I'm undecided on the studio audience/seeming laughter track thing, but I found with this that there was laughter where it clearly wasn't expected... I massively enjoyed the episode, but think it could be really off-putting to the casual or cynical viewer when that viewer didn't agree with lots of the laughter and the writers and producers hadn't intended a laugh (i.e. every single utterance)
Bubbles doing Liz Hurley tonight was hilarious, Jane Horrocks is fantastic.
Another very good episode IMO. Had me laughing lots.
Quote: AJGO @ December 29 2011, 11:03 PM GMTI'm undecided on the studio audience/seeming laughter track thing,
Boo! I bet every sitcom you loved growing up was shot in front of a laughing audience!
It's hardly re-inventing the sitcom-wheel, but last night's was another enjoyable episode.
I am certainly enjoying the new episodes - it seems that Jennifer has used some of the most successful elements of previous series. Edina's reactions to the drama of Saffron provided some of the funniest moments in the episode.
Owing to recording too much crap and being very idle, I haven't watched the first episode, but I thought the second episode was pretty good. Up there with the best of previous series.
It was great to see Llewella Gideon's character again - the nurse and all purpose beauty therapist with attitude that has popped up since "Hospital" way back in series two. Her rant was hysterical - capped off with Edina's "You've mellowed". 
Quote: Matthew Stott @ January 2 2012, 12:11 AM GMTBoo! I bet every sitcom you loved growing up was shot in front of a laughing audience!
Indeed, but when I notice people laughing at EVERYTHING it really, really grates. I'm getting quite irritated just thinking about it. Grr.
Jane Horrocks' Bubble drives me nuts but she almost redeemed herself with that Little Voice gag, it was brilliant.
As for Lyndsay Duncan's pretentious French actress, just uncanny.
Lyndsay Duncan was just fantastic - the perfect person to pull in as an "Ab Fab" guest.
Quote: AJGO @ January 3 2012, 3:31 PM GMT
Have only caught the first episode of the return, so things may have improved but based on the initial outing, I have to agree with AJ, some of the laughter seemed so ill placed, I thought I was going mad.
Look! Jennifer Saunders is sitting in the back of car! Hahahahahhaha!!!!!
Maybe the studio audience was made up of squeeling homosexual men who were just so damn giddy that AbFab was back on the telly, that they'd lost all semblance of judgement.
The 'plot' of that first episode also irked me on a logical level - Edina showed up at the prison in the back of a £300,000 Maybach limo - but they couldn't afford the £70,000 to pay off the drug dealer? It no make no sense.
The 'solution' of Patsy's undiscovered Post Office account was pretty weak, but I've seen worse sitcom resolutions, so I'll let that one slide.
Yes the Christmas episode plot was patently ridiculous, so OTT and cartoony it made me question whether Saunders is actually a good comedy writer, when I always thought that was her strength. She does come up with a lot of good lines but nothing she does is very subtle, to put it mildy. Her acting is just like her writing, very loud and unsubtle. But funny nonetheless.
And yes the laughter was way overdone too, like everything else in Ab Fab. Although the hysterically noisy laugh track's more the fault of clueless modern producers who are overproducing everything they touch these days. BBC, sort them out, a little less is a lot more!
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 4 2012, 3:09 PM GMTHave only caught the first episode of the return, so things may have improved but based on the initial outing, I have to agree with AJ, some of the laughter seemed so ill placed, I thought I was going mad.
Look! Jennifer Saunders is sitting in the back of car! Hahahahahhaha!!!!!
Maybe the studio audience was made up of squeeling homosexual men who were just so damn giddy that AbFab was back on the telly, that they'd lost all semblance of judegment.
The 'plot' of that first episode also irked me on a logical level - Edina showed up at the prison in the back of a £300,000 Maybach limo - but they couldn't afford the £70,000 to pay off the drug dealer? It no make no sense.
The 'solution' of Patsy's undiscovered Post Office account was pretty weak, but I've seen worse sitcom resolutions, so I'll let that one slide.
I know the plot point about Edina's struggle to find cash might be hard to believe - particularly with the car, the house full of expensive stuff et cetera. Acquantance with some earlier episodes of "Ab Fab" should clear up some of your plot questions. Many of Edina's purchases, as stated earlier, are paid for on credit. It is concievable that a lot of what she owns is not fully paid for. Edina makes large sums of money but goes through it fairly quickly. She is also - as stated in a previous episode, unaware of some of her income sources - ie: investments et cetera. Also, Edina now runs her company from her house - so a lot of what is there, as well as the car, might concievably be assets attached to the business that she cannot part with for legal or finacial reasons.
Yes, I know, I'm an "Ab Fab" geek. 
Quote: ToddB @ January 5 2012, 11:18 AM GMTI know the plot point about Edina's struggle to find cash might be hard to believe - particularly with the car, the house full of expensive stuff et cetera. Acquantance with some earlier episodes of "Ab Fab" should clear up some of your plot questions. Many of Edina's purchases, as stated earlier, are paid for on credit. It is concievable that a lot of what she owns is not fully paid for. Edina makes large sums of money but goes through it fairly quickly. She is also - as stated in a previous episode, unaware of some of her income sources - ie: investments et cetera. Also, Edina now runs her company from her house - so a lot of what is there, as well as the car, might concievably be assets attached to the business that she cannot part with for legal or finacial reasons.
Yes, I know, I'm an "Ab Fab" geek.
Hmmm, still not totally convinced ToddB, but at least you put forward a decent argument and made some noteworthy points.
Second episode was slighty better than the first but still very underwhelming.
