Fleabag is a British comedy-drama television series created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on her one-woman show first performed in 2013 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The series was produced by Two Brothers Pictures for digital channel BBC Three, in a co-production agreement with Amazon Studios.[1][2] Waller-Bridge stars as the title character, a free-spirited but angry and confused single young woman living in London. Sian Clifford stars as Fleabag's sister Claire, while Andrew Scott joined the cast in the second series as 'The Priest'. The protagonist frequently breaks the fourth wall, providing exposition, internal monologues, and running commentary to the audience.[3]
Fleabag
Genre
Created by
Based on
Fleabag
by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Written by
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Directed by
Starring
Composer
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Original language
English
No. of series
2
No. of episodes
12
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Cinematography
Editors
Camera setup
Single-camera
Running time
23–28 minutes
Production company
Original release
Network
Release
21 July 2016 (2016-07-21) –
8 April 2019 (2019-04-08)
The show premiered on 21 July 2016 and concluded its second and final series on 8 April 2019.[4][5] It received widespread acclaim from critics, particularly for its writing, acting, and the uniqueness and personality of the title character. Many critics and viewers have called it one of the greatest comedy series of all time. Waller-Bridge won the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for the first series. The second series received 11 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won six, with Waller-Bridge earning Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series; additional acting nominations were received by Clifford, Olivia Colman, and guest stars Fiona Shaw and Kristin Scott Thomas.[6][7] The series received the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series and Best Actress for Waller-Bridge, and a nomination for Scott.[8][9]
The show is adapted from Waller-Bridge's 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe one-woman play of the same name which won a Fringe First Award.[10][11][12] The initial idea of the character of Fleabag came from a challenge by a friend, where Waller-Bridge was given the task of creating a sketch for a 10-minute section in a stand-up storytelling night.[13]
Series
Episodes
Originally aired
First aired
Last aired
6
21 July 2016 (2016-07-21)
25 August 2016 (2016-08-25)
6
4 March 2019 (2019-03-04)
8 April 2019 (2019-04-08)
No.
overall
Episode
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
1
Episode 1
21 July 2016 (2016-07-21)
2
Episode 2
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
28 July 2016 (2016-07-28)
3
Episode 3
Harry Bradbeer
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
4 August 2016 (2016-08-04)
4
Episode 4
Harry Bradbeer
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
11 August 2016 (2016-08-11)
5
Episode 5
Harry Bradbeer
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
18 August 2016 (2016-08-18)
6
Episode 6
Harry Bradbeer
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
25 August 2016 (2016-08-25)
No.
overall
Episode
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
7
4 March 2019 (2019-03-04)
8
Episode 2
Harry Bradbeer
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
11 March 2019 (2019-03-11)
9
Episode 3
Harry Bradbeer
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
18 March 2019 (2019-03-18)
10
Episode 4
Harry Bradbeer
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
25 March 2019 (2019-03-25)
11
Episode 5
Harry Bradbeer
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
1 April 2019 (2019-04-01)
12
Episode 6
Harry Bradbeer
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
8 April 2019 (2019-04-08)
BBC Three was the original broadcast channel for the show with a repeat run broadcast on BBC Two between 21 August and 25 September 2016. The second series was broadcast on BBC One at the same time as being released on BBC Three, by this time only available online.[14]
It was picked up by the on-demand Amazon Prime Video (formerly Amazon Video) service and premiered in the United States on 16 September 2016.[12][15] Fleabag is also available on IFC in the US. In the Netherlands, it was picked up by Net5.[16]
The show has been remade for French television by Jeanne Herry. Titled Mouche [fr] (French for 'fly', the insect), it started airing on 3 June 2019 on pay channel Canal+. Mouche is a close remake, though set in Paris with Camille Cottin in the starring role.[17][18][19]
Critical response of Fleabag
Season
1
100% (42 reviews)[20]
88 (19 reviews)[21]
2
100% (99 reviews)[22]
96 (21 reviews)[23]
Both series of Fleabag received widespread acclaim from television critics. At review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, both series received approval ratings of 100%. The first series received an average rating of 8.5/10, based on 42 reviews, with the site's critical consensus reading: "Clever and viciously funny, Fleabag is a touching, wildly inventive comedy about a complicated young woman navigating the aftermath of trauma."[20] The second series received an average rating of 9.3/10, based on 99 reviews, with the critical consensus stating: "Fleabag jumps back into the fray with a bracing second season that upholds its predecessor's frenzied wit and delicate heart, replete with Phoebe Waller-Bridge's indefatigable charisma".[22]AtMetacritic, the first series received a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 19 critics,[21] while the second series received a score of 96, based on 21 critics, both signifying "universal acclaim".[23]
