Arrested Development Review

This show is extremely underrated. Well, maybe not completely. It did get an outstanding number of Emmy awards and nominations but every time I ask my friends and family if they have seen it, most of them say no. Let me tell you what makes this show so amazing.

Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) is forced to save his chaotic family when his father, George (Jeffrey Tambor) is arrested and everyone has to go from riches to rags.

The self absorbed matriarch Lucille (Jessica Walters) is never seen without a drink in her hand and constantly manipulates her four children: Gob, Michael, Lindsay and Buster. Gob (Will Arnett) is a failed magician who is an expert of diffusing any kind of responsibility to Michael. Lindsay (Portia Rossi) is a shallow shopaholic and has a rocky relationship with her psychoanalyst/psychotherapist turned actor husband Tobias Funkë (David Cross), both of whom are constantly forgetting about their daughter Maeby's (Alia Shawkat) existence. Buster (Tony Hale) is a complete mama's boy and spends his time living with his mother and enjoying scholarly pursuits. Michael's son, George Michael (Michael Cera) is painfully shy and has an on-again-off-again crush on his cousin Maeby.

If I had to pick one reason why I love Arrested Development so much, it would be the running gags and inside jokes that are seamlessly incorporated into each episode that makes them easy to miss. Between Tobias's desire to join the Blue Man Group to the literal doctor, you won't stop laughing. Just watch a YouTube video of Arrested Development out of context and you'll see what I'm talking about.

After 3 amazing years of taking the entertainment industry by storm with wit and charm, Arrested Development was cancelled by Fox due to bad advertising, a small audience and other factors.  However, it was picked back up by Netflix with a fourth season released in 2013 and a fifth season in 2018.

In my mind, these two seasons don't exist. Compared to the three critically acclaimed seasons in the early 2000s, the two seasons are dramatically different. Each episode focuses on different characters and their individual plot lines and makes it difficult to follow along. Although there are still some great scenes, it simply wasn't enough to live up to the show's former glory. With that in mind, watch the last two seasons at your own risk.

To conclude, Arrested Development is an amazing show with a debatable last two seasons. The comedy is top-tier and will constantly leave you crying from laughter. So if you have twenty minutes to spare, I highly recommend watching the first episode on Netflix or Hulu. It blew me away and I think it will do the same to you.