Arrested Development
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.