"Arrested Development" To Return
May 16, 2005 10:33 AM   Subscribe

The Bluth's will be back -- Fox order's another full season of "Arrested Development."
posted by JPowers (70 comments total)
 
thi's is great's!
posted by felix at 10:37 AM on May 16, 2005


Wow. Just, wow.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 10:41 AM on May 16, 2005


Yes!!!
posted by rainbaby at 10:43 AM on May 16, 2005


YES!!
posted by cmicali at 10:46 AM on May 16, 2005


I other news, Bum Gets Balloon
posted by nomad at 10:47 AM on May 16, 2005


Thi's make's me very happy. Arre'sted's Development's's a great 'show.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 11:16 AM on May 16, 2005 [1 favorite]


okey doke's!
posted by moonbird at 11:16 AM on May 16, 2005


I other news, Bum Gets Balloon

Wins!!
posted by moonbird at 11:17 AM on May 16, 2005


its ok to like apostrophe's.
posted by anthill at 11:18 AM on May 16, 2005




I'm sure the extra apostrophe is to make up for the one that got parsed out of the URL... arrested-developments-coming-back
posted by ajpresto at 11:18 AM on May 16, 2005


wow!!! what a shock. When they cut season 2 short in order to double up on Simpson's episodes and Family Guy, I thought the end was here for sure.

Still shocking they're keeping That 70's Show with most of it's major actors leaving this season.

They could lose several shows that are past their prime now and no one would notice. Malcolm in the Middle is so far past it's expiration it's rather sad.
posted by inthe80s at 11:19 AM on May 16, 2005


Jinx, anthill! Swear I didn't see it on preview...
posted by splice at 11:19 AM on May 16, 2005


you guy's rock this is the bee's knee's!
posted by naxosaxur at 11:20 AM on May 16, 2005


Great news, cancelling it would have been such a waste of $6000 suits.
posted by hippyboy at 11:25 AM on May 16, 2005


God bless the little angel that watches over days like today.
posted by ae4rv at 11:25 AM on May 16, 2005


Does that mean we get to see Paris and Nicole aging ? Really ? Bah give younger and other chixes a chance I say.
posted by elpapacito at 11:26 AM on May 16, 2005


Who gives a shit?
posted by joeclark at 11:31 AM on May 16, 2005


inthe80s : when you say 'cut the season short', do you think they didn't air all the episodes of Season 2? It's obvious they wanbted to get the show off the air before May sweeps. The last episode they aired (with the George Michael - Maebe kiss) felt like a season finale to me.
posted by Lord Kinbote at 11:53 AM on May 16, 2005


Who gives a shit you don't give a shit?
posted by zeoslap at 11:54 AM on May 16, 2005


I don't "get" Arrested Developement.
posted by jonmc at 11:55 AM on May 16, 2005


Lord Kinbote: the second season only had 18 episodes (as opposed to a normal 22-24). It was cut short with enough notice for them to "wrap things up" in the 18th so it felt like a finale.
posted by bcwinters at 12:03 PM on May 16, 2005


when you say 'cut the season short', do you think they didn't air all the episodes of Season 2? It's obvious they wanted to get the show off the air before May sweeps. The last episode they aired (with the George Michael - Maebe kiss) felt like a season finale to me.

Fox cut AD's episode order from 22 to 18, but did it early enough in the season to shuffle around the scripts and storylines to have a definitive Season Finale episode.
posted by emptybowl at 12:03 PM on May 16, 2005


More 'apostrophe snark', please. And more people announcing they 'don't give a shit.' And where oh where is the 'I don't even have a TV' crowd? Aren't they drawn to TV threads like moths to a flame?

On To The Subject At Hand: This is good news. Arrested Development is a funny, funny show.
posted by Fuzzy Monster at 12:09 PM on May 16, 2005


jonmc, you're not alone. Arrested Development is my favorite comedy on TV, but I don't know anyone else who even likes it, except my wife. And she hated the first three or four episodes I forced her to watch before she got into it. I'm amazed there's another season coming.

That said, its a great show to get really into. I watched season one on DVD a couple of weeks ago, and one of the awesome things was watching them let jokes I knew were coming develop for weeks or months at a time. "Light treason" floated around for four episodes before they even started on Saddam's palaces.

PS. Does anyone know what the hell happened to Anyung in Season 2?
posted by iron chef morimoto at 12:10 PM on May 16, 2005


This is good news, though the second season was sub-par, especially compared with the brilliance of the first season. Hopefully, they'll reverse the slide in quality.
posted by notmydesk at 12:15 PM on May 16, 2005


Michael: Didn’t you adopt a child for this very reason, so that you would never be alone?
Lucille: Michael, a mother doesn’t have a child to give herself company. Annyong was to teach Buster a lesson.
Michael: And where is that little lesson?
Lucille: I sent him to the Milford Academy to teach him a lesson. I can’t remember about what.
posted by Bezbozhnik at 12:17 PM on May 16, 2005


jonmc, you're not alone.

