Payne (TV series)

Payne was an American sitcom that aired on CBS in the spring of 1999. It was a remake of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers, starring John Larroquette as Royal Payne, a grumpy and socially inept hotel manager. The series attempted to adapt the quirky and often absurd humor of Fawlty Towers to an American setting, but it was largely unsuccessful.

The show followed Royal Payne and his wife, Constance, as they ran a small hotel on the California coast. The humor derived primarily from Royal's misanthropic personality, his constant misunderstandings, and his tendency to create chaos around him.

Payne was critically panned and quickly cancelled after airing only eight episodes, with only a handful actually being broadcast. Common criticisms included the show's failure to capture the original's wit and charm, its weak writing, and Larroquette's performance being considered a poor imitation of John Cleese's iconic portrayal of Basil Fawlty. Despite its failure, Payne remains a notable example of an unsuccessful attempt to adapt a beloved British sitcom for an American audience.