This show probably has the highest joke density I have ever seen. I have watched it many times and I still discover new jokes. You literally miss jokes when you are busy laughing on the previous ones.
David Cross playing a guy who sucks at acting and makes cringy scenes with Bob Odenkirk (playing the marriage counselor trying to help Lindsay and Tobias), is epic. When they two play out the problems in the marriage, while Lindsay just sits on the couch is in my top three list of favorite comedic scenes of all time!
@@ryanphillipmoore7103 KLM (not the airline, but a norwegian comedy trio), First drunk man on The North Pole. Monty Pythons Life of Brian, the stoning scene. But in general, the character of Tobias Funke had me dying of laughter, so I really cannot make up my mind, but I said the scene with Odenkirk, because it made me laugh the most. But the Carl Weathers-scenes were hilarious too!
@@ryanphillipmoore7103 The thing about that KLM-sketch though, is the brilliant way they put it up. The KLM-show used to be on every saturday (dont remember how many seasons), and they had a segment near the end where they invited on people who had decided to be the first-whatever on The North Pole. They where so fun. One guy wanted to be the first Bishop on The North Pole. On a jumping stick. Wearing his full vestment. So the drunk guy was one of many, and the point was that they would leave for the expedition the following day. What stood out with the sketch about the first drunk guy on The North Pole, is that they called him up on the show one week later to check how he was doing and how far he had gotten, and I almost died from lack of breath I laughed so hard, when he exclamied in a perfect, drunk norwegian tone (and a hint of confusion), that he had finally gotten to Fornebu (which was the old Oslo airport, a 20 minute drive from the studio where the interview was held). So the execution was perfect. The interview segment the week before with the drunk dude, was really fun, but calling him up one week later to check on him, was brilliant, and the comedian playing him nailed playing drunk people.
These two are the pinnacle of American sitcoms ... most other sitcoms are either harmless (not a bad thing, just not very memorable) or outright junkfood for the easily entertained (also not necessarily bad, everyone likes junkfood very now and then). But Community and Arrested Development are the two shows that prove that the sitcom format does not have to be silly tropes, canned laughter and mainstream entertainment.
@@gabrielklushkan2438 A lot of the campy stuff happens in season 4, the "gas leak year" as it was later called. That year they fired Dan Harmon and quite some of the creatives left with him ... and it shows. But yes, overexposure is not a good thing either. You can only watch / play / eat something for so long before it starts to be too much.
While I do know it only lasted three seasons and would have loved it to last way more, I also feel oddly thankful that that was the case. As if it had probably been for the best.
Totally, I'm so glad that it never received a completely unnecessary continuation courtesy of, let's say, Netflix, seven years after it was cancelled. How mad would that have been, right?! 😂
This dude totally gets it. My pitch for an Arrested Development movie was that everybody gets a notification of Lucille-1’s funeral. They all pass it off as a ruse for Lucille to manipulate them to reunite. Then they realize it was true. Then one by one, each character tries to take the place of the matriarch, with their own hilarious spin with their own neuroses on display. Eventually, the family all submit to the fact that Lucille was the glue that held the family together. Cut to a picture of Lucille. In loving memory. The end.
How each character will attempt to become the matriarch: - Tobias sees it as his way to finally fit back into the family. He sees it as a position just opening up for him. He figures the easiest way in is through Buster. If Buster accepts him as a mother figure, the others will fall in line. So Tobias becomes an ANALRAPIST one more time, in order to get Buster free, he has to declare Buster insane. Tobias’ job title makes him very popular in prison. - Buster creates a “Lucille-3” doll using the Franklin puppet, which covers his lost hand for the majority of the movie. He talks to the puppet like Norman Bates talks to his mom. - Michael always thought of himself as the glue that held the family. He will get the biggest reality check when he realizes no one takes him seriously without Lucille’s backing. - GOB sees it as a competition. He wants to be more Mom than Michael. He takes things way too far as always. GOB asks Tobias for a character study tape he did on Mom when he was trying to impersonate each family member back in Season 5. He finds a tape in the attic titled “Tapping Lucille”- which he misinterprets as “tapping into Lucille”. As a character study video. Turns out it’s a homemade porno with her and George Sr. (or Oscar- neither of them can tell who it actually is, which leads to their story). GOB accidentally traumatizes himself by watching his worst nightmare come true. - George Bluth and Oscar Bluth have their own subplot where they will fight for who loved Lucille more. When they realize they can’t tell who was tapping Lucille in the tape (because they are identical)- they realize that she loved them both equally. Or not at all.
