Classic British Comedy Fawlty Towers Getting A Reboot From Rob Reiner's Castle Rock, John Cleese Returning

Another reboot of a classic comedy series is heading to a TV near you. This time, it's the return of the short-lived "Fawlty Towers" from Monty Python alum, John Cleese. The show originally ran for two seasons with 12 episodes in total from 1975 to 1979, going off air and solidifying itself as one of the most influential British comedy series in history. The show followed the life of Basil Fawlty (Cleese), a misanthropic English hotel manager in a rocky marriage who also hates dealing with the general public.

The show was filled with plenty of slapstick hijinks and whip-smart writing, eventually being named in 2019 by the Radio Times as the greatest-ever British TV sitcom based on a panel of comedy experts. Back in 2009, Cleese spoke with Telegram about the legacy of "Fawlty Towers," decrying the state of comedy today and lamenting that writing has suffered because "I think the main problem now is it's run on the basis of money."

Anyway, "Fawlty Towers" is getting a revival after four decades, with Cleese and his daughter Camilla Cleese set to write and star. Here's the official synopsis from the press release:

The new series will explore how the over-the-top, cynical, and misanthropic Basil Fawlty navigates the modern world. With plot details largely under wraps, the series will explore the relationship between Basil and a daughter he has just discovered he had, as the two tempt fate, and team up to run a boutique hotel.

Oh good. Now John Cleese can parrot his anti-"woke" talking points he usually reserves for Twitter rants and unsolicited responses in interviews but put them through the mouth of Basil Fawlty to skirt accountability and get a paycheck.

The "Fawlty Towers" revival comes from Castle Rock Television, the production company founded by Rob Reiner. Matthew George ("Wind River," "A Private War"), Reiner, Michele Reiner, and Derrick Rossi are executive producing the series as well. "John Cleese is a comedy legend," said Rob Reiner in the official show announcement. "Just the idea of working with him makes me laugh." 

There's no denying that Cleese is an undeniable presence in the history of comedy ... but who asked for this? In the last decade, Cleese's only claim to making headlines has been with his out-of-pocket, bigoted comments, and no actual comedy work. It really feels like we're all being set up to watch a former trailblazer slowly turn into his own tribute band, and completely poison the legacy of his most masterful work in the process.

We already know what seeing the character of Basil Fawlty in "the modern world" would look like because social media has forced us all to share space with multiple generations. I don't need John Cleese to show me that Basil Fawlty doesn't understand how TikTok influencers can afford to rent a room in his hotel or what it means when someone uses they/them pronouns because his own Twitter feed already has the punchline published in 280 characters or less. Spoiler alert: It's not funny. 

I am really, really hoping that I'll be proven wrong and that the "Fawlty Towers" revival will be a roar of a time, but the second I get even the slightest whiff of "kids these days" or "you can't say that anymore" boomer humor, I'm throwing my TV out the window.