Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Fabulous Series Five: Good but not Great
Review: I have been watching "Absolutely Fabulous" for quite a while now and when I first watched series five, I rather enjoyed it. But, after looking back at series one through four, it isn't quite up to par. The other shows were very inventive, you literally never knew what the characters were going to do or say next. But, this series has started to recycle some of the old jokes and also creating new storylines that aren't as entertaining as others. Probably the worst thing about this DVD is that Warner Brothers produced it. Most episodes have quite a bit of material missing or the scenes are in different order. The main point of depression involving these "lost" scenes is a very enjoyable Chicago-Parody. But I quess us Americans will just have to cope with it. Don't get me wrong, I nearly die every time I hear Bo's voice and I always have fits of laughter during certain scenes, but if you are comparing, this would really be a three out of five star DVD. Which leads me to the DVD itself. After I heard the very intertaing commentary on series four, I could hardly wait to hear the new one for series five. However, even though most websites said there was one, there is no commentary. Some sites still say that there is one! Although that's not a big problem it would have added to the special features. For the series one through three complete DVD thers was an entire disc of goodies, and series four was jam-packed as well. But series five, only includes a photo gallery and long but enjoyable outtakes. Note: The photo gallery, for me at least, seems greatly improved. On the other series, it was in slideshow format which got very very tiresome but this new one you can scroll through with total ease!
On another note, the fifth series has been released in the UK, so if you really want to see the deleted scenes, you could buy a region two dvd player, find some European money, and have the DVD shipped from Europe. It's worth it, for some people!
Rating: 
Summary: The only way to see the entire season is on this DVD!
Review: .
Unfortunately it seems as if Jennifer Saunders has severed her association with Comedy Central, the network that used to air the new seasons of "Absolutely Fabulous". This newest series (#5) was aired here in the USA on "The Oxygen Network".Well, Oxygen apprently didn't think anyone was watching the show, so they simply didn't bother to air a few episodes. They would show an episode one week, then skip a week. I wasn't able to see the entire series, and the few episodes they did show (at least locally here in Chicago) were on at diffenent times and days, so it was hard to find when it would be on. Finally, I just gave up altogether and stopped trying to watch it on Oxygen. OH! And the few episodes that I was able to see were butchered because while the series was obviously filmed in widescreen format, Oxygen chose to air it in full-screen. This meant we only saw about half of the picture. There were times when characters were talking to each other from opposite sides of the TV screen and we couldn't see either one of them. It was ridiculous! Hopefully this DVD will be released in WIDESCREEN so we can see the whole picture. Why did Oxygen even bother to sign this show if they didn't plan to show it in its entirety? What a waste of time. Cheers to Patsy and Eddie for another season. Welcome back!
Rating:
Summary: Widescreen !!!!!
Review: Ab Fab is back on track ! After watching this new series 5 you could almost say that series 4 was weak and almost hesitant with it's story lines and writing....Series 5 is fast, sharp, and more evil than ever in the history of the show....(Includes the Christmas special)......To my horror when opening the DVD, i saw the aspect ratio of 4:3.....almost in tears I decided to check the DVD in the player first.......after comparing the picture to my taped VHS from BBC London ....this DVD DOES SEEM TO BE IN WIDESCREEN....!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: A Must-Have, Albeit Uneven
Review: Ab Fab is benefiting from its fame by being able to now draw such talented people as Kristen Scott Thomas and Minnie Driver. Thomas is amazingly funny as a spa-hopping travel writer who comes by for a "book" club. Minnie Driver visits as herself and, in great good humor, depicts herself as a greedy star eagerly looking for freebies. One of the Spice girls features (I don't remember her name - sorry) and claims a connection because she went to school with Saffy. That episode, and the Elton John episode were rather weak. A welcome addition to the cast is Felix Dexter, who plays Saffron's baby daddy John Johnson. One would wonder how Saff winds up with such a strapping lad by her side ("When I see her, I think 'intimate relations to the max'"), until he opens his mouth and you realize he is one of the nerdiest men on Earth. All of the old favorite characters appear, Saff's dad, Bo and Marshall, Jackie, Gran, Bubble, Kathy Grin, and so on. (The only one missing is Oliver and we don't see Dawn French, s'far as I can tell - boo hoo). I only gave it 4 stars, because it just seems to lack the edge that the first two seasons had. Still, if you enjoyed Ab Fab, here's more Ab Fab!
Rating:
Summary: Great series, poor DVD
Review: AbFab is back, and there isn't much to complain if you are only interested in seeing the brilliant episodes. A short sequence is missing from the episode Birthin', probably due to BBC not wanting to spend the money on the copyright fees, but apart from this, everything is on the DVD. Also, this series has 8 episodes instead of the usual 6, so despite the considerable lack of extras, there is still a bit more to see than on the average AbFab DVD. Remarkably, even though this probably is my least favourite AbFab series (yes, I'm one of those who actually loved series 4!), I still think this is a fabulous season and well worthy of praise. Jennifer Saunders is a genius. The outtakes are, as always, hilarious. And there's actually 20 minutes of them although it says 15 in the description.
