Encore, sweetie!

>> With much fanfare, Absolutely Fabulous returns in fine form

by MATTHEW HAYS

The Brits are just so bloody good at sitcoms. And something they do even better is end them before they get too ripe--unlike the Americans, who consistently flog dead sitcom horses until they're almost unrecognizable (think Happy Days or All in the Family). John Cleese swore he'd never return to Fawlty Towers territory after the show wrapped. That was it, that was all, he said.

So it was with mixed feelings that I received the news about the return of Absolutely Fabulous, that hilariously cynical sensation that followed the adventures of two outrageously superficial egomaniacal fashionistas, Patsy (Joanna Lumley) and Edina (Jennifer Saunders). Would it prove to be a pleasant revisiting of these two now-classic caricatures, or end up a lament that our memories of the original hadn't been left intact?

As it turns out, series creator and writer Saunders had intended to leave things alone, but reunited with the original Ab Fab cast for a different series, Mirrorball. But she said she felt that Patsy and Edina called out to her while she was screenwriting, and decided another batch of episodes was in order.

I am happy to report that though they don't all quite match the very best of the originals, the raw talent of Saunders, Lumley and the entire cast make these episodes well worth watching. Saunders has left the essential ingredients intact, but has darkened things considerably. In the first episode, the two are plotting to inject themselves with Parralox, a drug which paralyzes their facial muscles so their wrinkles disappear (face lifts, they decide, are passé). Lumley, in particular, is brilliant in this episode, trying desperately to talk through a motionless face.

Bottom line is, Ab Fab freaks won't be disappointed, while those who never really got the show's appeal probably won't be swayed now. Biggest mystery here is, how did the CBC blow it? They enjoyed massive ratings with the original series, while the new episodes are premiering on the fledgling Comedy Network. A coup for the Network, but for those who don't have digital cable, that puts the show out of reach. Shouldn't heads roll for this over at the CBC?

The first new episode of Absolutely Fabulous premieres this Friday, Nov. 2 at 11pm and Mirrorball will air Sunday, Nov. 4 at 6pm on The Comedy Network