Every episode of "Fawlty Towers" feels so long even though they're all only 30 minutes. It took me a while to realize that's because nearly every line is a joke. They don't waste a single second of footage — nothing happens that isn't funny. The upshot is that every episode of "Fawlty Towers" crams in the plot and jokes of about 3 episodes of a mediocre sitcom like "Big Bang Theory" or "Modern Family". Watching "Fawlty Towers" side-by-side with most current sitcoms is just embarrassing. Which isn't me being a curmudgeon — current shows like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Rick and Morty" are equally dense with jokes and plot. It's just nice to realize how rare the real gems are.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78b67l_yxUc