-top comedy, parodying the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The excesses are extreme and the superficialities of their existences are exposed. Highlighting this is the conservative nature of Eddy's daughter Saffron who is the polar opposite of her mother. It also makes for a funny juxtaposition as usually the kids are the wild ones, the parents the sensible ones.

Throw in Eddy's mother to add some ditsyness and naivety and Bubble as the hyperactive, fast-talking underling and it's absolutely brilliant.

This is outstanding, one of my favorites. 5 stars all the way!!! This comedy totally rules, I've never laughed so much with a television show as with AbFab. The characters are hilarious, the situations are hilarious and the jokes are good and the show has a great feeling. I loved this show. I loved every character in it. I wouldn't want people to use it as a role model, but it certainly made me feel better about my own partying habits! I will have to get the disc sets as they become available because I sure do miss seeing the show. It will make anyone with a sense of humor laugh until their sides hurt. I love the slash of personalities and how the roles within the Monsoon family are switched between Eddy and Saffy. Patsy is what makes the show worthwhile because she is hilarious and very opinionated towards Saffy.

In the current climate of social restriction and political correctness, there is something very liberating about watching people do all the things society tells us are bad without one iota of regret. This is made even more powerful by making the characters a pair of middle-aged, upper-crust women who "should know better."

Who says Brits are stuffy? In the outrageous world of jet-setters Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders--is there anything she CAN'T do?) and Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley), moderation is but a myth, darling! These two babes are BENEATH the Valley of the Dolls--piles of pills, mountains of coke, gallons of Bolly-Stoli cocktails...and whatever else is fashionable at the present time. They slavishly follow trends, kiss the butts of celebrities, torment Eddy's straight-laced daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha), and basically do whatever must be done to get exactly what they want, when they want it. There are no lessons, no judgments, no treacly sentimental bits to tug at one's heartstrings. Thank bloody God!

AbFab is the perfect alternative for those repulsed by the sugary sewage typically pumped through the picture tube, where everyone does "the right thing" ("Don't do that in front of me or I'll throw up!"). Sharp in all departments, with a terrific cast, hilarious (and surprisingly true) writing, and a gorgeously gaudy wardrobe for Eddy ("Lacroix, sweetie!"). And best of all, after a five-year absence, THEY ARE BACK! These lovable lushes have NOT had their Last Shout--and don't you dare think they've mellowed! Joyously self-absorbed chaos is still the name of the game, and nobody plays it better than Eddy and Patsy.

"All right, cheers, thanks a lot."

Absolutely Fabulous remains just that, fabulous, and watching it twenty years later, it remains as funny, wild and original as ever. The duo of Patsy and Edina were a creation of pure genius, the wilder they got, the funnier.

Laughs galore, the whole series is littered with classic episodes, my favourites being France and Happy New Year, the one liners in each are perfection.

I've always thought the cast had as much fun making it as we had watching it, there always appeared to be a real closeness there.

Will we ever get the likes of this again, not sure, but I hope so.

Comedy gold. 10/10

I recently purchased the box set of seasons one to three and watched it in entirety in about three days. I used to watch this show obsessively about ten years ago when Comedy Central would air it on Saturday afternoons, at around 4:00PM I believe, and upon viewing the first three seasons all over again, I re-realized that this one of the best TV shows on the entire planet. I have dreams about meeting Jane Horrocks or Bubble, it really does not even matter which one. I will also often rewind specific scenes on my DVD player because to be perfectly honest with you, and totally geeky, I can not stop laughing, mostly at Bubble. Well actually I can't really say mostly at Bubble, because really all the leads are just so awesome and funny. Extremely high recommendation!

The first time I saw AbFab I wasin elementary school and I didn't understand anything else except that I was fascinated by these weird loud British women. I grew up with AbFab and it has stayed by my side all this time. I love Edwina, adore Patsy and whenever I watch this series I get crazy entertained.

