Arrested Development

[Mattrick]

Recently started watching the reruns on CBC. Heard it was prematurely cancelled but I think it went a few seasons. Like what I've seen so far and am getting the seasons on DVD.

Quite a funny show so far. While being wacky and over the top at times it has a very stern underlying theme of the family as a social unit. Essentially the entire show the family dealing with each other. Kind of like how Everybody Loves Raymond can have a single episode one big family argument and and still be entertaining.

It's a real dry humour but I like it. My favourite episode thus far is when George Michael is trying to become school president.

[jayson]

Excellent show, cancelled WAY WAY too soon. We have all three seasons on DVD and they get plenty of air-time. This series took meta-jokes to a new level altogether re-working phrasings and getting different things repeated to become different jokes and yet still referencing the original joke. Great cast, great writing. I only wish it had gone on longer.

[Mike Beck]

One of the best comedies ever. I love each and every one of the Bluth family members, but Job is my favorite. :D

I was really surprised when they axed it. It's such a smart and well made show. Just shows you that the majority of tv viewers prefer the usual laugh track nonsense. tell me how a show like this gets killed, and Two and a Half Men is still on the air?? don't make no sense.

[jayson]

.... tell me how a show like this gets killed, and Two and a Half Men is still on the air?? don't make no sense.

lowest common denominator. that show doesn't require thought so most tv audiences can handle it. just laugh when the laugh track laughs. Arrested Development took a bit more thought.

oh, and Gob rules. Remember, it is Gob not Job, for his name is George Oscar Bluth Jr.

[Mike Beck]

:lol: that's right!

:cue The Final Countdown:

and you are too correct. i hate that mindless crap. it's just not funny. it's so repetitive and ugly, I think. do laugh track shows even work any more? unless it's a talk show like Conan, i'm not so sure.

[jayson]

Gob's "illusions" were the highlight of the show, esp when they involved Buster in some way. Buster was one of the greatest characters ever, especially the season with AhnYong [sp?]

[Odetta]

I am a HUGE fan of this show! I wished more people had watched it... it was so funny! GAve me a newfound respect for Jason Bateman that I never had before.

[Girlystevedave]

This was definitely one of the smartest and funniest shows to ever be on tv. I still can't understand why it didn't make it longer.

[jayson]

This was definitely one of the smartest and funniest shows to ever be on tv. I still can't understand why it didn't make it longer.

bc tv doesn't like smart & funny. especially not FOX who cancelled it.

[TerribleT]

One of the best comedies ever. I love each and every one of the Bluth family members, but Job is my favorite. :D

I was really surprised when they axed it. It's such a smart and well made show. Just shows you that the majority of tv viewers prefer the usual laugh track nonsense. tell me how a show like this gets killed, and Two and a Half Men is still on the air?? don't make no sense.

Dude, I LOVE Two and a Half Men. I think that show is insanely funny, and rarely is there an episode that doesn't leave me laughing my guts out.

[OchrisO]

Arrested Development is probably the funniest TV show ever. I love it.

[Mike Beck]

One of the best comedies ever. I love each and every one of the Bluth family members, but Job is my favorite. :D

I was really surprised when they axed it. It's such a smart and well made show. Just shows you that the majority of tv viewers prefer the usual laugh track nonsense. tell me how a show like this gets killed, and Two and a Half Men is still on the air?? don't make no sense.

Dude, I LOVE Two and a Half Men. I think that show is insanely funny, and rarely is there an episode that doesn't leave me laughing my guts out.

I......uh. oh. sorry. I just don't like it is all. ><
I put it in the same list as shows like How I Met Your Mother and Life According to Jim.

but everyone's got their flavor, right? :cowboy:

[jayson]

One of the best comedies ever. I love each and every one of the Bluth family members, but Job is my favorite. :D

I was really surprised when they axed it. It's such a smart and well made show. Just shows you that the majority of tv viewers prefer the usual laugh track nonsense. tell me how a show like this gets killed, and Two and a Half Men is still on the air?? don't make no sense.

Dude, I LOVE Two and a Half Men. I think that show is insanely funny, and rarely is there an episode that doesn't leave me laughing my guts out.

