Why arrested development

So this is how it ends. After another critically lambasted season, it would be a surprise to see Arrested Development return, so this is probably the supersize series finale.

The energy level is way up from several of the episodes below this on the list, but who would have guessed that the end of this story would be so depressing?

The premiere of the second half of season five is forced to spend way too much time reminding viewers what they forgot between seasons, but the cast seems ready at this point to really bring it home. Despite the return of Liza Minnelli and the Hot Cops, this is a great example of the period in which Arrested Development was repeating jokes from better episodes — and not in a meta way, but a lazy one. Uh-oh, season five is getting plot heavy!

Much like George Sr. This is the point in season four when even the jokes that work make you long to get back to better leading characters like Michael and Gob. We also get some more Judy Greer as Kitty, although the Tony Wonder plot destroys that gag with an audio cameo by Ben Stiller that was probably recorded over Skype. The Buster episode of season four comes too late to be as effective as it could have been, despite its solid jokes.

Gob moves upstairs just so they can see the roof of the Rite-Aid, while Tobias moves on to an amazing George Michael impression because no one was buying him as a straight man. How great would it have been if Maeby had to live with Gene Parmesan instead? The up-and-down fourth season kind of comes together in this finale, though it serves up too many subplots to possibly recount here.

And this two-parter in the middle of season one is the low point for that great year. Even the other plots feel repetitive and uninspired. The meta aspect elevates this one a bit — Arrested Development fans were teased with the possibility of a feature film for years after the Fox cancelation — as does a solid guest turn by Isla Fisher as another woman that Michael falls for before he has any idea who she is.

He does that a lot, huh? The alopecia jokes get tired quickly and the other stuff feels like repeated jokes from better episodes, sometimes literally so with clips. Good news: The episodes get much funnier from here on out. Notable for the premiere of George Bluth Sr. Lucille wants some cash to fix Buster, George Sr. One of the weaker episodes of season two feels like a something of a letdown after the genius of the Motherboy pageant and the initial arc of Buster losing his hand.

One of the better episodes of season four works because of how strong an actress Alia Shawkat has become in the years since the Fox cancellation. See also: Search Party. In the penultimate episode of season three, the Bluth boys actually go to Iraq and stumble upon a house full of Saddam Hussein look-alikes.

Jane Lynch and Heather Graham guest star in an episode that feels like a restart to the season after the Marta story line. Even George Michael gets his first non-Maeby crush in the form of his ethics teacher played by Graham , but his dad swoops in and ruins it.

The season-two finale gets most of the Bluth family onto the front lawn of the courthouse for an all-out brawl as their model home a. Meanwhile, Gob records Franklin Comes Alive. But when it loops back into the complex narrative of the season, it actually gets less interesting. Season five starts much more promisingly, with an energy that comes from reuniting most of the cast in a single episode again — something that the previous season infamously avoided with its character-specific installments.

The subplot about Lindsay trying to get the Ten Commandments removed from the courthouse steps because she broke a heel is hilarious in concept, but underdeveloped. This is effectively when season five starts, as the first two episodes sent everyone to Mexico and tied up old loose ends which somehow got untied again in subsequent, disappointing episodes. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Bob Loblaw! Most importantly, it marks the first time that we learn that Tobias is a never-nude.

It also features the return of J. During its original three-season run on Fox , the series was one of the most well-received sitcoms on television, winning several Emmys. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the network as the series was canceled in February Despite its status as a must-see show, the ratings for Arrested Development were always low and Fox wasn't able to keep the show going for much longer.

So, with that said, let's look at why the Fox series never caught on. The way Arrested Development was structured made it hard for it to gain a wide audience. Whereas most sitcoms had standalone plots each episode with some recurring running gags thrown in, this show was a serialized comedy with several overarching plot threads that lasted for several episodes at a time. The show was also shot handheld and heavily employed things like cutaway gags and meta humor, which was another outlier at a time when sitcoms relied mostly on punchlines.

Serialized storytelling always makes it harder for people to jump on a show's bandwagon, mostly because they don't know what is going on or understand what is being referenced in any given episode. Shock and Aww 22m. Staff Infection 22m. Altar Egos 22m. Justice is Blind 22m. Missing Kitty 22m. Best Man for the Gob 22m. Whistler's Mother 22m. Not Without My Daughter 22m. Let 'Em Eat Cake 22m. The One Where Michael Leaves 22m.

Good Grief 22m. Sad Sack 22m. Afternoon Delight 22m. Switch Hitter 22m. Queen for a Day 22m. Burning Love 22m. Ready, Aim, Marry Me! Out on a Limb 22m. Hand to God 22m. Motherboy XXX 22m. The Immaculate Election 22m. Sword of Destiny 22m. Meat the Veals 22m. Spring Breakout 22m. The Righteous Brothers 22m. The Cabin Show 22m. For British Eyes Only 22m. Forget Me Now 22m. Notapusy 22m. F 22m. The Ocean Walker 22m. Prison Break-In 22m. Making a Stand 22m. Fakin' It 22m. Family Ties 22m.

Exit Strategy 22m. Development Arrested 23m. Re Cap'n Bluth 23m. Three Half Men 22m. A Couple-A New Starts 22m. Just Deserters 22m. A Trial Run 22m. The Parent Traps 22m. One Degree of Separation 22m. The Weak Become the Strong 23m.

Modern Marvels 22m. Recurring Dreams 23m. Fun Night 23m. Moving Pictures 23m. Get on Up 22m. What Goes Around 22m. Locked and Loaded 23m. Mixed Messages 22m. Dire Straights 23m. Turning on Each Other 23m. Fast Company 23m. Cinco de Cuatro I 23m. Cinco de Cuatro II 23m. Cinco de Cuatro III 23m. Family Leave 27m. Self-Deportation 28m. Everyone Gets Atrophy 27m. An Old Start 29m.

Sinking Feelings 27m. Emotional Baggage 33m. Rom-Traum 31m. Premature Independence 37m. Unexpected Company 27m. Taste Makers 25m. Chain Migration 24m. Check Mates 26m. The Untethered Sole 28m. Saving For Arraignment Day 28m.

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