Hands down, the absolute best sitcom of all time. I'm not saying series like Seinfeld or The Office aren't great or anything like that, but the writing in Arrested Development was so insanely clever that it simply put it on a whole other league.
Arrested Development is one of only a handful of shows where I genuinely laughed out loud at something that happened. The one with the mole and the Japanese investors.
I think mine was the Mariachi band playing SOUND OF SILENCE and Gob actually making the 4th wall breaking comment that he's heard the soundtrack every previous time it played.
nope, just remembered... the most genuine LOL moment was when Master and I paused to read all of Oscar Bluth's prison newsletter... ~long story short, he explains a recent absence in publishing the newsletters... he'd gotten distressed burning ants in the prison yard with a magnifying glass... until eventually he just started stomping on the ant hill screaming "DIE YOU BLACK BASTARDS!" ... "I got stabbed...a lot..."
I think the part about Maeby's absent parenting is a bit off. Tobias did not become an actor until the season 1 so for the majority of her childhood, he was a psychiatrist. He could have been too busy as he was also an analyst- with his first job, I guess you could say he was too busy ~analraping his clients to take care of his child.
UM ACTUALLY- I remember young Maeve being forced by her parents to get up stage with them to sing as a family. What job did he have when that happened?
The episode Pier Pressure (yes even the name is a brilliant pun), with all the George Sr. lesson flashbacks, culminates in a fake drug bust to set up George Michael by Michael, and ends with a fake police raid with George Sr. teaching Michael the lesson not to give lessons to his child. It's when I knew this show was something special . Possibly best run of all time S 1-3
One of the funniest things about that episode is that the government had a program that paid studios to make anti-drugs episodes, and that episode might have been one of them(they did it with a lot of shows), but instead of being anti drug it was anti "teaching people lessons the wrong way". Someone made a video about that program focused on the "Beer Bad" episode of Buffy if you're more curious
i know we use the word “criminally underrated” a lot but istg THIS show and it's always sunny in philadelphia are among the most underrated sitcoms (or anti-sitcom? in it's always sunny's case) of all time
My sibling and I had a lot of problems with my mother during our younger years, we are much better now; but this show helped us SOOOOOO MUCH through all of it; we could laugh at the same pain that Lucille put upon the kids, and we really enjoyed the camaraderie, however brief it was, between the siblings; this show was a godsend for us as kids, and as the older sibling, I cannot thank it enough for helping me justify what was going on to my younger sibling.
@@Ammut6 you obviously haven't seen the show, because the narrator, Ron Howard, has mentioned it a couple of times to let our friends know about Arrested Development...in the show!
There were SO many episodes that I couldn’t watch from start to finish because of just how painfully cringe they were. Yet I’d go back because of just how hilarious they were.
You should watch the absolutely amazing Britcom _Peep Show_ . If you can sit through that without cringing yourself into oblivion, AD has nothing on you.
I agree with a lot that you said in this, but I don't think Micheal is necessarily a "helicopter parent". In a lot of episodes he wants only to spend more quality time with his son as he never received that from his dad but also learns throughout the show that he has to give his son some space and stop worrying if his son still loves him (because thats what happened with him and George Sr). Micheal is generally a great dad in this show, who is trying to overcompensate the lack of love and affection he didn't receive from his dad, which leads to some blind spots (also these are for the sake of comedy).
That was a brilliant video essay! I never thought about the trauma aspect of this show, you are spot on dude. My mom and stepdad just moved out of state and my siblings are on their own for the first time (I've done it before) and we're all realizing how much trauma and codependency we all have now that our mommy isn't here to wipe our butts and give us a lollipop when we're being a good boy. That makes this show so much more fascinating and funny...in a depressingly existential way hahaha
I love Arrested Development - it's got something that no other show I've seen has. And so much meme potential. There's so many moments from the show that just make me laugh so hard, so many that I quote with my roommate. Thanks for the video!
I've been rewatching this show again- in its prime its the funniest live action show of all time in my opinion. Theres so many jokes and running gags in each episode from incredible writing. Hats off to the creators of AD.
I have seen the Fox seasons of AD at least two dozen times in my life. I defended an interesting fourth season but ultimately gave up after the first half of the fifth. But then you go and include a clip of Michael's "Wellllll, that's enough family stuff for today," and I snort Crystal Light Fruit Punch all over my keyboard and monitor. Quite possibly THE funniest television sitcom of all time. It has few rivals. Great video!
buster and lucile are just peak comedy. at least for the first 3 season the shows ability to produce comedy so hilarious that thrives on the flawless people the family is made of is a big accomplishment.
