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fandomhigh_ooc2007-08-19 06:58 pm
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Spotlight on Fandoms - Arrested Development
"Now, the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It's 'Arrested Development."
That was the narration during the opening credits of the innovative FOX television series, Arrested Development. It aired from 2003 through 2006 and stands as the ONE SHOW you can't really bitch about Fox giving up on way too early. The time slot jumped around a bit on Sundays, but generally aired right after the Simpsons until it moved to Monday nights in the shortened third season. Fox often showed blocks of episodes on Friday nights during the first season and had several marathons on the FX cable network, all as programming stunts to draw interest. Unfortunately, it just never quite caught a large enough audience.
The Plot
The plot was simple: due to years of tax evasion and apparent light treason, a wealthy family (the Bluths) who had earned their money in home development had their assets frozen and the head of the family was thrown into jail. Hence "Arrested Development." Clever pun, there.
The pilot episode followed heir apparent to the Bluth Company, Michael Bluth, through a retirement party for his father, George, where a new president of the company would be announced. George, knowing that the feds would take him down soon, appointed his wife, Lucille, to the position on very shaky legal advice. Things get worse very quickly and Michael, hurt by the fact that he was passed over, decided to cut all ties with his family.
It quickly became obvious that his family needed him to save them and he needed them to keep his son happy, so he returned and took his rightful place at the head of the family.
This was a terrible mistake.
The first season focused on Michael's struggles with trying to save the Bluth Company and uncover the truth of his father's dealings while George awaited trial. The second season dealt with... pretty much the same thing, only George had faked his death and escaped from prison and was now on the lamb. He spent most of the season in the attic of the model home Michael and half of the family lived in. Third season was basically just insanity involving British spies, Michael's second wedding, GOB connecting with his son, George being under house arrest, and an incestuous love triangle that is not what it seems.
All in all, though, it was about how a really dysfunctional family came together and managed not to kill each other many, many times over.
Characters
Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) - The lead character, straight man, and theoretical head of the family. Michael is pretty much the only normal person in his family. He is a widower with one son, George Michael. Although he's the third youngest of his parents' children (after his "twin" sister, Lindsay, and older brother, GOB), his more lucid take on life and relative sanity make him the only choice to save both the family and the company. This of course brings him into constant conflict with everyone else, as they are insane.
George Bluth, Sr (Jeffrey Tambor) - Michael's father. Even after being sent to jail, George does his best to run the family and the company, even if it means manipulating Michael, screwing Michael over, or otherwise continuing to make Michael's life a living hell. That said, Michael is probably the only person in George's life that he actually respects. And that would be touching if he didn't keep screwing Michael's life up. He has a true love/hate relationship with Lucille, who is even more manipulative than him. He is in jail for tax evasion and light treason (there may have been an issue of building houses in Iraq).
Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walters) - Michael's mother. She is just a terrible, terrible person. She's a total drunk, manipulates people for no good reason (especially her children), and keeps Buster in a truly unhealthy mother-son relationship. She's bigoted, not terribly smart (but extremely cunning), and will avoid actually doing anything at all costs. Aside from manipulating her children. She'll do that all day long without blinking.
G.O.B. Bluth (Will Arnett) - Michael's older brother. GOB (George Oscar Bluth II, "G.O.B." is generally just written as "GOB" with no periods or "Gob" with a small "ob") is a failure. He even mispronounces his own nickname. His parents never loved him and made that as clear as possible, he's not smart, he's a terrible businessman, and he's a miserable magician/ventriloquist/telethon host/banana salesman/etc. He is also prone to mood swings and jealousy (usually directed at Michael, the younger brother who has all the success he ever wanted). Strangely, Michael is probably his best friend, mainly because of a lack of competition. But, hey, they're brothers and they kind of like each other.
Lindsay Fünke (Portia de Rossi) - Michael's twin sister. She believes strongly in activism. She doesn't stick to any causes and she often works against the causes that she chooses at any given moment. She's pretty much a terrible mother and a frustrated wife, but in her best moments she's a good sister. Those moments probably don't come nearly enough. She once worked retail and hid her job out of shame by claiming to be stealing all of the new clothes she was wearing. She was later fired for stealing clothes.
