Watched half of Blackadder II and all of the first,
and I find The Black Adder way better than the cheap sitcom it progressed into.
Will give 3 and 4 a shot but it’s not looking promising from youtube clips I’ve seen.The Black Adder has better production value, wittier and blacker humor, a more unique dynamic with the main trio,
the best supporting cast (Brian Blessed in particular), and Rowan Atkinson is just funnier as a bumbling
fop than he is a cunning sociopath.
“The Black Adder” is my least favourite series but is still very good, for reasons you’ve mentioned. When my family started collecting Blackadder on VHS in the mid-1990’s, we started with Blackadder Goes Forth then worked our way back. No particular reason for it, it just worked out that way and I knew that things were going to be very different when it came to Series 1. Unlike you, I much prefer the sitcom format of the later series with Blackadder II being my favourite but I can appreciate why someone who started of with Series 1 and loved it to then feel underwhelmed with the following series’. Prince Edmund from The Black Adder felt to me like Mr. Bean playing the character rather than Rowan Atkinson but I think it worked well for this Series. Brian Blessed is fantastic in that series and steals the show whenever he’s on screen. Series 1 had much more of a story arc than the latter series’ and like you say, a much better production and wonderfully shot. I also loved how they satirised the Middle Ages but sometimes the Series and tone can get pretty grim for a sitcom. They had to do away with all that in order to get a second series commissioned though but personally I think it was was all the better for it.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the series though, and if you don’t, you’ll have at least enjoyed Series 1.
Blackadder Hall is a great site and includes some deleted scenes/rare footage as well;
http://www.blackadderhall.com/?page_id=581