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 a legend in British television comedy, often regarded by the British as the best sitcom of all time. So, I had no doubt that I would enjoy a few pleasant evenings with this series, but the opposite was true. With each episode, my rating dropped, and if I had seen them all, I'd probably give it two stars. The problem is Cleese's overacting and the overall excessiveness. Many jokes have great potential, but they are exaggerated to the point of awkwardness. Sometimes a hint is enough... The conversational humor 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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