Netflix Hilarious Forgotten Sitcom Will Still Make You Laugh Until It Hurts
Rarely does a sitcom successfully weave in the perfect combination of satire, high brow humor, and utter ridiculousness as the grossly underappreciated Fox/Netflix series Arrested Development. The brainchild of creator Mitchell Hurwitz, the show eluded the ratings to be considered an immediate success, despite a lot of love from critics of the era. But the series developed a rabid cult following that led to its resurgence with two new Netflix-produced seasons after its initial cancellation in 2006, giving fans a total of five hilarious installments that can be viewed on the streaming service.
The Bluth Family (Mis)Fortune
Arrested Development follows the trials and tribulations of the Bluth family, led by construction magnate George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor). In the first episode, the torch is set to be passed to his business savvy son Michael (Jason Bateman), as the senior Bluth is set to retire. But in a zany turn of events, it’s revealed at the retirement party (held aboard one of the Bluth’s yachts) that George Sr. named his manipulative and narcissistic wife Lucille (Jessica Walter) as successor moments before the ship is stormed by federal agents that arrest the retiring patriarch.
You Can’t Course Correct With A Family Like This
It’s quickly revealed that George Sr. has been cooking the books for years, and named his wife successor as she couldn’t be forced to testify against him in a court of law. With all of their corporate assets seized and bank accounts frozen by the feds, the spoiled children of George Sr. and Lucille are forced to reckon with the reality of being broke as their respective stars have quickly fallen.
Michael Bluth secures permission from his mother to try to right the company’s ship, but his efforts are constantly beleaguered by siblings George Oscar Bluth II (who goes by Gob and is played by Will Arnett), sister Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) and her husband Tobias (David Cross), and younger brother Buster (Tony Hale).
Too Many Running Gags To Keep Track Of
Arrested Development quickly grew a reputation for ridiculous running gags and equally hilarious catchphrases as the complicated story arcs blend seamlessly together with characters that you can’t get enough of. Whether it’s Gob’s laughable career as an illusionist, spoiled and pampered mama’s boy Buster’s antics in the face of his domineering mother, or Tobias’s aloofness and odd character foibles, the series comes together as an intense mishmash of some of the most unforgettable players to ever assemble on screen.
Endlessly Quotable
America’s most dysfunctional family has their lives narrated by Ron Howard, whose voice follows the Bluth’s with a series of cutaway gags, flashbacks, and zany episode epilogues that reveal events that are never mentioned in subsequent episodes. Arrested Development is brilliant storytelling from every angle, an attribute that is nearly eclipsed by the parade of guest stars, each of whom play roles that match the main characters when it comes to parts that are wonderfully over animated and embellish the extremes of any personality type.
Charlize Theron, Henry Winkler, Rob Corddry, Ed Begley Jr., Amy Poehler, Carl Weathers, and Liza Minnelli come together over the course of the series to give endless hours of quotable material that fans have absorbed and regurgitated time and again since Arrested Development first debuted in 2003.
Stream It Over And Over Again On Netflix
GFR SCORE
Arrested Development is a show, much like The Office, where fans will watch it over and over again. The brilliant writing, high-level comedic acting, and hilarious plot lines secure the show’s legacy as one of the best sitcoms in recent decades.
You can catch Arrested Development streaming on Netflix.
