From late 2003 to early 2006 a humble little sitcom known as Arrested Development ran on tv, the show only ran for 3 series due to lacklusture ratings ('why are we appealing to this idiot demographic'). Despite this the show gained a cult following of loyal fans, praise from numerous critics and several Emmy award wins. This was due to the unique presentation and pedantic zannyness of the show, so let me tell you the story of a wealthy family, and the one son who had to keep them all together, it's Arrested Development.
As opposed to most of my blogs, this is going to be a mixed opionated review, so I'll start with the overall positives of the show. The show follows the wealthy Bluth family, who've come into trouble due to the patriarc's imbezlment (I'm not the best speller) and treason charges. At it's core the show depicts a dysfunctional family comming together through hardships, what sets this apart from a cliche' indie film is the frank, surealist humour that is showcased frequently. The jokes are silly, yet not too broad to appeal to a large demographic, take for example Franklin the black puppet, the cavalcade of chicken dances, Henry Winkler jumping the shark and many many more. The humour of the show can also resemble a sort of social commentary, poking holes in such things as the Iraq war, the patriot act and Enron. The episodes are also intricatly structured with plot twists round the corner, if you want an idea of an average episode, think Frasier meets Scrubs. Overall the humour and structure makes almost every episode (wait til later) worthy of a half an hour (or 20 minutes if you watch it online).
Series 1-2 were great showcases of the shows brilliance, series 3 however, is what causes the mixed nature of this review. Despite a few good episodes and jokes (Tobias being an analist/therapist=analrapist) the series falls flat due to the re-use of worn out jokes, sitcom cliche's which derives from the shows originality and worst of all...the 5 part Rita saga, which sees the Main character unwittingly court a retarded British woman, this not only in bad taste but again reverts to cliche'd tricks that'd be used by the likes of Family Guy and South Park but with less wit and managable plot. By the end you're glad no new series were made if this was the direction the show was going in.
One of the great attributes this show has, along with most sitcoms, is a great cast and characters, of which there are many, all the main cast fit into their role perfectly. Jason Bateman as responsible nice guy Michael is a great straight man, being the perfect foil for his families madness while showcasing a bit of smuggness. Will Arnet's magician GOB (George Oscar Bluth II) is my personal favourite character, a selfish, arrogant, narcisistic loser, what we all love and Arnet delivers each line with great comic timing. Portia De Rossi's Lindsay is the vien, lazy, sexually frustrated princess who embodies the attitude of many spoiled heiresses. Tony Hale as Buster, the neurotic man-child is a mix of patheticness and gusto that makes whatever he does greatly amusing. David Cross is the closeted, oblivious never-nude Tobias who has some of the best lines in the series which are double entendres. Michael Cera as George Michael is the sweetest teen you could meet, full of shyness, concussion and lusty feelings for his cousin; Maybe played by Alia Shawcut who is full of mischief and rebellion towards her parents. Jessica Walter's Lucille is the ultimate snide, bitch mother, manipulating her children and fostering their dysfunctions. And Jeffrey Tambor as George sr (also doubles as his twin, pothead Oscar) has some fun moments in prison and on the lamb. When these great characters interacat in complex situations it provides comedy gold.
Despite it's short run, the show has stood the test of time due to it's mixture of silly and clever jokes (analrapist!), great actors in perfect characters, unique presentation with hand held camera shots and use of stock footage, intricate storylines (for series 1-2) and an overall heart of family unity despite the sheer madness. My advice to you would be to watch series 1-2 and revel in the genius, but avoid series 3 to stop the show being ruined for you, or as GOB would say; 'Cirsumvent it!'
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