*looks around room nervously*

I'm just hoping they'll bring Hawaii 5-O back.
posted by jonmc at 12:22 PM on May 16, 2005


In other "offbeat TV comedy" news, NBC's version of "The Office" is reportedly coming back for a second season in the fall. While disappointed at first, I came to like it and I hope to see how it comes into its own. As a fan of the BBC version, I feel they've done a decent job adapting it.
posted by zsazsa at 12:23 PM on May 16, 2005


This, and the fact that Raymond is leaving, might just mean... um...

Well, anyway.. Yea!
posted by Balisong at 12:25 PM on May 16, 2005


I don't "get" Arrested Developement.
posted by jonmc at 1:55 PM CST on May 16 [!]


You're on record as a big Family Guy fan, right? The two shows must have exactly opposite comic sensibilities, because Arrested fucking kills me and Family Guy does nothing. Different folks, different (or Diff'rent) strokes.
posted by COBRA! at 12:26 PM on May 16, 2005


I am going to get the cornballer out of the cubbard and celebrate.
posted by mokujin at 12:28 PM on May 16, 2005


Oh, I remember now!!

More disfunctional family role models, (people on TV have problems, too), and less Raymond, Cosby, Silver Spoons, unatainable "Perfect" family role models.

Bring back Married With Children.. New Cast!
posted by Balisong at 12:29 PM on May 16, 2005


I'm really glad to hear this. I've been watching it regularly - a thing I never do with TV - and was saddened to see the best written comedy on television going away because a lot of people don't get it.

I'm not trying to put you down, jonmc, apparently it's not an easy show to get, but while you may not "get" Arrested Development, I myself don't "get" how others can't. If you can decrypt that last sentence my point is made.

And where are the people raving for STACKED starring Pamela Anderson, which also got renewed?!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 12:30 PM on May 16, 2005


The only shows that my family watched regularly together last season were Arrested Development, Committed (which I absolutely loved) and Joan of Arcadia. (OK we don't watch much TV.) I was beginning to think that my admiration for any given show was a Kiss of Death.

Good news.
posted by Danf at 12:30 PM on May 16, 2005


I'm not trying to put you down, jonmc, apparently it's not an easy show to get, but while you may not "get" Arrested Development, I myself don't "get" how others can't. If you can decrypt that last sentence my point is made.


I decrypt you, dude. Maybe I just caught 'em on a bad night.

You're on record as a big Family Guy fan, right? The two shows must have exactly opposite comic sensibilities

Yeah. I can see that. Over-the-top vs. subtler-than-shit. I'm not big on subtle.

And where are the people raving for STACKED starring Pamela Anderson

It's not that bad. I used to work in a bookstore so it's got that going for it, and Marissa Jaret Winokur is unbearably sexy, IMHO. Plus there's Christopher Lloyd.
posted by jonmc at 12:41 PM on May 16, 2005


I think of Arrested Development as a live action Family Guy more than anything, and therefore it is brilliant.
posted by bunnytricks at 12:46 PM on May 16, 2005


"'It's not that bad. I used to work in a bookstore so it's got that going for it, and Marissa Jaret Winokur is unbearably sexy, IMHO. Plus there's Christopher Lloyd."

And giant titties.
posted by I EAT TAPES at 12:49 PM on May 16, 2005


I saw that they're nixing the fourth Law and Order (Trial). I guess I can understand that with Jerry gone and half the cast being called back to Baltimore for the next season of The Wire, but still... I had a dream of a 100% L&O channel someday.

And Carnivale got nixed too, which made me sad. I can understand why it was done and why it was deserved to some degree (pacing, people!). Thank goodness Brother Justin still can get work as Mr.Krabs on Spongebob!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 12:50 PM on May 16, 2005


And giant titties.

But they're Pam's fake ones. And I hate fake boobs worse than poison, worse than Morrissey, even. But Rev. Jim and Ms. Winokur balance it out.
posted by jonmc at 12:51 PM on May 16, 2005


yes, they shortened the season, but with enough advance notice to rewrite the scripts.

I really didn't see a decline in quality this season myself.

