Arrested Development

The main score is excluding the last 2 seasons. Judging by the first 3 seasons, this is one of the best sitcoms ever made but various factors led to it not doing so well while it ran and getting cut. It became a lot more popular after it had ended and word of mouth got around about how great it was. Due to popular demand and the show being cut so soon, there were rumors about it being revived for years but unfortunately that didn't happen until Netflix decided to pick it up about 7 years after the last season.

I don't know what happened with season 4, but the end result was a season with some big issues and lacking the clever comedy of the first 3 seasons. Season 5 was released nearly 5 years later that unfortunately was also very disappointing. I suspect a key person or people were not involved in season 4 and 5 (like Larry David was not involved in the last few seasons of Seinfeld, though the drop in quality wasn't as severe) or Netflix people butted in too much thinking they knew better.

Again, the first 3 seasons are excellent and up there with other top sitcoms. Several of those sitcoms also had disappointing seasons towards the end, just most had made it at least 5 seasons before the quality started to decline. Arrested Development most likely would have been similar had Fox not canceled it after season 3.

This is the funniest show currently on television. All you need to enjoy this show is an appreciation for high-quality acting and incredibly hilarious writing. Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth is perfect as the under-appreciated do-good guy who's just trying to keep his family together and himself sane. Other highlights of the show include Will Arnett as GOB (George Oscar Bluth II), Michael's lame-excuse-for-a-magician brother; Jeffrey Tambor as George Sr., Michael's incarcerated father (he was jailed for "shifty accounting practices"); and Michael Cera as George Michael Bluth, Michael Bluth's perpetually nervous 13-year-old son (who just happens to have a strange infatuation with his cousin, Maebe, played by "State of Grace"'s Alia Shawkat). All in all this show is sure to be a hit, at least with those people whose level of understanding of comedy is above slapstick and bathroom jokes. TREMENDOUSLY hilarious writing and outstanding performances by the whole cast will have you laughing the whole time. Ten out of ten!

Arrested Development really is one of the funniest and most underrated tv shows ever created, especially the first three seasons! As most of the reviews have already said the quality dropped off for the last 2 seasons when it came back after taking a few years off. But those first few seasons were so good that it makes this show an all-time great sitcom!

Probably the best show of the 2003 season, and the best new comedy in years. It's very hard to describe, since the comedy is entirely character-based, not plot- or wisecrack-based.

Basically, it's the story of the Bluth family, developers who are in bankruptcy with the father in prison for fraud. One son, Michael, tries to be responsible and keep things going, while the rest of the group is entirely self-centered and can't seem to focus on the fact they are broke and in disgrace.

The various family members go off in various directions: George (GOB) fancies himself a magician, Buster is a momma's boy, Lindsay goes off supporting odd causes, Lindsay's husband Tobias fancies himself an actor. It's a show you need to watch closely, but the laughs are all over the place, from unexpected directions.

Strange, Fox's promos almost made me miss out on this whole thing.

It's a sit-com made with very high standards, it's a career revival for Ron Howard, Henry Winkler and Liza Minelli, and it's a show that puts Fox's profile into HBO territory. "It's Arrested Development"

"In fact...", a Ron Howard quote that has become a cliché around our house, in fact, it's all those things and more. The writing is as good as everyone says it is, the cast is on par with that of Seinfeld or Roseanne. (Say what you will about her, that was a dream cast) Whenever new characters appear, they are inevitably played by people familiar to fans of edgy, intelligent humor. People like Jeffrey Tambor and Jason Bateman are dependably good, Michael Cera is a standout, and David Cross is finally being seen for the talent that he is.

The strongest thing I can say about this is that I find myself repeating various running gags, things that, like "In fact...", have become clichés. "I've made a huge mistake." "I'm having the time of my LIFE in here!" "surprisingly cat-like" "Take a powder, willya fellas?"

This last one, uttered by Liza Minelli as Lucille Austero, sticks with me especially, and I hope that Liza stays with the show longer. As good as the principles are, she manages to outclass even them. The same with Henry Winkler, whose Barry Zuckercorn is the sort of lawyer television's been dying for. Among those main players, Lindsay and Tobias are pretty strange characters to begin with, but when you consider that they are an old married couple, that crosses the line into the bizarre. This show is full of people and situations you just won't see anywhere else, at least until other derivative shows start appearing.

Watch carefully, as there are many bit and pieces lingering in the background that you might miss. Recently, George Michael was dumped by his girlfriend. As he trudged home in a state of misery, you could hear sad Charlie Brown music. In the background, you could see a real - but bright red - dog house, with a real dog lying on top of it. It's things like these that tell me that the creators are just pleased to be doing this show for it's own sake, and that kind of love of the work shows through in the end.

Who knows if this show will last? There's an audience out there for this sort of thing, but they've generally settled into the Sunday night HBO schedule. Hopefully the Emmys, the word of mouth, and the critical raves will draw attention to this show. If not, we'll just have our A.D. dvds to keep us warm, and thank God for 'em!