Emily NussbaumofThe New Yorker described the first series as "a precision black-humour mechanism, a warped and affecting fable about one single woman's existence."[24] Maureen RyanatVariety called it "scathingly funny", concluding that "long after it's pulled you in with its irreverence and jokes about sex, and beguiled you with its cutting wit and messily human characters, it reveals that it's actually a tragedy".[25] Hank StueverofThe Washington Post characterised it as a "funny, highly profane but surprisingly poignant dramedy".[26] Mike Hale in The New York Times praised the show for its "restless, almost feral energy and its slap-in-the-face attitude."[27] Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times commended its unpredictability, acting, and "clear eye for truth that often becomes, like all good comedy, quite devastating".[28]
The second series received unanimous acclaim and was considered a cultural phenomenon. Serena Davies of The Daily Telegraph lauded the second series as "a near-perfect work of art".[29] Mary Elizabeth WilliamsofSalon praised its "brilliant swan song", finding the series's conclusion satisfying and "well-earned".[30] For Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall wrote that the "tragicomic masterpiece reaches new heights in its second outing".[31] James PoniewozikofThe New York Times wrote that "the new season feels immediately confident, if inevitably less groundbreaking. Yet it continues to push its form".[32] Hannah Jane Parkinson of The Guardian described the conclusion as "the most electrifying, devastating TV in years", writing of the second series that "it seems as though many who either did not watch the first series, or who didn't think it lived up to the hype, have been converted".[33]
According to Metacritic's aggregate of decade-end lists, Fleabag was the second-highest ranked show of the 2010s.[34] In 2019, it was ranked 8th on The Guardian's list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.[35] In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked Fleabag as the fifth-greatest TV show of all time.[36]
Former United States President Barack Obama named the second season of Fleabag among his favourite films and television series of 2019. In his annual list, which he released on Twitter on 29 December 2019, he added a small addendum with the title, "and a quick list of TV shows that I considered as powerful as movies: Fleabag: Season 2, Unbelievable, and Watchmen."[37]
Award nominations for Fleabag
Year
Award
Category
Nominee(s)
Result
Ref.
Series 1
2016
Best Comedy Programme
Fleabag
Nominated
Best Original Programme
Won
Best Multichannel Programme
Won
Nominated
Nominated
Editing - Entertainment and Comedy
Gary Dollner
Nominated
Photography - Drama & Comedy
Tony Miller
Nominated
2017
British Academy Television Awards
Fleabag
Nominated
Nominated
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Won
Gary Dollner
Nominated
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Nominated
Nominated
Best Writer
Won
Unsung TV Show of the Year
Fleabag
Nominated
Best TV Comedy Series
Fleabag
Won
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Won
Breakthrough Series – Long Form
Fleabag
Nominated
Best TV Series
Won
Best Comedy Series – English Language
Won
Best Writing – Comedy
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Won
Breakthrough
Won
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Fleabag
Nominated
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Nominated
Best TV Situation Comedy
Fleabag (for "Episode 1")
Won
Series 2
2019
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Harry Bradbeer, Lydia Hampson, Harry Williams, Jack Williams, Joe Lewis and Sarah Hammond
Won
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (for "Episode 1")
Won
Sian Clifford (for "Episode 3")
Nominated
Olivia Colman (for "Episode 4")
Nominated
Harry Bradbeer (for "Episode 1")
Won
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (for "Episode 1")
Won
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Kristin Scott Thomas (for "Episode 3")
Nominated
Fiona Shaw (for "Episode 2")
Nominated
Olivia Scott-Webb
Won
Tony Miller (for "Episode 1")
Nominated
Gary Dollner (for "Episode 1")
Won
Fleabag
Won
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Won
Andrew Scott
Nominated
Olivia Colman
Won
Music - Original Score
Nominated
Fleabag
Won
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Won
Individual Achievement in Comedy
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Won
2020
Excellence in Production Design for a Half-Hour Single-Camera Series
Jonathan Paul Green (for "Episode 5")
Nominated
Fleabag
Nominated
Sian Clifford
Won
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Nominated
Virgin TV's Must-See Moment
"The Confessional Scene"
Nominated
Harry Bradbeer
Nominated
Gary Dollner
Nominated
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – Half Hour
Christian Bourne, David Drake and James Gregory (for "Episode 6")
Won[a]
Excellence in Contemporary Television
Ray Holman (for "Episode 2")
Nominated
Fleabag
Won
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Won
Andrew Scott
Won
Sian Clifford
Nominated
TV Comedy of the Year
Fleabag
Won
TV Performance of the Year—Actress
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Won
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Fleabag
Won
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Won
Andrew Scott
Nominated
Entertainment
Fleabag
Won
Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Harry Bradbeer, Lydia Hampson, Harry Williams, Jack Williams, Joe Lewis and Sarah Hammond
Won
Scripted Comedy
Fleabag
Won
Comedy Performance: Female
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Nominated
Writer: Comedy
Won
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman, Brett Gelman, Bill Paterson, Andrew Scott and Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Nominated
Andrew Scott
Nominated
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Won
Live show
2020
Best Entertainment or Comedy Play
Fleabag
Nominated
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Nominated
Waller-Bridge's sister, Isobel Waller-Bridge, composed the music for both series.[13][69]
Home media releases for Fleabag
Series
Episodes
Release date
Additional
Ref(s)
Region 2 DVD (UK)
Region B Blu-ray (UK)
Region 4 DVD (AU)
1
6
3 October 2016
15 October 2018
28 March 2018
Distributor
Information
Rating
2
6
6 May 2019
TBA
Distributor
Information
Rating
1 &2
12
6 May 2019
TBA
See individual release for all other information