Glen here...
ANASTASIA wrote in with some news about a forthcoming CBS sticom called Payne. Whether or not she's the real Anastasia is, of course, the subject of some cotroversey.
None the less, her news about Payne (the Americanized version of the British comedy Fawlty Towers) is all that really matters for the moment.
Here's what Anastasia had to say about it:
Anastasia wrote:
Just a short note about the new CBS sitcom, "Payne." It debuts in March and will be the 8:00 Wednesday show for several weeks. ("The Nanny" will be bumped back a half-hour, and "Maggie Winters" sails into oblivion.)
It is intended to be an American version of the Brit classic "Fawlty Towers." John Larroquette (sp?) stars in the John Cleese role, and JoBeth Williams plays his wife.
In place of Manuel, the dimwitted bell-boy from Barcelona, is a character named "Mo." A running gag on the show is that they never say which country "Mo" comes from, but "Mo" is a common nickname for "Mohammed." Plus, the actor playing this role uses a bad Indian accent. Anyone with brains will figure out that this is guy is supposed to be Indian or Pakistani. It is a rather insulting stereotype.
As for the show itself - Do you really think an American tv show could ever duplicate the brilliance of "Fawlty Towers"? "Payne" falls far short of the mark. The new show's humor is extremely juvenile, with too many stupid sex jokes.
Wonder how long it will last?
