5. Fawlty Towers (Season 1)

Category: Classic TV Shows
Stars: John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth, Brian Hall

Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, is the unsung king of sarcasm. On the short-lived British sitcom Fawlty Towers, series co-creator Cleese's hotel proprietor specializes in rudely belittling his unaware guests. It's a simple formula (Basil clowns people while compensating for his inept staff) that the Monty Python's Flying Circus member and wife/co-writer Connie Booth milked for all of its hilarious worth over 12 solid episodes.