La Vipère noire - The Black Adder

Diametrically different halves, the first three parts somewhat decent, the third one not really great, but from the fourth to the sixth unstoppable laughter and a flood of brilliant gags. (30/06/2006)

When Blackadder first appeared on TV screens in the early 90s, I considered it to be a truly exceptional endeavor, highly original, outrageous, and extremely funny. The TV stations decided to bring back Blackadder after more than 20 years, so I could confront my memories with reality. The first episode brought me great disappointment - it was outrageous, but from my current point of view, it was also not nearly as funny as I had expected. However, the following episodes of the series redeemed my hesitant impression, as in the first episode, the writer and Atkinson were obviously still searching for the right balance of humor and exaggeration. It is still an exceptional production from the perspective of the genre, as you do not often see a medieval sitcom on the screen every day. Atkinson rightfully belongs among the comedy elite, and this only confirms it, although I still find the current adventures of Mr. Bean (in series form) to be better. Overall impression: 75%. (03/11/2012)

The second series is clearly the best in terms of ideas, jokes and Atkinson's look, but even in the others, Viper has an irresistibly scrappy charm that is impossible to ignore and not love. (12/05/2009)

I consider the first season to be the weakest one, albeit still excellent. My biggest problem is with Rowan Atkinson, who is too much like Mr.Bean here, which doesn’t sit well with me. I prefer him in more intelligent roles. On the other hand, Brian Blessed as Richard IV is absolutely brilliant in the first season, and he takes the spotlight in every scene he's in. (12/08/2016)