I......uh. oh. sorry. I just don't like it is all. ><
I put it in the same list as shows like How I Met Your Mother and Life According to Jim.

but everyone's got their flavor, right? :cowboy:

it's not even that they are necessarily "bad" shows, just that they are the same standard sit-com fare we've been getting for years. a show like AD completely broke the mold for 30-min "family comedies"

[Rjeso]

:cue The Final Countdown:

Yeeeah, I can't hear this song anymore without thinking of the magic show in the desert. :lol:

I loved this show. I didn't watch it at first because the ads made it look like another one of those mindless sitcoms. One of my buddies finally sat me down and had me watch the first season, and I and such a big fan now. Eventually I shall own the DVDs, the show is well worth shelling out money for a TV series.

[Still Servant]

Arrested Development is classic. I miss that show so much.

There may be hope just yet though. There are rumors of AD coming to the big screen.

An Arrested Development movie might actually do fairly well. With the success of Michael Cera in Superbad and Juno (along with Jason Bateman) they may have a whole new audience.

I have to disagree with you Mike Beck. How I Met You Mother is a genuinely funny show. Don't be fooled by the laugh track. Neil Patrick Harris is so great on that show.

To put it in the same sentence with According to Jim made me cringe.

[jayson]

if true about a possible movie, that's great news Still Servant. i do have to disagree with you about How I Met Your Mother. A friend has subjected me to several episodes and while I would agree that Neil Patrick Harris is indeed very funny, the rest of the show is fairly standard sitcom fare. on a scale with According to Jim at one end and Arrrested Development at the other, I'd say it's closer to the former. just my opinion. either way AD was a GREAT show and michael cera has comedic timing like i've never seen.

[Still Servant]

I see what you're saying, I just think that if you take the standard current day sitcom, How I met Your Mother is at the top of the list.

Jason Segal (another Judd Apatow disciple) is also very good on that show.

I much prefer my sitcoms sans laugh track like The Office, 30 Rock and Aliens In America.

Aliens In America is pretty good. It's on the CW so I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority of people who watch the show. Just like with Reaper and the now deceased Veronica Mars.

[Mattrick]

ahhh, 30 rock. What a turd that show is. The Office is much better but I'm not pawing my way to the TV to watch that one, either.

A great comedy show is My Name Is Earl, so much talent in that show.

[Erin]

I've never seen Arrested Development before, but heard great things. I also didn't know Michael Cera was on it. After Superbad and Juno, I freaking love that guy, he absolutely crackes me up.

Are all the seasons out on DVD? I need to check it out.

[jayson]

Erin, it's all out on DVD [3 seasons total, though the third is a bit shorter than the first two]. if you loved Michael Cera in those films, seeing him as George Michael Bluth will be a treat for you. The kid is just amazingly funny, as is the rest of the cast [it has DAVID CROSS for goodness sake, DAVID CROSS!!!]

[Still Servant]

I've never seen Arrested Development before, but heard great things. I also didn't know Michael Cera was on it. After Superbad and Juno, I freaking love that guy, he absolutely crackes me up.

Are all the seasons out on DVD? I need to check it out.

Erin, you must get your hands on the Arrested Development DVDs. I think you will really enjoy it. I don't know you that well, but from reading your posts on the boards, I think it's something you would like.

My sister said she saw them being sold for $20 bucks a season at Wal-Mart.

If you don't want to purchase them, head down to your local library and see if they have them. I rent DVDs from my library all the time. They're free and you can keep them for a week. They have a huge selection.

[Lance]

I much prefer my sitcoms sans laugh track like The Office, 30 Rock and Aliens In America.


Exactly. You shouldn't have to tell your audience what's funny.

You should definetly check it out Erin. I've described it as Seinfeld on meth. While Seinfeld would have two or three different storylines intercept each other, AD would have five or six.

And Gob is the shit. He was definetly my favorite character.

[jayson]

I've described it as Seinfeld on meth. While Seinfeld would have two or three different storylines intercept each other, AD would have five or six.

and they would keep on intercepting across episodes and across seasons.

[Seymour_Glass]

All the characters are so great.

"Hello, brother."

[jayson]

All the characters are so great.

"Hello, brother."

One of my favorite jokes was how that line of Buster's kept evolving as the series/relationships went on

"Hello fake uncle...."

[Seymour_Glass]

I do that to my friend Corey all the time.

