Season 1 • Episode 8
LatestRoyal, who is hosting an expensive wedding at Whispering Pines, begins to panic when the father of the bride won't pay until after the ceremony. Determined that the wedding will go smoothly, Royal is frantic when he discovers that Breeze and the groom have the hots for each other, and desperately attempts to intervene -- which leads to disastrous results.
Payne is an American television series, patterned after the British program Fawlty Towers. It starred American actor John Larroquette, who portrayed assistant district attorney Dan Fielding on the American television program Night Court. Larroquette 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 if the show was renewed, Payne was quickly cancelled. Nine episodes were filmed; eight were aired. The show is not available on DVD.
Acting
Larroquette channels Basil Fawlty with unhinged, sweaty desperation.
Writing
Cleese-approved scripts that almost justified the remake gamble.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Only eight of nine episodes aired; the finale remains locked in a CBS vault, making it genuine lost media.
Payne joined a graveyard of failed Fawlty Towers remakes including a 1978 American pilot with Harvey Korman—some formats simply resist translation.
US