Absolute genius. This is my second time around watching this show and I appreciate it even more. Edwina and Patsy are comic geniuses and all the supporting actresses actors are just so essential. I know this show was show was popular in England in the '90's, but in 2024 in the US it is still so relevant. It is just as fantastic as I remember it in my teens/twenties. One o the most unique and hilarious shows to ever his the airwaves. Edwina is so classic, and Patsy is perfect as her sidekick, and the daughter as the dowdy stick in the mud. It is the essence of true comedy and should've given as much credence.

The sourpusses who write reviews of "Absolutely Fabulous" and don't "get" the humor are some pretty miserable folks.

If you watch this series and don't find it funny, better get into therapy.

My husband and I agree that Johnny Depp, no matter what HE says, had to take as his model for the pirate Edina's character. In some outfits, except for the goatee, he is a dead ringer for her and her actions. When I saw the Pirate movies for the first time I kept thinking it reminded me of something I had seen elsewhere. Then I was flipping through the channels and there it was! Eddy was in the kitchen and she had a scarf around her head and twitching her head just like the pirate. I know Mr. Depp claims that he got his moves from a rock star, and possibly this is true for some of it, but somewhere, sometime he too was exposed to Ab Fab.

Comedies are hard to quantify. I don't know many that stand the test of time. Even highly rated ones like Friends, MASH. Married With Children and Seinfeld watched in 2024/2025 for the first time aren't as funny as watching them when they first came out and might even be considered offensive. Its often because what is considered humorous changes from one generation to another. Absolutely Fabulous which focuses on two middle aged British women who are successful but also desperate to keep of the appearance that the are hip and young. They spend most, if not all their time getting drunk or on drugs much to the chagrin of one of their daughters who plays the "straight man" to their antics.

The show is highly entertaining but it is also highly offensive by todays standards. You will often wish that the daughter would just leave her mother to her own devices. The two women the show focuses on are often times incredibly unlikeable but that is where the comedy is. That they can be both unlikable but also extremely fun to watch. I understand the low reviews of people who watched this for the first time. I couldn't stand Seinfeld watching it for the first time a few months ago but I do get why people like it. Comedies are a weird genre.

I have no idea why this is rated so highly, it's just a nightmare to watch. The two main characters are the kinds of people you'd do everything to avoid in real life, so why you'd want them to be front and centre of so many scenes is absolutely beyond me. Bubble is one of the very few good things about the series early on, but her character is destroyed when she's suddenly turned into the kind of character that Julie Walters plays so well. June Whitfield's stinging remarks raise a smile or two to begin with, but that wears off quickly. Any supposed satire gets lost in the oh-so-wacky behaviour of Eddy and Patsy. As for the rest of the characters - Bo and Marshall are about as funny as an Ethiopian famine appeal, John who appears in later episodes is just plain awful, I couldn't work out the point of Fleur and Catriona, and Katy Grin? Grin? Not once! I guess you had to be there at the time for this one, because without that big dollop of nostalgia, there doesn't seem to be much left.

I'm going to be honest. The first time I saw the show, I didn't like it one bit. It annoyed me and I didn't find it funny. But one afternoon I was stuck in bed with a cold and Absolutely Fabulous happened to be on. I decided to give it another chance.

Wow, am I glad that I gave it second chance!

Absolutely Fabulous has a definite oddball sense of humor that can be really hilarious. I find myself laughing out loud at the oddest comments and jokes. Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders are a great team and never cease to impress me. I own almost all the DVDs and I don't typically buy television shows on DVD, usless I really enjoy them. As the tag line says, sin is in, sweetie! 10/10

I just rewatched this series after not watching since middle 90's. I still laughed my head off! They really poke fun at all female proclivities. The series stands the test of time. It is still absolutely hilarious.

1000/10 Absolutely Fabulous is my favorite show ever to have been on TV. Jennifer and Joanna are amazing together and Jennifer's talented writing really makes the show.