[Tiffany]

One of my favorite moments is when Buster has Franklin (Gob's dummy) and tells Lucille "I don’t want no part of your tight-ass country-club, you freak bitch!"

Then looks amazed and murmurs, "Whoa."

[jayson]

One of my favorite moments is when Buster has Franklin (Gob's dummy) and tells Lucille "I don’t want no part of your tight-ass country-club, you freak bitch!"

Then looks amazed and murmurs, "Whoa."

It's Franklin's finest moment, and any moment with Franklin is hilarious.

[Girlystevedave]

I was talking to someone earlier about the episode where the Japanese investors are at the house and the tiny home models are set up outside. I can't remember who came crashing through the models wearing a Godzilla outfit, but I'm pretty sure it was George Michael that came in on a jet pack and it was just complete chaos.
:rofl:
Man, I need to rewatch those.

[jayson]

I was talking to someone earlier about the episode where the Japanese investors are at the house and the tiny home models are set up outside. I can't remember who came crashing through the models wearing a Godzilla outfit, but I'm pretty sure it was George Michael that came in on a jet pack and it was just complete chaos.
:rofl:
Man, I need to rewatch those.

There was no Godzilla. It was Tobias in a mole suit and George-Michael with the jet pack.

[Girlystevedave]

That's right! The mole suit. :lol:

[LiveTransmission]

"...still, where did the lighter fluid come from?"

GOB rules!

[Seymour_Glass]

I love the next-to-last episode where they go to Iraq and the house with the Saddam look-alikes.

[idk, my bff jill?]

Yes! I finally found this thread. :]

I agree with everyone that the series was canceled WAY too early.

I thought it was hilarious when they'd just come out and ask you to tell all your friends about the show. That was around the time they realized they had very few viewers.

Although I don't think I can pick a favorite character--they're all so great!--I have to say that Tobias is the shit! The good thing is that I can sort of see him in action every Tue. and Thu. because my Analytical Chemistry professor looks almost exactly like him and has very, very similar mannerisms, not to mention he speaks almost exactly like Tobias except in Spanish. I once imagined him going, "Well, excuuuuuuuuuse ME!" like Tobias did in the second episode and just started laughing in the middle of class. :blush:

[jayson]

Tobias was a hilarious character, and played perfectly by the exceptionally talented David Cross. I always found the Tobias/Michael dynamic to be particularly well done.

Also, the whole never-nude thing was insanely funny.

Lindsey: "He's a never-nude."

Michael: "Is that exactly what it sounds like?"

[Seymour_Glass]

I've had the theme song from the mock trial stuck in my head. For days.

[Seymour_Glass]

So, how about that....MOVIE!!!!!!!:drool::rock:

[flaggwalkstheline]

Arrested development is my absolute favorite tv program
ever
I have a t shirt which states "Tobias Funke MD,half analysist,half therapist, analrapist"

I watch all of the DVDs on a near religious basis
I think the only way a movie would b good is if it doesnt try to hollywood-ify it, for example the reno 911 movie SUCKED because with a new r rating they were allowed to do gross out humor like they couldnt on the show
i dont want any lameness like that to happen with a program I care about as deeply as this one

[Seymour_Glass]

I have faith in Mitch Hurwitz. Also, that shirt is epic.

[idk, my bff jill?]

Every time I see someone on a segway, I think of Gob.

[jayson]

so do i paula. :D

and i look to see if it says gob on the front (but with a missing g)

[flaggwalkstheline]

so do i paula. :D

and i look to see if it says gob on the front (but with a missing g)


YouTube - Tobias Funke Analyst and Therapist



tobias is my absolute favorite


YouTube - Tobias cutt-offs

[idk, my bff jill?]

David Cross is the man. :lol:

[Girlystevedave]

Every time I see someone on a segway, I think of Gob.


so do i paula. :D

and i look to see if it says gob on the front (but with a missing g)


That makes three of us. :lol:
Gob is my favorite..hands down .

I was laughing about this earlier: The father always using the guy with one arm to teach "lessons" to the kids.

Michael: "OH MY GOD! THAT GUY'S....arm just fell off." :rofl:
It never gets old.

[jayson]

I was laughing about this earlier: The father always using the guy with one arm to teach "lessons" to the kids.