Tobias Fünke (David Cross) - Michael's brother-in-law. Tobias, Lindsay's husband, is a former therapist (and a one-time analyst/therapist, or "analrapist," pronounced a-NAL-ra-pist) and current wannabe actor. He wrote a self-help book called "The Man Inside Me." He tried to join the Blue Man Group, and as such frequently "blue himself." One time, he tried to prove himself to be a cool father and saw Maeby and George Michael with leather jackets, so he bought a "leather daddy" outfit. He is a very repressed homosexual, if you couldn't tell. And he's also a never-nude. That is, he is never nude. He even wears cutoff jeans in the shower.
Buster Bluth (Tony Hale) - Michael's younger brother. Buster never really became an adult. He's trapped in a horribly disturbing codependent relationship with his mother. His greatest act of rebellion made him lose his left hand (but he was all right). And he went to school well into his thirties without seemingly learning all that much.
George Michael Bluth (Michael Cera) - Michael's son. George Michael is a very awkward young man who just wants to be closer to his family. Especially his cousin Maeby. Like, a lot closer to her. A LOT. If you know what I mean. No, seriously, it's not subtext or anything, it's a character arc that spans the entire run of the show. But he's a good, smart kid with some serious issues that result from being the son of the only "normal" person in an insane family. He had normalcy forced upon him. He didn't come out of it as normal as Michael would have wanted.
Maeby Fünke (Alia Shawkat) - Michael's niece. Much like her Uncle GOB, she just wants some attention from her parents. In her case, it's not that her parents don't love her, it's that they're both just really really terrible parents and are way too wrapped up in their own issues (granted, they have a lot of them) to pay attention to her. She acts out, lies, and secretly works in Hollywood instead of going to school. She has also kissed three of her cousins.
The Narrator (Ron Howard) - The Narrator is a snarky, unseen man who narrates the lives of this twisted family. They're not really part of a documentary, and the Narrator likes to talk directly to the audience, so there's really no sense of how exactly he fits in, but it works and is funny.
Recurring Characters
Oscar Bluth (Jeffrey Tambor) - George's twin brother. Former lover of Lucille. Does a lot of pot.
Lucille Austero (Liza Minelli) - Lucille's best friend and rival. Former girlfriend of both Buster and GOB. Suffers from vertigo. Is basically just a spoof of Liza Minelli.
Carl Weathers (Carl Weathers) - Tobias's acting coach. Knows how to make a little money go a long way. Starred in Predator.
Kitty Sanchez (Judy Greer) - George's secretary/mistress. One of GOB's terrible mistakes. Flashes Michael. A lot.
Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler) - The family lawyer. Really bad at his job. Is secretly really gay. Once hopped over a shark.
Bob Loblaw (Scott Baio) - The family lawyer after Barry was fired. Lindsay did everything within her power to get him to have sex with her. His name sounds funny out loud.
Tony Wonder (Ben Stiller) - GOB's main rival in the world of magic. Has a soul patch in the shape of a W. For "Wonder."
Ann Veal (Mae Whitman) - George Michael's girlfriend. Very plain, religious girl. Michael calls her "Annabell" or "Her?" when he remembers her.
Annyong Bluth (Justin Lee) - Adopted by Lucille to teach Buster a lesson. Has a big secret. "Annyong" means "hello" in Korean. Real name is "Hel-loh." Has kissed his cousin Maeby.
Steve Holt (Justin Grant Wade) - The cool kid in school for at least six years running at the end of the show. According to GOB, he's a bastard who doesn't even know who his father is. According to Michael, he's basically a young GOB. It was later discovered that he was actually GOB's son. Kissed his cousin Maeby several times before he knew that she was his cousin. Nickname is "Steve Holt!"
Why Couldn't It Find an Audience?
There are a number of theorized reasons why the show never caught on with the general public (most of them cleverly mentioned in the season three episode "S.O.B.s"). The sense of humor on the show was extremely atypical of network television. It would have been a natural fit on HBO or Showtime. Even after something like The Simpsons, the humor just wasn't going to appeal to that same kind of audience.