If I were to guess, the reason some people probably don't enjoy the show, is that some of the jokes play out over a longer period of time than most sitcoms, which just pile one joke on top of another.
posted by inthe80s at 12:53 PM on May 16, 2005


I read about this last night and was just ecstatic. AD is truly the best comedy on television. I've introduced my college roommates and several friends to the show and gotten everyone hooked...I really haven't found anyone who doesn't enjoy it (although it is certainly a show best watched from beginning to end). It plays more like an HBO comedy (no laugh track, hand-held shots, etc.) but I can only say, if you've never seen it, go rent the first season and watch a few episodes. You will not be disappointed.
posted by ejunek at 12:56 PM on May 16, 2005


Not only did they shorten the season, but in the 2nd or third to last ep., the writers included a conversation where a Bluth customer "cut back his order" of new homes after all the "blueprints" were done, with the characters calling the customer "bastards," etc. Pretty hilarious and pretty standard AD fare.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:00 PM on May 16, 2005


Perhaps the release of the Arrested Development Season 1 DVD set helped sell the show to Fox for a third season. The producers of AD could point to DVD sales as an argument to order a third season.
Clearly the sales of the Chappelle Show Season 1 DVD set helped Chappelle land the $50 million contract. To digress for a moment, who knows when The Chappelle Show's third season will air, and when it does, if anyone will still care?
posted by Lord Kinbote at 1:38 PM on May 16, 2005


Thanks for posting this great news. This makes my day!
posted by 6550 at 1:57 PM on May 16, 2005


Definitely _not_ a douchechill. Yay for AD!
posted by porntips guzzardo at 2:01 PM on May 16, 2005


HOOOOORAY
posted by agropyron at 2:08 PM on May 16, 2005


Now if only they'd make it available to me by torrent for a buck an episode. The producers could entirely eliminate their dependence on Fox.

Er, not just on the basis of my single dollar, though. A whole bunch of other people would have to throw in a dollar, too.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:22 PM on May 16, 2005


Chapelle gets $50M? Fuck, this is a stupid society.

Here's how things are gonna have to go: actors get paid about as much as any professional, a couple hundred thousand a year. Costs of production then drop to 1/10th their current absurd level. Advertising costs then drop radically. Coke no longer needs to spend a bijillion on advertising, so the price of product drops. Everyone has more money to spend now, the economy gets a boost, and we attain nirvana.

We just gotta stop letting entertainers and CEOs take all the money. It's killing us.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:26 PM on May 16, 2005


The Bluth's will be back

Yay! More "American Tail" and "Land Before Time" sequels!
posted by maryh at 3:05 PM on May 16, 2005


Hey Flanders, I was watching that episode the other night (the Sword of Destiny one), and finally understood why all the characters were so agitated about the new Bluth development being cut back from 22 to 18 lots. That made me love the show even more.

And I'll go on the record as someone who appreciates both the over-the-top humor of Family Guy, and the sublime subtlety of Arrested Development. Both shows have great running jokes, which is great for me as a member of the International Society of Referential Humor Enthusiasts.
posted by beaverd at 3:08 PM on May 16, 2005


To digress for a moment, who knows when The Chappelle Show's third season will air, and when it does, if anyone will still care?

I saw an article (AP wire IIRC) that had a statement from a CC higher-up saying Chappelle wont be on in 2005, while many skits are filmed, Dave hasnt recorded the intro pieces (which is why they can show some new skit clips in the ads, but no new footage of Dave on stage). I guess that CC doesn't expect him back for about 6 months or more.

I for one, welcome our new AD overlords. I never really liked it much when it first came on (perhaps because I rarely was able to string two or more weeks together in a row, and the show has a lot of continuity). But Portia de Rossi is hot++, its a shame I hear she is dating Ellen.
posted by SirOmega at 3:11 PM on May 16, 2005


We just gotta stop letting entertainers and CEOs take all the money. It's killing us.
- five fresh fish

But then who will I fantasize about becoming so I can have all the money I could ever want? This is the american dream we're talking about here!
posted by uftheory at 3:51 PM on May 16, 2005


I actually watch each episode of AD twice. Some of the humor is obvious, but there are a lot of little things that I miss on the first viewing.

It is probably the most most cynical, least heart-warming show on television. I also think it's the funniest.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 5:57 PM on May 16, 2005


It is probably the most most cynical, least heart-warming show on television.

I used to feel that way, but as I've gotten older, I've found that cynicism, especially when it has to be manufactured for entertainment value, is often just as toxic as manufactured heartwarmingness. Or maybe the older I get, the more I'm willing to take my sentimental warn & fuzzies where I can. YMMV.
posted by jonmc at 6:03 PM on May 16, 2005


It is probably the most most cynical, least heart-warming show on television. I also think it's the funniest.

