Arrested Development
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
The densest, most rewatchable comedy ever aired, a show where the narrator lies, the callbacks stack four deep, and a frozen banana stand is a family saga. Michael Bluth tries to keep his wealthy, monstrous family’s real estate company alive after his father’s arrest, and every episode is a farce constructed with watchmaker precision: setups in season 1 that pay off in season 3, background gags that reward pausing, Ron Howard’s deadpan narration as the show’s unreliable moral center.
The cast is the greatest comedy ensemble ever assembled: Jason Bateman’s straight man, David Cross’s never nude Tobias (a fountain of accidental double entendres), Jessica Walter’s martini soaked matriarch, Will Arnett’s magician failure Gob, Michael Cera’s George Michael, Alia Shawkat’s Maeby. “I’ve made a huge mistake.” “There’s always money in the banana stand.” “Her?”, the quotable density is unmatched. Seasons 1-3 (Fox) are the perfect run; the Netflix revival has flashes but never recaptured the family together magic.
Verdict: Watch it. The comedy every other comedy is measured against.
