Leftbanker I can't even believe that so many people like this show. I had to fast-forward to make it through a single 25 minute episode. Perhaps when I was 13 years old I would have better appreciated so many anal sex gags but 13 was a long time ago for me. The protagonist is a thoroughly unlikable and cowardly human being which seems to be the archetype for millennials, at least the way they are portrayed on screen.This is billed as a comedy but I would beg to differ. I would bill the show like this: A beautiful woman from London with the self-esteem of a Calcutta street walker screws over or cheats everyone in her vicinity for no particular reason.

Alrik Daldrup The Guardian lists this British (mini-) series under the top 3 of the best TV shows of 2016. After I found this out I immediately started watching and for those who do not have the time to read a full review: Cancel all your appointments today and invest your time in this magnificent tragicomic piece of art! Please, do so, now. Thanks. And now follows the review: Fleabag is based on a theatre play (which is also available as a book - I have not checked it out but it could be interesting) by leading actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge who plays the series' protagonist of the same name. Due to her best friends' death, sharp- tongued Fleabag struggles to get back on track in her life. While her uptight sister Claire and her awful stepmother seem to have everything in life, Fleabag's boyfriend drops her and her coffee shop is obviously only visited for its gratis plug sockets. According to its IMDb page, Fleabag is defined as comedy but it offers so much more than that. First and last, 'Fleabag' is a powerful drama and somehow a psychological study of the protagonist. Waller- Bridge's character has one big problem caused by all the trouble she lived through (early loss of the mother, death of her best friend): She is not able to articulate her feelings. Instead of that, Fleabag uses certain shields to hinder the persons around her reaching her. Examples are the sarcastic humor or that she must sleep with every man around her (even one with strange teeth). For this reason, she fails to feel love for any of these men. They are more objects she exploits. At the same time, she fails to confess that she misses her best friend Boo so much; she even cannot admit when she needs money to save her coffee shop and a hug by her sister unsettles her. The relationship to her father is shattered since he married an arrogant and insensitive boot. On the contrary, she wants to break out of all this but gets not the reaction of her family she needs. All these things together causing Fleabag to be so lonesome and broken and almost lose ground - this is beautiful and deeply moving! (Warning: Spoiler) Especially beautiful is the final scene of the first season where she can eventually speak about her inner stresses and strains and gets (I'll guess really the first time during the six episodes) the non-sexual human warmth she always wanted in a surprising heroic deed by Hugh Dennis' character. Since this is a big point where Fleabag's personality finally undergoes a substantial change, here it's appropriate to shed a tear! (spoiler end) Beside all the greatness in the character development and the emotional nuances, 'Fleabag's' comedic features are naturally part of the shows uniqueness either. Well, the humor is quite under the belt, modestly said, but if this is not a problem, the show can be a little guilty pleasure in that respect. I found Fleabag's caustic and sarcastic comments (especially those through the fourth wall to the audience) hilarious. Scenes involving Barack Obama, Fleabag coping with her stepmother or the first meeting with Hugh Dennis' minor but pivotal character, were not seen yet in this way. Nevertheless, the jokes are always overshadowed by the big topic the show deals with: How life is (sometimes) about losing and then rising again. In addition to Waller-Bridge quirky character acting, Olivia Coleman as 'Godmother' again shows that she can perform a wide range of different roles in different genres. Hugh Dennis gives a very special touch to the cast by the role of a burned-out bank manager who turns out as a round character.Finally, the combination of (dirty) comedy and melancholy in such a bittersweet way is real art. Waller-Bridge created an unique character with depth who is filled with so much sadness that she tragically tries to hide. Only literature and art can show what it means to be a human being and I feel 'Fleabag' does it successfully in its distinctive way. Do yourself a favor and watch it! Well-deserved 10 pts.

ianwilmoth-14058 This is like the British version of "girls"- which is to say it's way better than girls. Despite having lived with these sorts of people in NYC, there is a big cross pollination with London, and i've been there too. That being said, I had no desire to watch more than one episode of this, whereas I lasted half an episode with girls. To the people who think these characters are unrealistic, the fact that they are totally realistic is the cringe factor some speak of.

mpower1112 Enticed by the New Yorker's sadly misplaced citation as one of the best shows on TV, I watched episode one of Fleabag much to my regret. I saw a lanky toothy young woman take great pride in being a loser who delights in her contrariness. I didn't find her eccentric behavior very delightful, worse yet, I didn't find it funny. Fleabag is supposed to be a comedy yet I didn't laugh once during the hour. Instead of laughing I was mostly wincing. After that ordeal, I decided to catch up on a show that I had missed during its entire seven year run, mostly because of my antipathy to network shows and commercials, and that is or was, 30 Rock. 30 Rock did what comedies are supposed to do: it made me laugh, not once, but frequently. And that was just in the first five minutes. It was all the things Fleabag isn't: witty, surprising and above all, funny. I bet the creators of Fleabag wish they had Tina Fey on their side. Sadly, they don't.