fourwinds4 I tried. I really did. It's clear that Phoebe Waller Bridge is very talented. I wish she would realize and appreciate that she doesn't need to include all the absurd, nasty designed to shock sex talk in everything she does which is ultimately a cheap laugh at the expense of respect, not just of a woman, but of humanity in general.Some of the scenes are quite funny as in the other program she wrote and was involved with " Crashing" but after a couple of episodes I couldn't stomach that either. For the same reasons. I'm sorry but joking about being (and here on my first attempt at a review on Amazon, Amazon threw it back at me as I apparently crossed over their guidelines which include " We do not allow profane or obscene content" as I had put in quotes something uttered directly by Ms. Waller Bridge in the first 5 minutes of episode one whilst in bed with a man.). So instead, allow me to say that firstly, there is something a tad hypocritical about having characters in a show on the channel which contains some of the worst words which degrade women and then turning around and saying "oh but you can't say that in a review". Just saying but I appreciate Amazon don't make the rules and I know this is IMDb but I won't risk it. So, what Ms. Waller Bridge jokes about and does in the first 5 minutes I personally a/ do not find funny and b/ find completely unnecessary and degrading to women. I'm not a prude, I love sex, especially intimate tantric sex; I'm not into cheap verging on the violent type of sex/sex talk which degrades women and men, both. I'm especially upset that so many shows and movies portray this so that young people are beginning to think that's what it's all about. Not that this show has it, but I'm so tired at the apparent necessity for most movies to include the scene where the main characters burst through a door, the man pushing the woman against a wall and them both ripping clothes off. Yawn. How many movies has that been in now? yes, of course there's passion, but where's the imagination people? Where's the romance? As a woman, I'd much prefer to see romantic, respectful, sexy sex scenes and talk than what happens here and I also like to be treated with respect.. by men and women alike. For the record, 90% of the reviews that are positive both here and on IMDb are written by men.This is a show about an incredibly unhappy, dysfunctional woman who in this first episode defines her need to be loved by having sex with anyone who walks apparently, to the point of making nasty comments to a man who is respectful enough not to want to jump into bed with her on a first date.The way the main character relates to everyone ...the negative, put down exchanges in which she engages with her sister, the loan officer in the bank.....on and on. It's not pleasant to watch. I find it depressing and the depression outweighs the comedy. I'm sorry but I don't think most people want to watch this kind of thing either. Perhaps Ms. Waller Bridge is desperately unhappy and she is working out her own emotional angst in her writing. But as some others reviewers have sad.. it's basically sad, pathetic and negative. When I have watched this stuff I don't come away feeling as though I've either been entertained nor uplifted, quite the opposite.A big thumbs down. It's a pity as I think Phoebe is capable of writing funny stuff that doesn't need the shock value to be popular. Edit Delete

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.

adrossan Good God mason barge, are you from a rival network or something ? We all know the US is isolated & barely above reading level but jeez, wooden ? What a load of crap ! I found the show to be interesting and an extremely accurate portrayal of a person grasping at answers while acting out of grief, guilt and self-recrimination. Fleabag is suffering the pain of loss while trying to find her way in a cold & unfeeling world, while clinging to the warmth of a best friend and the free & easy (better ?) side of her nature.Yes she is grasping at straws, coping with grief and loss by self- medicating with alcohol, sex and throwing herself at the wrong guys, but that is life. Unlike many US shows, the characters don't whine & question their every act, thought, deed & fleeting notion - being English the characters are somewhat reserved, desperate to avoid offending or embarrassing others, and try to ignore someone else's misdeeds. That is not wooden, one dimensional or boring. It takes some intelligence and knowledge of the national characters, traits and above all, psychology of humans in pain & loss.Yes she's foul-mouthed, but no she isn't a prude, repressed or ignorant of human desires and foibles. The show isn't afraid to explore many issues that American television can't cope with & prefers to ignore, and it is told from a woman's viewpoint, with female insights and bitter rivalry all around.Americans don't understand subtlety & perhaps this is why some US reviews just "don't get it". That's fine with the 95% of the rest of the world which isn't American, we get it, like it would like some more - Brit wit, not Yank w ank.8/10