Both the writing and cast was perfect for this show, and even though that there's been plenty of shows riding the, I don't know what to call it, docu-drama-comedy thing (Office, Parks and Rec), this series definitely stood out.
Loved your analysis on George Michael and Maeby especially. Great video essay. Wish there was more explanation of "Why"/"How" it was funny and not just dramatic though.
I think you changed the title after I left this comment, and I'm glad. You originally implied the video would be about why the humor worked or something lol...
What kills me is that even though its been years since I last watched the show, the moment the car window came down I knew he was gonna say "that's why you always leave a note!" Guess I learned my lesson as well
Great video! Little note that alcoholism and addiction aren’t self explanatory for why a person would not care about the safety of their children. Some addicts clearly don’t but plenty do and are struggling! Just posting some food for thought (: loved the video and this show!
my favorite arrested development joke is so quick and tiny but it absolutely killed me when i first saw it. its in an episode with annyong and theres a scene with a long shot where micheal pulls up to the banana stand and you can see from a distance that annyong looks up at him, where a subtitle briefly flashes "hello," because that's all annyong says. its a second long but it was such a good little addition that i had to pause the episode to laugh
6:48 Sorry this wrong, Tobias only had recently become obsessed with being an actor, when Maeby was young he was a psychiatrist (or more specifically, an analrapist)
This video...is excellent....Thank you, makers! It confirms what i've been feeling about AD for years (ever since it became my favorite sit-com by far): that it's hilariousness is rooted in portraying real pains of family disfunction. It's got that Richard Pryor quality to it, in that so much of what i'm laughing at is pure pain and serious emotional stuff that wouldn't normally be funny at all. imo, It's more funny than anything else out there because it's got the rare combination of carefully good and layered comedy writing, AND at the same time, careful attention to the details of real psychological insight concerning social dysfunction. It's brilliant. The only negative is that we didn't get more seasons of it😞
Not joking... My therapist kinda had to watch this show (at least some episodes) because I brought it up at least once every session for almost two years And then I convinced my gf to watch it with me so she at least could take it with some humor the trauma that is meeting my weird family eventually
One of the highest laugh to episode ratios ever. Where Tobias combines 'analyst' and 'therapist' to form 'analrapist' (and apparently doesn't see a problem with that) is so genius because it's so obvious - you can't believe that it wasn't used thirty years before. It's like the whole show was about talking about stuff we all knew but didn't mention because it was too awkward.
The Good Place developed its characters as good as Arrested Development did. But the central thesis of The Good Place is about overcoming your trauma and becoming better at any stage of your life.
One of my favorite parts about this show is how John Beard was the news anchor in the show and then on the actual news after the show was over in California. It really was a lead in!
What an excellent review of an excellent show! I know way too many fans who dismiss the gold that is 4 and 5 (THERE ARE DOZENS OF US WHO APPRECIATE IT) but I like that you reference the consistency of the trauma that follows George M-Harris and Maeby into adulthood. It also further exposed how horrible every Bluth as individuals without the group dynamic to bounce off each other. Personally I find the finale of S5 to be a masterpiece, and I’m open to discussion. Unless you’re only here to say 4 and 5 didn’t happen. There are already comments for that and you’ll be more celebrated there. I won’t hear it, and I won’t respond to it 😜
im right there with you. id watched AD a couple of times but never season 5 for some reason, and i just it. it honestly makes so much sense that buster did what he did. i honestly thought they were gonna spiral george michael into being an alt-right rich kid lol i think seasons 1-3 are like "oh look how dumb rich people are lol" to 4&5 being "ok so this is why the world is fucked bc rich people are dumb and never face any of the consequences of their actions".
Having watched this and the Glass Onion video back to back, you really always have a very interesting and original outlook on things.A lot of channels here look like they copy paste each other, but you always come out with something fresh and interesting
My favorite thing about Arrested Development is how the audience is rewarded for watching each episode, mostly in order. The running jokes just build on each other, which would be confusing to start at the end of the series. Still funny, but absolutely hilarious when you remember a subtle joke from like episode 1
a brilliant analysis i loved it. And I like also to remember how it was the “cool quirky show” for us college kids to watch back in ‘09 in college after it had already ended but already had a “cult” following also.