It's difficult to find the right words to describe just how good this comedy truly is. Coming from a team of seasoned professionals in British comedy, Jennifer Saunders' and Dawn French's writing is fabulous (no pun intended!), and when teamed with Ruby Wax, and a splendid cast including the incomparable Joanna Lumley, you have the making of an iconic series that will continue to provide laughs FOREVER!!

I don't care what anyone thinks is the best series. The humor and dialogue continues to go unmatched. Apparently this review isn't long enough but if someone has to use 150 characters to get you to watch this then it's just not for you.

I am a big believer in sometimes the best TV, comedy, film etc is short lived, a moment of genius that lives on. This is how I feel about AbFab. Series 1-3 were and still are ultimate comedy gold and that's why I rated it 10. However the same cannot be said for the remainder of the series. More misses than hits, super lazy writing and it's kind of become what it used to take the piss out of which is a great shame. Still one of the best British comedies ever in it's early series.

I happen not to find Saunders funny, at all. More like edgy and sour as a jar of pickles. Therefore watching her in a comedy show can be tolerable only in homeopathic amounts and if well counterbalanced by an equally strong other personality. Here she is squared by Lumley, not counterbalanced, so the material just does not appeals to me. It definitely has its fanbase, thus series, but I do not enjoy watching a continuous trainwreck of a story, behaviour and irresponsible characters. More suited for lovers of quirky, edgy, dark(er) humour, I guess.

"Absolutely Fabulous" is, without a doubt, one of the funniest shows to ever come across the pond from the U.K.! Apparently, the sitcom's subject matter and flat-out political incorrectness made it too edgy for local PBS stations to run. Instead, the cable channel COMEDY CENTRAL acquired the initial US rights from the BBC in the mid-1990s. The rest is history.

AB FAB (as we fans refer to it with affection) is the saga of Edina Monsoon (Eddy) and her fabulous pal Patsy Stone. Eddy & Patsy do everything in life to excess - drink, smoke, party. While Eddy has a PR firm (she represents LuLu) and a shop, her main income comes from the alimony her two ex-husbands give her. Eddy lives in a nice home in London's Holland Park area with her stuffed-shirt daughter Saffron (Saffy) who is the opposite of Eddy in every way. Patsy, on the other hand, has a flat above Oddbins, a liquor store. Also on hand was Eddy's bubble-headed assistant Bubble and her widowed mother (referred to as 'Gran' by Saffy) AB FAB was an instant hit here in the US - the initial 3 series of 18 episodes (6 eps in 1992, 6 in 1994 & 6 in 1995) were played to the hilt by Comedy Central. Roseanne the comedienne even bought the rights to update the series for US television, but nothing ever materialized. In 2002 Comedy Central, in joint production with the BBC, produced 6 more AB FABS eps. In these new episodes, viewers learned that in this post-9/11 world, Eddy and Patsy hadn't changed a bit. In 2004, the cable channel Oxygen teamed with the BBC and had another series of 7 episodes produced. There were also 2 AB FAB specials produced as well.

Sin is in, Sweetie!!

If you for some reason have not seen this amazing series you must buy it now and watch it! Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are comic geniuses! Geniuses I say! You cannot watch this series and not fall in love with the cast and even learn to forgive Eddie and Patsy's awful behavior. Why are you still reading this review? Go now! Buy this and enjoy! You're welcome!

I just brought this show recently for my Christmas I have to say that this show awesome comic genius could not stop laughing which for me is the best sign. The characters are written so well and portrayed even better Jeniffer Saurnders is amazing and she doesn't hog the lime light of the show she gives everyone a chance to make something of themselves and I respect that I have only started watching this recently again I watched it when I was very young a long time ago but because it's something I want to as a career I thought I should look at the greats overall I am very happy that watched it again it brought back some great moments of my childhood and I have to say I have not laughed harder in ages so thanks Jeniffer Saurders and to all the other characters So overall if your a fan of great writing and great comedy buy this and have a laugh with some friends great stuff.