The brainchild of writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews, the Irish/English sitcom
Father Ted presents the hilariously twisted adventures and dilemmas of Father Ted Crilly (Dermot Morgan). Shipped to the far-off oblivion that is Craggy Island by Bishop Len Brennan (Jim Norton) after shady business dealings, Ted must cope with the fact that his glamorous dreams are being hindered by a banal reality. Ted's manic existence at the parochial house is complicated by his housemates: dim-witted but sweet Father Dougal McGuire (Ardal O'Hanlon), who doesn't understand the whole "God thing"; mad drunkard Father Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly), who has a vocabulary that's nearly limited to "drink, feck, and arse"; and housekeeper Mrs. Doyle (Pauline McLynn), who loves nothing more than making mountains of sandwiches and forcing the Fathers to "have some tea." When Ted and Dougal aren't raising money at shady raffles or performing abbreviated masses, they're usually trying to right the never-ending wrongs of Craggy Island. Ted's arch nemesis, Father Dick Byrne (Maurice O'Donoghue), is always just a phone call away, and he and Ted are always up for some sort of competition or bet, be it an elderly priests' soccer match, the Song for Europe competition, or seeing who can give up more vices for Lent.
Father Ted ran three seasons from 1995 to 1998, encompassing only 25 episodes, but it was enormously popular with its British audience and has achieved a small but rabid cult following in the U.S. Tragically, Dermot Morgan died the day after the final episode was shot after suffering a heart attack at his home. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Movie Guide