Arrested Development is an American television sitcom created by Mitchell Hurwitz, which originally aired on Fox for three seasons from November 2, 2003, to February 10, 2006. The show follows the Bluths, a formerly wealthy dysfunctional family. It is presented in a serialized format, incorporating handheld camera work, voice-over narration, archival photos, and historical footage. The show maintains numerous running gags and catchphrases. Ron Howard serves as both an executive producer and the omniscient narrator and, in later seasons, appears in the show portraying a fictionalized version of himself. Set in Newport Beach, California, Arrested Development was filmed primarily in Culver City and Marina del Rey.
The series received critical acclaim, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and one Golden Globe Award, and attracted a cult following.[2] It has been named one of the greatest TV shows by publications including Time,[3] Entertainment Weekly,[4] and IGN.[5] It influenced later single-camera comedy series such as 30 Rock and Community.
Despite the positive response from critics, Arrested Development received low ratings and viewership on Fox, which canceled the series in 2006. In 2011, Netflix agreed to license new episodes and distribute them on its video streaming service.[7] These episodes were released in May 2013.[8] Netflix commissioned a fifth season of Arrested Development, the first half of which premiered on May 29, 2018, and the second half on March 15, 2019.
Discussion that led to the creation of the series began in the summer of 2002. Ron Howard had the original idea to create a comedy series
in the style of handheld cameras and reality television, but with an
elaborate, highly comical script resulting from repeated rewritings and
rehearsals. Howard met with David Nevins, the president of Imagine Television, Katie O'Connell, a senior vice president, and two writers, including Mitchell Hurwitz. In light of recent corporate accounting scandals, such as Enron and Adelphia,
Hurwitz suggested a story about a "riches to rags" family. Howard and
Imagine were interested in using this idea, and signed Hurwitz to write
the show. The idea was pitched and sold in Q3 2002. There was a bidding
war for the show between Fox and NBC, with the show ultimately selling
to Fox as a put pilot with a six-figure penalty.
Over the next few months, Hurwitz developed the characters and plot for the series. The script of the pilot episode was submitted in January 2003 and filmed in March 2003. It was submitted in late April to Fox and was added to the network's fall schedule that May.
Alia Shawkat was the first cast in the series.[13] Michael Cera, Tony Hale, and Jessica Walter were cast from video tapes and flown in to audition for Fox.[13] Jason Bateman and Portia de Rossi both read and auditioned for the network and were immediately chosen.[13] The character of Gob was the most challenging to cast.[14] When Will Arnett
auditioned, he played the character "like a guy who thought of himself
as the chosen son, even though it was obvious to everyone else that he
was the least favorite"; he was chosen immediately for his unique
portrayal.[14] The characters of Tobias and George Sr. were originally going to have minor roles, but David Cross and Jeffrey Tambor's portrayals mixed well with the rest of the characters, and they were given more significant parts.[13]
Howard provided the narration for the initial pilot, and his narrating
meshed so well with the tone of the program that the decision was made
to keep his voice.[15] Howard aided in the casting of "Lucille 2"; the producers told him that their dream actress for the role was Liza Minnelli but assumed no one of her stature would take the part.[16] She agreed when Ron Howard asked her himself, because they were old friends; she had been his babysitter when he was a teenager.
The plot of Arrested Development revolves around the members
of the Bluth family, a formerly wealthy family who continue to lead
extravagant lifestyles despite their changed circumstances[29] and who often find themselves drawn into interactions with incestuous undertones.[30] At the center of the show is Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), the show's straight man,
who strives to do the right thing and keep his family together, despite
their materialism, selfishness, and manipulative natures.[29] Michael is a widowed single father.[31] His teenage son, George Michael (Michael Cera),
has the same qualities of decency but feels a constant pressure to live
up to his father's expectations and is often reluctant to follow his
father's plans. He battles with a crush he has on cousin Maeby, which
developed from a kiss she gave him as part of a prank.
Michael's father, George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor),
is the patriarch of the family and a corrupt real estate developer who
is arrested in the first episode. George goes to considerable lengths to
manipulate and control his family in spite of his imprisonment, and
makes numerous efforts to evade justice.[32] His wife, and Michael's mother, Lucille (Jessica Walter),
is ruthlessly manipulative, materialistic, and hypercritical of every
member of her family, as well as perpetually drinking alcohol.[29] Her grip is tightest on her youngest son, Byron "Buster" Bluth (Tony Hale), an over-educated (yet still under-educated) mother's boy who has dependency issues and is prone to panic attacks.
Michael's older brother is George Oscar Bluth II (Will Arnett), known by the acronym "Gob" (/dʒoʊb/).[29]
An unsuccessful professional magician whose business and personal
schemes usually fail or become tiresome and are quickly abandoned, Gob
is competitive with Michael over women and bullies Buster.[29] Michael's twin sister Lindsay (Portia de Rossi)
is spoiled and materialistic, continually seeking the center of
attention and leaping on various social causes for the sake of vanity.[33] She is married to Tobias Fünke (David Cross), a discredited psychiatrist-turned-aspiring actor.[29] Tobias is a self-diagnosed "never-nude" (a disorder comparable to gymnophobia),
whose language and behavior have heavily homosexual overtones to which
he seems completely oblivious and which are the center of much
tongue-in-cheek comedy throughout the series.[33][34] Their daughter is Mae "Maeby" Fünke (Alia Shawkat),
a rebellious teen with an opportunistic streak, who seeks to defy her
parents for the sake of attention, and otherwise pursues boys and power,
and furthers her complicated relationship with George Michael.
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