Additionally, while the characters were entertaining, most of them were truly horrible people. While other shows, such as Seinfeld, have thrived with characters who are unpleasant, it has been argued that since there are really only two truly decent people in the cast, people weren't able to connect with the characters. Additionally, AD relied on so many running jokes and such long build-ups that while it rewarded long-time fans, it hindered new people jumping in, say, halfway through the second season.
Personally, i think that's all crap. This was just a show that was ahead of it's time by a couple years. Just looking at another one of the fandoms I play, The Office, proves the flaw in those points. Its sense of humor fits the BBC better than it does American network television, even the most likable characters in it are terrible to each other pretty regularly, and the long build-up is a trademark of the show. All that and it's doing just fine.
If anything, Arrested Development was simply too unlike anything that came before. It (along with, in my opinion, Scrubs) was one of those rare groundbreaking shows that made it easier for shows like The Office to break in and find an audience quickly.
There is one other criticism that I think may hold some weight. Some people have said that it was just too smart for network television. I think that's close. It's not that people who saw it and didn't find it funny aren't smart, it's that people who saw it and didn't find it funny are INSANE.
Arrested Development: If you don't like it, you're insane.
Oh, maybe people didn't actually want incest in their show. I can see that one.
Critical Acclaim
Arrested Development was a critical darling and gained a rabid fanbase, even though it never garnered enough ratings to survive as long as it did. It was frequently on those lists of best shows of the year. Especially the lists of best shows that nobody was watching.
Over its three seasons, it earned six Emmys (including Outstanding Comedy Series in 2004) and a Golden Globe (for lead actor Jason Bateman in 2005).
YouTube Links!
Most of these are running jokes from the show. Running jokes that are awesome.
GOB clips
Chicken taunt!
Analrapist
I Just Blue Myself
I've made a huge mistake
Afternoon Delight
Godzilla spoof
How Do I Watch it?
Not only are all three seasons available on DVD, but it airs constantly on the G4 cable network (currently Monday through Saturday at 12:30 PM ET and Sunday from 6-7 PM ET).
ETA: Or for a more simple explanation, Season 1 clip package and Season 2 clip package and Season 3.
This has been Arrested Development.
That was the narration during the opening credits of the innovative FOX television series, Arrested Development. It aired from 2003 through 2006 and stands as the ONE SHOW you can't really bitch about Fox giving up on way too early. The time slot jumped around a bit on Sundays, but generally aired right after the Simpsons until it moved to Monday nights in the shortened third season. Fox often showed blocks of episodes on Friday nights during the first season and had several marathons on the FX cable network, all as programming stunts to draw interest. Unfortunately, it just never quite caught a large enough audience.
The Plot
The plot was simple: due to years of tax evasion and apparent light treason, a wealthy family (the Bluths) who had earned their money in home development had their assets frozen and the head of the family was thrown into jail. Hence "Arrested Development." Clever pun, there.
The pilot episode followed heir apparent to the Bluth Company, Michael Bluth, through a retirement party for his father, George, where a new president of the company would be announced. George, knowing that the feds would take him down soon, appointed his wife, Lucille, to the position on very shaky legal advice. Things get worse very quickly and Michael, hurt by the fact that he was passed over, decided to cut all ties with his family.
It quickly became obvious that his family needed him to save them and he needed them to keep his son happy, so he returned and took his rightful place at the head of the family.
This was a terrible mistake.
The first season focused on Michael's struggles with trying to save the Bluth Company and uncover the truth of his father's dealings while George awaited trial. The second season dealt with... pretty much the same thing, only George had faked his death and escaped from prison and was now on the lamb. He spent most of the season in the attic of the model home Michael and half of the family lived in. Third season was basically just insanity involving British spies, Michael's second wedding, GOB connecting with his son, George being under house arrest, and an incestuous love triangle that is not what it seems.
All in all, though, it was about how a really dysfunctional family came together and managed not to kill each other many, many times over.
Characters
Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) - The lead character, straight man, and theoretical head of the family. Michael is pretty much the only normal person in his family. He is a widower with one son, George Michael. Although he's the third youngest of his parents' children (after his "twin" sister, Lindsay, and older brother, GOB), his more lucid take on life and relative sanity make him the only choice to save both the family and the company. This of course brings him into constant conflict with everyone else, as they are insane.
