Absolutely Fabulous, the British sitcom about two boozy 1960s relics trying to hang onto their youth and hip lifestyle with increasing desperation, became a stateside hit in the 1990s thanks to Comedy Central's frequent reruns. After concluding its three-season, 18-episode run in 1996, creator Jennifer Saunders rejected pleas for more episodes, insisting she didn't want to sully the series' legacy.
Like her pill-popping, alcoholic character, Saunders fully intended to resist temptation, but she couldn't help falling off the wagon just a few times, creating a fourth series in 2001, a special in 2002, a fifth series in 2003, and a three–episode reunion in 2012. There was also the odd appearance on Comic Relief and other specials in the UK. But those were the only times! She can whenever she wants to!
And quit she will—but first, just one more hit. As she's been saying off and on since 2011, Saunders intends to getting AbFab in a more potent, concentrated form: a movie. And while those plans have seemingly languished in the last few years, Saunders announced during a recent appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show that she's now officially been contracted to write a script, having at last given in to temptation after public encouragement from enablers Joanna Lumley (her AbFab co-star) and Dawn French (a frequent collaborator who co-created, but did not participate in, the original series).
No word as to when the film will finally go into production or hit theaters, but we can be sure that after this one last go-around, Saunders is really quitting AbFab for good, forever, and this will be the very last time. For now.