It's very likely that you've never heard of Arrested Development, as it follows a long line of quality American comedy that never gets shown at a decent time in the United Kingdom. Buried by a 'certain channel' (beginning with B and ending in 2) in a graveyard slot, it focuses around the life of Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman - the commentator in Dodgeball? Remember?) Michael's life revolves around working for his father (Jeffrey Tambor). Sadly for Michael, his dad is corrupt and comits what he describes as 'mild treason' against his country. He's arrested, and Michael has to struggle to kept the company afloat. He's not helped by his possessive mother (Jessica Walters) and freeloading brother and sister (Portia de Rossi and Will Arnett). The first season of the show tells the story of how Michael tries to keep the company afloat and get his dad out of jail.
But that's just exposition. Arrested Development is very different to other sitcoms in that it's a mockumentary. Not like Christopher Guest (although it does fly into mad realms of fantasy at times - see the episode 'pier pressure' as an example, which ends in an armed gunfight), but whenever a character swears they're bleeped out, and nudity is censored. Everything the family does is caught on camera, and narrated to us by Ron Howard, of all people. His asides keep the story intact, but the story isn't the important thing with this show. This may sound geeky, but for me the joy of the show came from the characterisation and acting. Nobody mugs for camera, and the performances from Bateman, Tony Hale (Michael's youngest brother, Buster) and David Cross (who plays Michael's brother-in-law, Tobias) stand out in particular. The jokes vary from slapstick to nerdy in-jokes, blatant innuendos and slow-burning gags. The comedy style of 'throw everything at a wall and see what sticks' is dangerous, and more often than not on a show it doesn't work (TLC? Remember that?), but most gags hit the mark. Some jokes are so subtle you won't even realise them until halfway down the road the next morning, when you'll suddenly get something and burst out laughing. I call this the SBE (slow-burn-effect).
It's hard to review the show without getting lost, because there's so much going on. There are numerous sub-plots, stories and in-jokes (for example, Tobias may possibly be gay - but don't tell anyone), and the continuation the writers keep is astounding. If I have to compare the show to anything, it'd have to be Scrubs. Both feature the central commentary and passion for scenes of pure madness, but ring true constantly to real life. The cameos too - oh, the cameos! Henry Winkler, Liza Minelli, Carl Weathers… Henry Winkler may have aged a little bit, but he's become a gifted comic actor (maybe he's making up for all the time he wasted on Happy Days?) and every time his character appears, you know you're going to be laughing. I've started describing again, but it's hard to stay on track! It's such a unique show and so much happens that it's very tricky to focus on anything. The music, for example, is mostly a ukulele. A ukulele wouldn't seem to be the obvious choice for a sitcom, but somehow it fits in with the style of the show.
On DVD you get many extras, including deleted scenes and an intro from Ron Howard (my, he looks OLD). There's also a complete soundtrack, including one of my favourite songs, "All you need are smiles" by Tambor. This song alone is worth shelling out your money for. There's also entire cast commentaries, and hidden extras. Try to find the David Cross nude scene, if you dare...
Combining great acting from just about everyone with fantastic plots, writing and jokes, Arrested Development is one of the most important comedy shows this year - oh and guess what? It's getting cancelled in America soon. So catch it while you can!
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Average
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mockumentary-style exploration of the beleaguered Bluth family, it's one of those idiosyncratic shows that doesn't rely on a laugh track or a studio audience; it's shot mo...
mockumentary-style exploration of the beleaguered Bluth family, it's one of those idiosyncratic shows that doesn't rely on a laugh track or a studio audience; it's shot mor...
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