George Bluth, Sr (Jeffrey Tambor) - Michael's father. Even after being sent to jail, George does his best to run the family and the company, even if it means manipulating Michael, screwing Michael over, or otherwise continuing to make Michael's life a living hell. That said, Michael is probably the only person in George's life that he actually respects. And that would be touching if he didn't keep screwing Michael's life up. He has a true love/hate relationship with Lucille, who is even more manipulative than him. He is in jail for tax evasion and light treason (there may have been an issue of building houses in Iraq).
Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walters) - Michael's mother. She is just a terrible, terrible person. She's a total drunk, manipulates people for no good reason (especially her children), and keeps Buster in a truly unhealthy mother-son relationship. She's bigoted, not terribly smart (but extremely cunning), and will avoid actually doing anything at all costs. Aside from manipulating her children. She'll do that all day long without blinking.
G.O.B. Bluth (Will Arnett) - Michael's older brother. GOB (George Oscar Bluth II, "G.O.B." is generally just written as "GOB" with no periods or "Gob" with a small "ob") is a failure. He even mispronounces his own nickname. His parents never loved him and made that as clear as possible, he's not smart, he's a terrible businessman, and he's a miserable magician/ventriloquist/telethon host/banana salesman/etc. He is also prone to mood swings and jealousy (usually directed at Michael, the younger brother who has all the success he ever wanted). Strangely, Michael is probably his best friend, mainly because of a lack of competition. But, hey, they're brothers and they kind of like each other.
Lindsay Fünke (Portia de Rossi) - Michael's twin sister. She believes strongly in activism. She doesn't stick to any causes and she often works against the causes that she chooses at any given moment. She's pretty much a terrible mother and a frustrated wife, but in her best moments she's a good sister. Those moments probably don't come nearly enough. She once worked retail and hid her job out of shame by claiming to be stealing all of the new clothes she was wearing. She was later fired for stealing clothes.
Tobias Fünke (David Cross) - Michael's brother-in-law. Tobias, Lindsay's husband, is a former therapist (and a one-time analyst/therapist, or "analrapist," pronounced a-NAL-ra-pist) and current wannabe actor. He wrote a self-help book called "The Man Inside Me." He tried to join the Blue Man Group, and as such frequently "blue himself." One time, he tried to prove himself to be a cool father and saw Maeby and George Michael with leather jackets, so he bought a "leather daddy" outfit. He is a very repressed homosexual, if you couldn't tell. And he's also a never-nude. That is, he is never nude. He even wears cutoff jeans in the shower.
Buster Bluth (Tony Hale) - Michael's younger brother. Buster never really became an adult. He's trapped in a horribly disturbing codependent relationship with his mother. His greatest act of rebellion made him lose his left hand (but he was all right). And he went to school well into his thirties without seemingly learning all that much.
George Michael Bluth (Michael Cera) - Michael's son. George Michael is a very awkward young man who just wants to be closer to his family. Especially his cousin Maeby. Like, a lot closer to her. A LOT. If you know what I mean. No, seriously, it's not subtext or anything, it's a character arc that spans the entire run of the show. But he's a good, smart kid with some serious issues that result from being the son of the only "normal" person in an insane family. He had normalcy forced upon him. He didn't come out of it as normal as Michael would have wanted.
Maeby Fünke (Alia Shawkat) - Michael's niece. Much like her Uncle GOB, she just wants some attention from her parents. In her case, it's not that her parents don't love her, it's that they're both just really really terrible parents and are way too wrapped up in their own issues (granted, they have a lot of them) to pay attention to her. She acts out, lies, and secretly works in Hollywood instead of going to school. She has also kissed three of her cousins.
The Narrator (Ron Howard) - The Narrator is a snarky, unseen man who narrates the lives of this twisted family. They're not really part of a documentary, and the Narrator likes to talk directly to the audience, so there's really no sense of how exactly he fits in, but it works and is funny.
Recurring Characters
Oscar Bluth (Jeffrey Tambor) - George's twin brother. Former lover of Lucille. Does a lot of pot.