Seriously? I don't think it's even close to holding that title. Not that that's a bad thing, I love the show, but I don't find it to be particularly cynical at all.
posted by jimmy at 7:28 PM on May 16, 2005


NBC's version of "The Office" is reportedly coming back for a second season in the fall

It's a "fact" now; NBC confirmed it in their upfront presentation this afternoon. Further, it will have a strong lead-in -- some new sitcom that everyone's creaming over.

The Office and Lost are the only commercial TV shows I watch, and assuming Lost starts to suck next season (writer churn, management mucking it up, etc.) that'll mean that much more time goofing off on MeFi. Does this qualify me for honorary membership in the "I don't even have a TV" crowd? The GF won't let me get rid of it, that's gotta count for something.
posted by intermod at 7:35 PM on May 16, 2005


Myself, I really wish the producers had the good common sense to kill Scrubs, Arrested Development, and, erm, I guess that's about all I'm watching in serial telly these days....

anyway, kill these were-excellent programs before they jump the shark. Scrubs is formulaic now: Dr. Cox has become a cliche of himself, etcetera. AD is still sometimes surprising, but the family dynamics have become old: mom will backstab, george michael will swoon, geb will fubar things. They're past their prime and they're rapidly heading to shark-jumping.

Kill the series and throw money at the writers and cast to come up with something else.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:05 PM on May 16, 2005


anyway, kill these were-excellent programs before they jump the shark.

henry winkler already jumped the shark in "motherboy xxx"

geb

gob
posted by jimmy at 9:35 PM on May 16, 2005


didn't henry winkler jump the shark when he, um, actually jumped the shark?
posted by onanon at 10:21 PM on May 16, 2005


Yay, this is great news! I think I shall celebrate by watching Season 1 again. And you AD-haters/could-care-lessers can talk all you want... you're entitled to your own opinion. Too bad it's wrong. :)
posted by shoppingforsanity at 10:54 PM on May 16, 2005


People that don't "get it" need to watch the Season 1 DVDs from the beginning and after you're in a few episodes and you still don't get it, well, I feel sorry for you then.

That's how I got hooked. There's tons of ongoing jokes and all kinds of subtle ones that sometimes you need multiple viewings to get.


PS. Does anyone know what the hell happened to Anyung in Season 2?


As previously mentioned, he's at the Milford Academy, which would explain why he was neither seen nor heard. He was going to comeback in the final few episodes apparently but that was one of the ideas that was chopped when the episode order was reduced.
posted by yupislyr at 11:01 PM on May 16, 2005


Winkler actually DID jump a shark. . I 'bout fell on the floor then had to explain the reference to my family. It was precious.
posted by Danf at 9:14 AM on May 17, 2005


People on other boards have scientifically determined that the "magic number" of episodes one needs to watch to "get it" is 3.

Get the DVD; watch "Pilot," "Top Banana," and "Bringing Up Buster," and that should do the trick. If for some inexplicable reason it doesn't, watch "Pier Pressure."

It's not just being able to follow the more elaborate running jokes. It's being able to feel the rhythm of the show, which is very different from that of most sitcoms. The normal setup-punchline-laughtrack cues are missing, and it's a show you really have to watch -- there's very little redundancy. The attention to detail is unparalelled, and it's the big payoff for attentive fans.

I think you can watch the show as if it were any other sitcom and still enjoy it. But its brilliance is only apparent if you're willing to play along. And it takes a few episodes of training before you can play along properly. It's well worth the effort.
posted by macrone at 11:22 AM on May 17, 2005


HOORAY, indeed.
posted by clgregor at 11:57 AM on May 17, 2005


I have come to loathe laugh tracks. I no longer watch anything with a laugh track. I find that laugh tracks directly correspond to lack of entertainment.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:05 PM on May 17, 2005


Pier pressure is the one that ends with the one-armed man and the male strippers at the drug deal, right? That episode was the most awesome thing ever in the history of things.

"You're right, it was me. I was going to smoke the marijuana like a cigarette."
posted by iron chef morimoto at 3:51 PM on May 17, 2005


iron chef: You got it. The one-armed J. Walter Weatherman (Steve Ryan, who plays Secretary of Defense Hutchinson on The West Wing and a sleazebag in some anti-tobacco commercials) is George Sr.'s tool in teaching people lessons. According to George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), he died when someone left the door open with the air conditioning on.

The male strippers are Gob's old employers, the "Hot Cops."

The best episode of Arrested Development, hands down.
posted by macrone at 4:01 PM on May 17, 2005


"Oh, my God, this guy’s arm! Just... came off and landed on the dock."
posted by iron chef morimoto at 4:38 PM on May 17, 2005


I have to totaly agree with five fresh fish, I just cant stand any show that has a laugh track anymore.

Those loud braying laugh tracks are just like a cheese grater on my brain.
posted by Iax at 8:42 PM on May 17, 2005


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