Rating:
Summary: Eddy and Patsy are back!
Review: ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS returns for a fifth series of unbridled fun and hilarity, with 8 superb new episodes. Join Eddy and Patsy as they sink even lower into the abyss... "Cleanin'" - With Saffy gone on a long-overdue holiday, Patsy and Eddy have the house to themselves, though curiously it isn't everything they imagined it would be. Eddy has moved her PR business into her living-room, with several high-profile new clients on the books including Emma Bunton. Suddenly Saffy returns..with an announcement that will send Eddy's world into a tailspin. "Book Clubbin'" - Eddy and Patsy's little book club meets to discuss their latest selection, an abridged mini version of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', though Mariella Frostrup fails to bring her celebrity pals. Meanwhile Saffy invites her boyfriend around to break the big news. "Panickin'" - Eddy installs a panic room, whilst Patsy tries to get chummy with Minnie Driver. Real panic ensues when a lockdown occurs leaving Eddy and Patsy trapped in the high-tech fortress, leaving Minnie in the 'capable' hands of Bubble. "Huntin' Shootin' Fishin'" - Eddy is doing some Royal PR so she and Pats decide to travel down to the country to see how the other half live. Saffy holds her baby shower with Emma Bunton and her ever-bizarre old school friend Sarah (aka 'Titty KaKa') "Birthin'" - Saffy has gone into labour, ruining Patsy's expensive outfit when her water breaks. Marshall and Bo stop by for another strange interlude, whilst Katy Grin has been cast as Roxie Hart in 'Chicago'. "Schmoozin'" - The lost Beatle tapes have been found, and Eddy's in love again, this time with an old school flame. Patsy's old sex films get released by a Japanese company including 'Boobarella'. "Exploitin'" - Patsy has signed up baby Jane (or Lola) with an infant modelling agency, and a job has come up for a Jean Paul Gautier photo shoot at the zoo. The only problem is getting around Saffy... "Cold Turkey" - Christmas has come again, and this time Eddy's staying home with the family. Patsy, in a moment of sheer rage, finally lets Eddy have it before mysteriously passing out. In the hospital, Patsy is told she is dying. Her wayward sister Jackie comes to visit, but does she have a more sinister motive? Is this really the end for Pats....? AB FAB finally raises the bar after the lacklustre Series 4. Once again Jennifer Saunders has given us a hilarious, laughter-filled ride. Longtime fans rejoice: Series 5 is one to treasure! Starring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks and June Whitfield. Guest starring Kate O'Mara as Jackie, Elton John, Clarissa Dickson Wright, Kristen Scott Thomas, Mariella Frostrup, Emma Bunton, Minnie Driver, Jean Paul Gautier and Naoko Mori as Sarah.
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Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Unfabulous
Review: Cut up. No Debbie Harry. No Chicago spoof. No significant extras. Not a good package. Think twice before buying!!! Series 4 and the first box set are incredible - this one isn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Series Five
Review: Hi,
I love Ab Fab but I am mixed about this season. I think many of the skits were mean with no real humor.
There were some fun parts in the Christmas skit like when we meet Bo and Marshall again-their new line of work is so fun-and when we see Jackie for the last time! Buy if you love Ab Fab, but I fear in the end you will be left with one thought: mean.
Rating:
Summary: unforgivable......
Review: I am not as forgiving as the previous reviewer who, while upset that the 'Chicago' parody is excluded from the disc, can easily overlook it. It was bad enough that "The First Cut is the Deepest" was removed from all video releases of 'The Last Shout," and nearly unforgivable that this box set loses the Debbie Harry vocals from the theme song (replaced by an instrumental version) but to lose the SINGLE best moment of the fifth series, and one of the highlights of the ENTIRE run is just beyond the pale!!!!! I cannot fault Warner Home Video, who merely distributes BBC product in Region 1, but I wonder why the BBC has such difficulty with "music rights" issues. Considering the amount of money that French and Saunders fans have spent on their products over the years, I do not accept that the BBC can't afford to clear these issues prior to (inevitable) video releases. It galls me that the horribly presented Oxygen versions are more complete than the dvd but, we consumers are just the folks who hand over our money.....we don't really matter. On the plus side, the dvd series is otherwise flawless.
Rating:
Summary: AbFab 5, the real Edina!
Review: I am one of those AbFab fans who believes series 1 and 2 were the absolute best, particularly because Edina had such funny manneurisms that I don't believe were reflected as well or as much in series 3 and series 4. Series 5, however, brings back those body twitches, idiosyncracies, and outbursts. In Exploitin' the episode begins with the most hilarious 'stair' foible I think I've ever seen on all series. It's great. The actresses seem to have returned to the style of acting seen in earlier series. If you are an AbFab fan and thought series 4 was ho-humm and are contemplating not spending the money for series 5, take my advise and buy it. It is worth the money.
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