Lucille Austero (Liza Minelli) - Lucille's best friend and rival. Former girlfriend of both Buster and GOB. Suffers from vertigo. Is basically just a spoof of Liza Minelli.
Carl Weathers (Carl Weathers) - Tobias's acting coach. Knows how to make a little money go a long way. Starred in Predator.
Kitty Sanchez (Judy Greer) - George's secretary/mistress. One of GOB's terrible mistakes. Flashes Michael. A lot.
Barry Zuckerkorn (Henry Winkler) - The family lawyer. Really bad at his job. Is secretly really gay. Once hopped over a shark.
Bob Loblaw (Scott Baio) - The family lawyer after Barry was fired. Lindsay did everything within her power to get him to have sex with her. His name sounds funny out loud.
Tony Wonder (Ben Stiller) - GOB's main rival in the world of magic. Has a soul patch in the shape of a W. For "Wonder."
Ann Veal (Mae Whitman) - George Michael's girlfriend. Very plain, religious girl. Michael calls her "Annabell" or "Her?" when he remembers her.
Annyong Bluth (Justin Lee) - Adopted by Lucille to teach Buster a lesson. Has a big secret. "Annyong" means "hello" in Korean. Real name is "Hel-loh." Has kissed his cousin Maeby.
Steve Holt (Justin Grant Wade) - The cool kid in school for at least six years running at the end of the show. According to GOB, he's a bastard who doesn't even know who his father is. According to Michael, he's basically a young GOB. It was later discovered that he was actually GOB's son. Kissed his cousin Maeby several times before he knew that she was his cousin. Nickname is "Steve Holt!"
Why Couldn't It Find an Audience?
There are a number of theorized reasons why the show never caught on with the general public (most of them cleverly mentioned in the season three episode "S.O.B.s"). The sense of humor on the show was extremely atypical of network television. It would have been a natural fit on HBO or Showtime. Even after something like The Simpsons, the humor just wasn't going to appeal to that same kind of audience.
Additionally, while the characters were entertaining, most of them were truly horrible people. While other shows, such as Seinfeld, have thrived with characters who are unpleasant, it has been argued that since there are really only two truly decent people in the cast, people weren't able to connect with the characters. Additionally, AD relied on so many running jokes and such long build-ups that while it rewarded long-time fans, it hindered new people jumping in, say, halfway through the second season.
Personally, i think that's all crap. This was just a show that was ahead of it's time by a couple years. Just looking at another one of the fandoms I play, The Office, proves the flaw in those points. Its sense of humor fits the BBC better than it does American network television, even the most likable characters in it are terrible to each other pretty regularly, and the long build-up is a trademark of the show. All that and it's doing just fine.
If anything, Arrested Development was simply too unlike anything that came before. It (along with, in my opinion, Scrubs) was one of those rare groundbreaking shows that made it easier for shows like The Office to break in and find an audience quickly.
There is one other criticism that I think may hold some weight. Some people have said that it was just too smart for network television. I think that's close. It's not that people who saw it and didn't find it funny aren't smart, it's that people who saw it and didn't find it funny are INSANE.
Arrested Development: If you don't like it, you're insane.
Oh, maybe people didn't actually want incest in their show. I can see that one.
Critical Acclaim
Arrested Development was a critical darling and gained a rabid fanbase, even though it never garnered enough ratings to survive as long as it did. It was frequently on those lists of best shows of the year. Especially the lists of best shows that nobody was watching.
Over its three seasons, it earned six Emmys (including Outstanding Comedy Series in 2004) and a Golden Globe (for lead actor Jason Bateman in 2005).
YouTube Links!
Most of these are running jokes from the show. Running jokes that are awesome.
GOB clips
Chicken taunt!
Analrapist
I Just Blue Myself
I've made a huge mistake
Afternoon Delight
Godzilla spoof
How Do I Watch it?
Not only are all three seasons available on DVD, but it airs constantly on the G4 cable network (currently Monday through Saturday at 12:30 PM ET and Sunday from 6-7 PM ET).
ETA: Or for a more simple explanation, Season 1 clip package and Season 2 clip package and Season 3.
This has been Arrested Development.
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I find this perfectly acceptable.
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.....sale
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Eyes up here.
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