Arrested Development - Seasons 1-4 (2003-2013)
Arrested Development is the best sitcom I've ever seen.
This show has three perfect seasons, one lesser but still really solid season in its Netflix revival, and an absolutely riotous sense of humor. Its casting is perfect, its writing is top-notch, and its performances are dedicated and stellar all around.
A lot of that stems from the show's biggest advantage: its humor. There's so many inside jokes that Arrested Development continually makes throughout its four season run (and will undoubtedly continue during its fifth season next year) that I almost can't explain why the humor works so well. It just does. It’s infused with a sense of irreverence and absurdity that, quite thankfully, matches the characters and the situation in which they find themselves.
It is those two things that I find make Arrested Development work so well. These characters are actually quite well fleshed out and make for some very entertaining viewing, while the situation of the Bluth family (the patriarch, George Sr., is arrested by the Securities and Exchange Commission for corruption and embezzlement) and how they are all unwillingly forced to interact with each other is ridiculous...but makes perfect sense at the same time, mostly due to the way the characters act. It’s very easy to hate a lot of them for their snobbery and extreme sense of entitlement, but that honestly makes watching the show more involving.
On top of that, Arrested Development, for its time at least, was far ahead of what other sitcoms were doing. Before it began its run, most sitcoms were still being made in the style of Cheers and Friends: a multi-camera setup shot in front of a live studio audience. Arrested Development changed all of that, opting for a single-camera documentary-like look, shooting on location with loads of cutaway gags to show some of the hilarity the characters are discussing on screen. It's because of this show that we now have things like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and The Office, all three of which I either like or love. Ron Howard, one of the creators of the show, provides omniscient narration that is quirky enough to work, and as the show goes on he becomes more involved with the events happening on screen to a point where it just soars.
The acting is what sells Arrested Development, though. Every single cast member takes their character in deep and unique directions, in particular Will Arnett as GOB (pronounced "Job"), Jason Bateman as Michael, and Jeffrey Tambor as George Sr. Arnett is right in his wheelhouse with his bombastic "chosen son" (he's really not, but the fact that he acts like it makes it all the more hilarious), while Bateman as the straight man makes perfect sense in the context of everyone else's quirky habits and flaws. Tambor, however, steals almost every scene he is in, with his demeanor always making it seem like George Sr. has something to hide (which, quite honestly, he probably does every time you feel that way). The rest of the cast does incredible work as well, but those three catapult the show from "great" to "all-time great."
That, honestly, is what I'd have to call Arrested Development: an all-time great of the sitcom world. Part of this stems from its innovative production style which has transformed the idea of the word "sitcom"; however, even without the historical significance the show soars to new comedic heights every minute. There were sometimes I'd have to pause the show for a few minutes just to allow me to breathe again because of my constant laughter. No show has ever made me do that, and for that reason this is without a doubt the best sitcom I have ever seen.
My recommendation: You better watch this piece of amazingness.
My grade: 97
Where to find it: Netflix, but the first three seasons are also on Hulu
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