Arrested Development (TV series)
"Arrested Development" is a critically acclaimed television sitcom that premiered in 2003, focusing on the dysfunctional Bluth family as they navigate life after losing their real estate fortune. Created by Ron Howard and writer Mitchell Hurwitz, the show is inspired by real-life events, particularly the Enron scandal, and centers on themes of family dynamics and financial turmoil. The series employs a unique mockumentary style, characterized by handheld camera work and intricate plotlines that often interconnect across episodes.
The main character, Michael Bluth, portrayed by Jason Bateman, strives to maintain order within his chaotic family while dealing with their extravagant lifestyle and the complications of running the family business during his father's imprisonment for fraud. Other notable characters include Michael's mother, Lucille, a self-centered CEO, and his brother Gob, a struggling magician. Despite its innovative humor and narrative techniques, "Arrested Development" faced cancellation after its third season in 2006, though it later found new life with a fourth season on Netflix in 2013 and a fifth season in 2018. The show has left a lasting impact on the sitcom genre, influencing subsequent comedies with its self-referential style and complex storytelling.
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Arrested Development (TV series)
Identification: Mockumentary-style television sitcom about a dysfunctional family
Executive Producer: Mitchell Hurwitz (b. 1963)
Date: November 2, 2003–
Arrested Development garnered great critical praise, but the show did not draw a large enough audience to keep it from cancellation following its third season. In 2011, the streaming service Netflix announced it would be releasing new episodes of the show. The show focuses on the dysfunctional Bluth family, which loses its real-estate riches and is forced to live in a model home.
Arrested Development was conceived by producer Ron Howard and writer Mitchell Hurwitz. Inspired by the accounting fraud scandal of the Enron Corporation energy company, the two created a sitcom centered on the fictional “riches to rags” Bluth family. The show was shot using handheld cameras in the style of a reality television show and presented multiple, elaborate comedic plotlines. It garnered nearly universal critical acclaim, and during its first season in 2003, it was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, winning five. Despite praise from critics and a large cult following, Arrested Development was canceled after its third season, which aired in 2006. The series was revived, however, and a fourth season started streaming on Netflix in early 2013; a fifth was released in 2018.
Jason Bateman plays Michael Bluth, a recent widower and the most levelheaded member of the Bluth family. While the rest of the family insists on living excessively in spite of their financial troubles, Michael is not materialistic and struggles to keep the family together. Many of the show’s conflicts revolve around which family member will take over the Bluth Company’s home construction business while father George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) is in prison for defrauding investors. His wife Lucille (Jessica Walter) is the chief executive officer of the company, and Michael is the manager. Vying for Michael’s position is his older brother George Oscar Bluth, or “Gob” (Will Arnett), who is a failed magician. Other family members include the youngest brother Byron “Buster” Bluth (Tony Hale), sister Lindsay Bluth Fünke (Portia de Rossi), and Michael’s son, George-Michael Bluth (Michael Cera).
Impact
The show has been praised for its layered approach to comedy, featuring elaborate scenarios and several interweaving plots that often carry over into subsequent episodes. The show is frequently self-referential and is told in linear fashion, although it often utilizes a variety of storytelling tools such as flashbacks and narration. While Arrested Development is not the first sitcom to use the mockumentary style, its unique use of the format helped popularize the mockumentary on American television and paved the way for subsequent sitcoms to utilize the style. Hurwitz and Howard borrowed comic sensibilities from many influential shows while also subverting the traditional sitcom genre. The show’s self-awareness, use of wordplay, and absurdity have influenced the direction of the television situation comedy.
Bibliography
Crouch, Ian. "'Arrested Development' Is Back Where It Started." Review of Arrested Development. The New Yorker, 15 June 2018, www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/arrested-development-is-back-where-it-started. Accessed 2 Oct. 2018.
Phillips, Kristopher G., and J. Jeremy Wisnewski, editors. Arrested Development and Philosophy. John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
Schilling, Mary Kaye. “Jason Bateman, Act Two.” New York 23 Aug. 2010: 145–47. Print.
Tallerico, Brian. "Every Episode of Arrested Development, Ranked." Vulture, www.vulture.com/article/arrested-development-every-episode-ranked-worst-to-best.html. Accessed 2 Oct. 2018.
Wren, Celia. “Crimes and Banana Stands.” Commonweal 26 Mar. 2004: 19–20. Print.