I tried out The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard on a whim, based on Jane Horrocks starring in it. I quickly recognized much of the cast and knew I would be on interesting ground, based on the Kudos production logo. It is that: interesting. I expected something a bit more comedic, with Horrocks, but there is little "pure" comedy here. The idea of an ordinary citizen propelled to Parliament, based on a populist campaign, is not a new idea, nor is the female focus. The family angle made it a bit more unique. It's a satire, with a rather simplistic view of the mechanisms of government, though we get snippets of scenes that reinforce that creating change isn't that easy. However, we never really get a sense of the forces that would be arrayed to oppose the kinds of changes that Ros Pritchard talks about. The Tory opposition is made out to be completely impotent, which even the Blair years would suggest was far from the truth, let alone more recent elections. We also never get a sense of business interests that might oppose many of the reforms that Pritchard wants to implement, though things are kept very much centered around general community topics and with a rather centrist view, especially compared to previous political satire/drama, like House of Cards (the original) or A Very British Coup. Those two played more with hard politics, with very definite points of view in each of their main characters. It also doesn't get into opposition from the rather conservative civil service, as in the brilliant Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister comedy series. On the end, I think it is this rather tame political stance that holds the series back and part of why it didn't generate a second series. I wondered a bit as to where on the political spectrum I might cast Ros Pritchard and pretty much concluded that dead center was about as close as I could come to an answer, even moreso than Jim Hacker ever was.The cast is all first rate and the writing is generally good, with interesting characters, though Ros Pritchard seems a little too perfect. She carries the moral high ground until forced to compromise in the last episode. This is the closest she comes to being tainted by the power she wields, another aspect I felt was less than realistic. On the other hand, her husband seems so weak that you wonder how their marriage has lasted this long. Daughter Emily seems to go from relatively level-headed to impetuous rather quickly. Also, the new MP character seems to be introduced, then ignored until a scandal is needed to set back Ros' government. This character was begging for more development than she was given.You get the feeling that many of the weaknesses of the series were elements that might have been addressed in a second series, which gives the whole thing an incomplete vibe, despite the epilogue card that inserted after a second series was nixed. Still, there are plenty of interesting ideas and characters to keep you interested for the 6 episodes, though it will probably never be rated a classic.

I just finished watching the sixth and last episode of The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard on Masterpiece Theatre on PBS in the US. I loved it from the beginning. It's a fast-paced drama/comedy/fantasy/ which deals with the question of whether it is possible for a politician to avoid corruption. The way it plays out is intriguing and fun, with lots of good dialogue.It's timely for us in the US because we have an administration which is certainly the most corrupt and destructive in our history. Current events are often used as reference points in the series, but it's not heavy-handed concerning Bush and things concerning the US.In fact, I found it a wonderful escape from what is going on. What a fantasy: Someone in charge, a common person herself, who is determined to remain completely for the people, who promises the British people that she will never lie to them or mislead them and never forgets that promise; she is always conscious of it. We see an ordinary person take on the burdens of leadership and struggle to maintain her family life at the same time.All the actors were good for the roles. Jodhi May again demonstrates her acting skills and versatility; Janet McTeer is outstanding, as usual -- I would watch it again just for her expressions and body language. It is beyond me how and why anyone could comment that the acting is bad, though I can understand why one of the viewers was upset that everyone in the series was white. Actually, that's not entirely true because a South Asian character is in a couple of episodes.I didn't give it a full ten because I dislike the way it ends -- it leaves things hanging and we have to guess what might happen. But it might be that I am just upset that it is over.

Inspiring work- it's lovely to watch a show which is willing to challenge the stuffy notions of a bigoted political world and offer an alternative which is frankly illuminating. A female cabinet- why is this really so shocking after all?? Actually the image of the House of Commons consisting of 50% women kicks in the reality of how sadly 'normal' it is for the House to be mostly run by men- to those women already working hard in politics this show offers a world of the future- 'The Amazing Mrs Pritchard" shows what politics could be like- hats off to Horrocks and co- let's get rid of the cynical mentality that plagues British politics!!

This is one of the least realistic,and most annoying, things I have ever seen. The plot is nonsense, the central character smug, the acting second rate,and the setting totally unrealistic. Most infuriating of all, it projects a Britain that is entirely white and middle class. Not only are all the main actors ,and apparently therefore candidates in Mrs Pritchard's party, white , but even the extras seem to have come from old Tory central (casting) office ! The only non white faces seem to be in the background at the hospital-although not,of course, doctors. If this is what television believes the world if like,and what people would vote for, then you wonder why David Cameron is bothering about image change.