Michael: "OH MY GOD! THAT GUY'S....arm just fell off." :rofl:
It never gets old.

that's why the episode where gob and michael try to teach george a lesson while george tries to teach them one, only to ALL be taught a lesson by buster is so classic. :D

[Girlystevedave]

The one where George Michael is trying to get the pot. :lol:
Who was he getting it for? Buster's girlfriend? :orely:

[jayson]

Yeah, Buster wanted it for Lucille 2's dizziness.

That was so funny too with the Hot Cops

"One of them is my English teacher"

[idk, my bff jill?]

Michael Cera and David Cross were together in Year One. :wub:

[Ozymandias]

GOB's chicken dance has to be the funniest thing I've ever seen on tv. "Chicken's don't clap!"

[jayson]

GOB's chicken dance has to be the funniest thing I've ever seen on tv. "Chicken's don't clap!"

that whole sequence where everyone is doing their own version is great. i particularly liked lindsay's. :D

[Ozymandias]

GOB's chicken dance has to be the funniest thing I've ever seen on tv. "Chicken's don't clap!"

that whole sequence where everyone is doing their own version is great. i particularly liked lindsay's. :D

They're all so wrong, but parts of it are right. One has the sound, one has the head flap, one has the leg movements, put them all together and you get a real chicken dance. If they make a movie they better have at least one GOB chicken dance, anything less would be a fail

[jayson]

If they make a movie they better have at least one GOB chicken dance, anything less would be a fail

As much as that show revolved around the constant evolution and representation of jokes, I can't imagine a movie wouldn't have GOB do it at least once.

[Seymour_Glass]

Remember Gobias Industries?

Those were the days, man.

[flaggwalkstheline]

I like the episodes with james lipton as the prison warden who lets tobias go to jail to research playing the role of "frightened inmate # 2"
White power Bill cracks me up

[jayson]

White power Bill cracks me up

the scene where white power bill stabs gob is one of the funniest moments ever.

White Power Bill: (stabbing GOB) "White Power!"

GOB: "But... I'm white"

[idk, my bff jill?]

I'm just going to leave these here.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll315/haithere_bucket/ArDevFranklin.gif

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p296/yourface_021/Arrested%20Development%20GIFs/buster.gif

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p296/yourface_021/Arrested%20Development%20GIFs/Tobias.gif

And these...

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p211/xleggomygreggox/arrestedchicken.gif

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/smartshortie007/icons/office.gif

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p211/xleggomygreggox/beo_122.gif

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa237/oyhumbug/Arrested%20Development%20Icons/thth20749.gif

And of course:

http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa237/oyhumbug/Banners/Arrested%20Development%20Banners/Arrested-Development-arrested-de-2.jpg

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd334/POW-lah/Smileys/TeeHee.gif

[jayson]

those are awesome paula!!!

i especially love the one of maggie and tobias. that whole scene was played perfectly like only david cross and julia louis-dreyfus could have done. two absolute comedic geniuses.

[flaggwalkstheline]

copying the gobias industries pic to see if I can sig it!

[AIMB]

season one and two are for sale at wal mart in a package for 20$

It's been stolen from me twice already, this time no one's getting it unless it's from my cold dead hands!

[jayson]

nobody gets my ad dvd's. if they want to see it, they can come over and watch it with me. :D

[AIMB]

well your the smart one, i had to learn the hard way i guess

[jayson]

not so much. i only learned that lesson after my simpsons season 6 went awol with a former friend never to return. now, fuck that. i'm not netflix. you want to watch it at your house, get it from them. you want my copy, either it comes to your house with me, or you watch it here. those are the options. :evil:

[Girlystevedave]

Lucille Bluth: "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant....It makes me want to set myself on fire." :rofl:

[Still Servant]

Thought I'd dig this thread up after 3 years since we are nearing the improbable start of a new season.

Anybody else excited?

[Ka-mai]

I think "cautiously optimistic" is my mindset.

[pathoftheturtle]

When AD was on the air, I assumed that everyone else watched it, too. For a year or so afterward, I got to go around with "You mean you've never seen Arrested Development?!"
I guess I was not the only one... word got out.

[Still Servant]

When AD was on the air, I assumed that everyone else watched it, too. For a year or so afterward, I got to go around with "You mean you've never seen Arrested Development?!"
I guess I was not the only one... word got out.

