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Chris · Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:23 am Post subject: Arrested Development TV Series

Anyone actually watch Arrested Development? I remember hearing how good Arrested Development was, but I never made time to watch it until they played the full series back to back on one of the cable channels. Arrested Development is freaking funny! I wish now that I discovered it earlier... perhaps before they cancelled it... it is a great show that probably would have done better if people just caught on to it.

Here is what Arrested Development was about....

Arrested Development is a character-driven American television comedy series about a formerly wealthy, habitually dysfunctional family. The show is presented in a mockumentary, complete with narration, archival photos, and historical footage. Although set in Newport Beach and Balboa Island, California, it was primarily filmed on location around Culver City and Marina Del Rey.

The show was created by Mitchell Hurwitz (The Ellen Show, The John Larroquette Show, and The Golden Girls). Television veteran Ron Howard is an executive producer and the uncredited narrator. It has aired on broadcast networks around the world, including Fox in the United States and BBC Two in the United Kingdom.

Since debuting on November 2, 2003, the series received six Emmy awards, one Golden Globe, copious critical acclaim, and a cult fan base. Despite the thorough approval from critics, Arrested Development never climbed in the ratings. Fox aired the final four episodes of the third season in a block as a two-hour series finale on February 10, 2006, opposite the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics.

The plot of Arrested Development revolves around the members of the Bluth family, who generally lead excessive lifestyles. At the center of the show is the relatively honorable Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), who strives to do the right thing and keep his family together, despite their materialism, selfishness, and manipulation. 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 reluctantly willing to follow his father's plans, which do not always agree with his.

Michael's father George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) is the patriarch of the family. At times dictatorial, George Sr. goes to considerable lengths to manipulate and control his family. His wife, and Michael's mother, Lucille (Jessica Walter), is equally manipulative, as well as materialistic, and hypercritical of every member of her family. In particular, she has a tight grip on her youngest son Byron "Buster" Bluth (Tony Hale), who, as a result of his mother's dominance and sheltering, is unstable, socially inept, and prone to panic attacks.

Michael's older brother G.O.B. (an acronym for George Oscar Bluth II but pronounced Job, as in the Biblical figure), played by Will Arnett, is an unsuccessful professional magician whose business and personal schemes usually fail. He uses a Segway for transportation, and sometimes converses with others from it while stationary, as if it were a pulpit. GOB is used by his father to undermine Michael's control of the family business. Michael's twin sister Lindsay Fünke (Portia de Rossi) is flamboyant and materialistic, continually desiring to be the center of attention and attracted to various social causes, usually for a week or so. She enjoys being objectified, but also protests it. She is married to Tobias Fünke (David Cross), a discredited psychiatrist, aspiring actor, and "never-nude", whose language and behavior have homosexual connotations. Their attention-starved but sweet daughter Mae "Maeby" Fünke (Alia Shawkat) is the polar opposite of her cousin George Michael—skipping school, cheating on homework, and stealing money from the family's banana-stand business. The ever-rebellious teen, Maeby's chief motivation is going against her parents' wishes.

Several other characters regularly appear in minor roles. George Sr.'s identical twin brother Oscar (Jeffrey Tambor) is a lethargic ex-hippie seeking the affection of George's wife Lucille. Lucille Austero, or "Lucille 2", played by Liza Minnelli, is Lucille's rival and Buster's love interest. Minnelli's character is basically a parody of herself. The same is true of Carl Weathers, who plays himself, but as an unemployed, ultra-cheapskate actor.

Celebrity guests
Well-known actors appearing in guest roles and cameos include:

Recurring roles
Scott Baio — as "Bob Loblaw"
John F. Beard — as himself
Ed Begley Jr. — as "Stan Sitwell"
Zach Braff - as "Phillip Litt"
Mo Collins - as "Starla"
Rob Corddry — as "Moses Taylor"
Jim Cramer — as himself
Julia Louis-Dreyfus — as "Maggie Lizer"
Bob Einstein — as "Larry Middleman"
Jeff Garlin — as "Mort Meyers"
Judy Greer — as "Kitty Sanchez"
John Michael Higgins — as "Wayne Jarvis"
James Lipton — as "Warden Stefan Gentles"
Jane Lynch - as "Cindi Lightballoon"
Liza Minnelli — as "Lucille Austero"
Amy Poehler — as "Wife of G.O.B"
Ian Roberts — as "Dr. Wordsmith"
Steve Ryan - as "J. Walter Weatherman"
Phyllis Smith — as a recurring employee at the Bluth company
Ben Stiller — as "Tony Wonder"
Christine Taylor — as "Sally Sitwell"
Charlize Theron — as "Rita Leeds"
Dave Thomas — as "(Uncle) Trevor"
Leonor Varela, Patricia Velasquez - as "Marta Estrella"
Carl Weathers — as himself
Henry Winkler — as "Barry Zuckerkorn"

Guest appearances and cameos
Dave Attell — as himself in "Motherboy XXX"
Justine Bateman — as "Nellie"
Brian Baumgartner — as the gun store owner in "Burning Love"
Richard Belzer — as himself in "S.O.B.s" and as "Detective John Munch" in "Exit Strategy"
Dan Castellaneta — as "Dr. Stein" in "Sword of Destiny"
Marc Cherry — as himself in "Righteous Brothers" (Cameo)
Gary Cole — as Richard Shaw in "Exit Strategy"
Bud Cort — as himself in "Fakin' It"
Andy Dick — as himself in "S.O.B.s"
Heather Graham — as "Beth Baerly" in "Shock and Aww"
Harry Hamlin — as himself in "For British Eyes Only"
Ed Helms — as "James" in "The One Where Michael Leaves"
Michael Hitchcock - as Ira Gilligan in "Best Man for the GOB"
Clint Howard — as "Johnny Bark" in "Key Decisions"
Ron Howard — as himself in "Development Arrested" (cameo)
William Hung — as himself in "Fakin' It"
Thomas Jane — as himself in "The One Where They Build a House"
Jamie Kennedy — as himself in "Notapusy"
John Larroquette — as himself in "S.O.B.s"
Kevin McDonald — as "Detective Steudler" in "Not Without My Daughter"
Ron Michaelson — as himself in "The Immaculate Election"
Martin Mull — as "Gene Parmesan" in "¡Amigos!"
Frankie Muniz — as himself in "Mr. F"
Bob Odenkirk — as "Dr. Gunty" in "Visiting Ours"
Eduardo Palomo - as himself in "Key Decisions", as the host of the Premios Desi.
Phil Proctor — as "Reverend Robert Patterson" in "Notapusy"
Judge Reinhold - as himself in "Fakin' It"
Andy Richter — as himself and his four fictional quintuplet brothers in "S.O.B.s"
Craig Robinson — as a security guard in "Switch Hitter"
Claudia Schiffer — as gate attendant in "Charity Drive"
Martin Short — as "Uncle Jack" in "Ready, Aim, Marry Me"
J.K. Simmons — as "General Anderson" in "Switch Hitter"
Richard Simmons — as himself in "Bringing Up Buster"
Ione Skye — as "Mrs. Veal" in "Meat the Veals"
Alan Tudyk — as "Pastor Veal" in "Meat the Veals"
Dick Van Patten — as "Cal Cullen" in "Spring Breakout"