Seasons(2) / Episodes(12)
Plots(1)
Basil Fawlty is a much put-upon, hard-working hotel manager whose life is plagued by dead guests, hotel inspectors and riff-raff. Of course his biggest headache is his 'little nest of vipers' - his nagging wife Sibyl. Together they run their hotel, Fawlty Towers, with a little help from the unflappable Polly, and Manuel, the trainee waiter from Barcelona with marginally more intelligence than a monkey. (BBC)
(more)Reviews (3)
The funniest taste of the British sitcom scene. John Cleese as a neurotic and simultaneously frustrated hotel owner can exhibit his acting genius without worrying about someone interrupting him with an unexpected "and now for something completely different" and the brilliantly stubborn Manuel and sarcastic Sybil are the best partners in his verbal and facial onslaught. The episodes The Wedding Party, Germans or Psychiatrists are far beyond the boundaries of ordinary evaluation.
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John Cleese is one of my favorite actors and Fawlty Towers is considered a legend of British television entertainment. The British regard it as the most successful sitcom of all time. So, I had no doubt that I would spend some pleasant evenings with this series, but the opposite turned out to be true. With each episode, my rating declined and if I had seen them all, I would probably give it only two stars... The problem is Cleese's overacting as well as the overall exaggeration. Many jokes have great potential, but they are exaggerated to the point of embarrassment. Sometimes just a hint is enough... The position of conversational humor in the style of "Yes, Minister" would suit the series much better. Overall impression: 50%.
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Admittedly, John Cleese was trying a little too hard at times (and I say that as a big fan of his) and some scenes were forcefully funny, but the result was simply excellent. Fawlty Towers and Blackadder are, along with Red Dwarf and IT Crowd, my favorite British sitcoms, and Basil Fawlty comes second in the competition for the worst hotel owner. First place, of course, goes to Norman Bates.
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