Yeah, so true. I remember watching AD and telling all my friends how great it was and that they should watch it. They looked at me like I was crazy because they had never even heard of it. Those same friends all caught up with the show on Netflix years after the show was cancelled. They all loved it too. Kind of infuriates me.

[Girlystevedave]

Any time I make an Arrested Development reference around someone other than family, people are like "Whaaat? No, I've never seen that show." :doh:

[Girlystevedave]

My family always uses the "And that's why we don't [fill in the blank]" quote. :lol:

[cit74]

So are you going to watch them all in one weekend marathon, or try and watch it spread out. I have to borrow my friends Netflix account to watch. I think that once I get started i will want more and wont be able to stop. I too watched it religiously once it came out on fox. Then watched it again on DVD with my wife since she never saw the original airings.

[Mattrick]

Me and my friend are probably going to watch an hour or so each time we drink. Tonight we'll probably watch four.

[Still Servant]

I have to stretch them out. It makes it more special. I also have tons of other things to catch up on, so it's not like I don't have other things to watch.

[cit74]

I got the 1 month free Netflix trial - so I'll at least finish in next few weeks

[pathoftheturtle]

I finally got to the Gob episode yesterday. (Season 4 number 7, "Colony Collapse.") It is so dense with plot! A couple minutes longer than previous episodes, but still... I keep thinking back and marvelling at how many things happened to Gob in this single episode. They have been getting increasingly hilarious. The Tobias episode (ANUSTART) was pretty damn funny.
<< Loving AD all over again.

[Heather19]

I started it last night, but a few min in realized I had no memory of how the last season ended. I might have to go back and watch a few of the last eps now before I jump into the new season.

[Ka-mai]

Yeah, I started it and don't remember the alopecia guy... sigh.

It's funny, but not brilliant. I'm slightly displeased with how they felt the need to incorporate every "new" actor from the past ten years, like Seth Rogen and Kristen Wiig. Not that they're bad, but I think they're being added to make the show seem more current, and that annoys me. But overall I'm enjoying it.

[pathoftheturtle]

Yeah, I started it and don't remember the alopecia guy... sigh.Ed Begley, Jr.'s character, the Bluth Company's big competitor? Really? Well, it would probably be fun to re-watch old episodes for all the wacky details if you've forgotten. Otherwise, one reminder that also comes up again: Sitwell has a daughter played by Christine Taylor

I could be wrong, but to me it did not occur that they might be trying to make the show seem current. I just thought they wanted to give a lot of their other friends some work.


It's funny, but not brilliant.Yeah, that's probably true. It's no longer cutting edge. The show was brilliant before, IMO, and now it is about the same. But other comedy has caught up in the meantime, and I don't see this season breaking all new ground. It's just another offbeat funny show at this point.

[pathoftheturtle]

It does feel pretty brilliant, though, when random weirdness in the jokes on one episode turn out to mean something specific when an intersecting story is later told about another character's perspective of the same conversation. Or when unrelated plot elements suddenly relate after a long time.

[Ka-mai]

Will someone please tell me what is up with Portia de Rossi's face?! I thought it was an entirely different actress for about half the episode. :panic:

[harrison ryan]

Ha ha ha, I had the same reaction.

[Ka-mai]

There are some parts of this that are just brilliant, but overall, it's not holding my attention. I almost feel like there are too many jokes to keep track of. Anyone else feel this way?

[cit74]

I'm on the 5th episode - so far it seems like its a bit all over the place - or basically trying to tell the same small story from everyone's perspective - but easily getting lost. Not to mention small bits related to the first 3 seasons (I did not go back and watch them again). I will make it through them all - but when I watch it again with my son - I will probably just watch the first 3 seasons and keep it at that. Just like only watching the real Star wars (4/5/6), and Indiana Jones - excluding that last catastrophe of a movie.

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXg2_yExgVY

[cit74]

What what???

[cit74]

Huh I guess they re-released season 4 this weekend in a more linear fashion - I’ll have to rewatch and get ready for season 5

[mae]

What what???

Yes. Netflix also "remixed" season four.

[Mattrick]

Not sure why they remixed season 4. It was perfect the way it was.

Excited for Season 5!

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC3HlWL1hU4

[Mattrick]

Season 5 was pretty great all the way through.