Payne (TV series) Payne (TV series) Payne is an American sitcom based after the British program "Fawlty Towers". It starred American John Larroquette, who was also an executive producer for the series. "Payne" was a mid-season replacement on CBS and aired in March and April 1999. The show also starred JoBeth Williams, Julie Benz and Rick Batalla. Despite fairly positive reception, and receiving the blessing of John Cleese, who agreed to take a recurring role as the antagonistic rival hotelier if the show was renewed, "Payne" was quickly cancelled. Nine episodes were filmed; eight were aired. "Payne" was a remake of "Fawlty Towers",
Cracker (UK TV series) Cracker (UK TV series) Cracker is a British crime drama series produced by Granada Television for ITV, created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern. Set in Manchester, the series follows a criminal psychologist (or "cracker"), Dr Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald, played by Robbie Coltrane, who works with the Greater Manchester Police to help them solve crimes. The show consists of three series which were originally aired from 1993 to 1995. A 100-minute special set in Hong Kong followed in 1996 and another two-hour story in 2006. In 2000, the series was ranked 39 on the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes compiled