High Society (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
High Society is the title of a short-lived American television sitcom that borrowed much of its comedic format from the campy British comedy series Absolutely Fabulous. The series aired Monday nights on CBS in 1995 and early 1996; it was entered into the CBS schedule as a last-minute replacement for It Had to Be You, which was canceled before ever making it to air. Even though the show was canceled after thirteen episodes, it has become something of a cult classic, and its influences can be seen in later television shows such as Will & Grace, Sex and the City, and Queer as Folk.
[edit] Storyline
The series revolved around two New York City women who acted in an outragous, campy, and decadent manner. Ellie Walker (Jean Smart) was a successful author of trashy romantic novels, and her best friend and publisher was Dorthy 'Dott' Emerson (Mary McDonnell). Emerson was a divorced mother with a preppie college-aged son, Brendan Emerson (Dan O'Donahue), a College Republican, who rejected the relentless sexual advances of Ellie, but who otherwise appeared to be heterosexual. In the pilot episode, the women's small-town former college friend, Val Brumberg (Faith Prince), arrived and moved in with Dott. At the publishing house, the women worked with a flamboyant gay male secretary named Stephano (Luigi Amodeo) and a sleazy publisher partner named Peter Thomas (David Rasche).
Aside from the situational comedy that arose from Ellie and Dott's campy antics, the storylines often centered around the notion of family. Val started to become something of a mother figure to Brendan. Stephano was often seeking a boyfriend and was seen more as a family member than a mere secretary, and in the final episode Ellie decided that she wanted to have a baby and she scouted out possible fathers.
[edit] Critics & Censors
Despite being canceled after only thirteen episodes, the series remains popular. The "Jump the Shark" page on the series notes that the series did not "jump the shark" and that High Society was a part of CBS's victory in one of the sweeps months in 1996 [1]. However, the show's presumed British influence irked certain critics, who unfairly compared it to the more popular Cybill, which itself was also compared to the British situation comedy Absolutely Fabulous. After its thirteen episodes were aired, the production team decided not to continue the show, primarily because CBS insisted that the show's dialogue and humor be toned down and that the characters fit the mold of more traditional American sitcoms [2].