Great analysis. I never thought of it that way. AD always struck me as different from other brilliant comedy shows, but I couldn't put my finger on why.
This show probably has the highest joke density I have ever seen. I have watched it many times and I still discover new jokes. You literally miss jokes when you are busy laughing on the previous ones.
30 Rock and Arrested Development for me. Have kind of a similar tone and were both incredibly underappreciated
The characters really made this show. They were so entertaining, outlandish and over the top, that they were unforgettable.
The characters, sure, but the writing was amazing. Probably the best ever done for a sitcom.
Character driven stories r oftentimes entertaining
I was going to say casting. I guess along the same lines. Everyone is so well casted for the characters.
Who?
"TAKE A LOOK AT BANNER MICHAEL!" Is such an underrated quote imo :D
FAMILY LOVE MICHAEL
it's up there with "THERE"S A BIRD ON MY PILLOW!"
I DONT WANNA GO TO YO COUNTRY CLUB, YOU FREAK BIIIIITCH!
-Franklin Bluth
@@ziff_1I wine em, I dine em, but I don't let them tell me what to do...I DONT...LET THEM TELL ME....WHAT TO DO
These are my medals, mother. From army.
Thanks to this show, Every-time I hear the final countdown, I’m expecting a magic show 😂
same
Same!
Also I expect every magic show to starts with Magician holding knife betweet his teeth and presenting cards.
Will Arnett stars on an episode of Sesame as Max the Magician and you bet your ass he is in full character 😂
Thanks for this show, I can't hear anyone say "I've made a huge mistake" in anything but GOB's voice
David Cross playing a guy who sucks at acting and makes cringy scenes with Bob Odenkirk (playing the marriage counselor trying to help Lindsay and Tobias), is epic. When they two play out the problems in the marriage, while Lindsay just sits on the couch is in my top three list of favorite comedic scenes of all time!
hahahahah i completely forgot about that part
What are your other 2?
@@ryanphillipmoore7103
KLM (not the airline, but a norwegian comedy trio), First drunk man on The North Pole.
Monty Pythons Life of Brian, the stoning scene.
But in general, the character of Tobias Funke had me dying of laughter, so I really cannot make up my mind, but I said the scene with Odenkirk, because it made me laugh the most.
But the Carl Weathers-scenes were hilarious too!
@MrGyngve Had to look up the KLM guys, so holy shit 🤣 thanks for the rec. All great picks man
@@ryanphillipmoore7103 The thing about that KLM-sketch though, is the brilliant way they put it up.
The KLM-show used to be on every saturday (dont remember how many seasons), and they had a segment near the end where they invited on people who had decided to be the first-whatever on The North Pole. They where so fun. One guy wanted to be the first Bishop on The North Pole. On a jumping stick. Wearing his full vestment.
So the drunk guy was one of many, and the point was that they would leave for the expedition the following day.
What stood out with the sketch about the first drunk guy on The North Pole, is that they called him up on the show one week later to check how he was doing and how far he had gotten, and I almost died from lack of breath I laughed so hard, when he exclamied in a perfect, drunk norwegian tone (and a hint of confusion), that he had finally gotten to Fornebu (which was the old Oslo airport, a 20 minute drive from the studio where the interview was held).
So the execution was perfect. The interview segment the week before with the drunk dude, was really fun, but calling him up one week later to check on him, was brilliant, and the comedian playing him nailed playing drunk people.
My favorite recurring joke in this video is how many different characters they squeezed in doing the charlie brown walk.
Where the fuck are my hard-boiled eggs???
It was so random I wish i could experience it again for the first time
Mine was definitely the chicken dances
Along with Community, this show has some of the best running jokes.
Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz played Coogler in Community.
These two are the pinnacle of American sitcoms ... most other sitcoms are either harmless (not a bad thing, just not very memorable) or outright junkfood for the easily entertained (also not necessarily bad, everyone likes junkfood very now and then). But Community and Arrested Development are the two shows that prove that the sitcom format does not have to be silly tropes, canned laughter and mainstream entertainment.
@@davideberhardt6150 sometimes I find community to campy I tend to watch it less so I don’t get overexposed
@@gabrielklushkan2438 A lot of the campy stuff happens in season 4, the "gas leak year" as it was later called. That year they fired Dan Harmon and quite some of the creatives left with him ... and it shows.
But yes, overexposure is not a good thing either. You can only watch / play / eat something for so long before it starts
to be too much.
My 2 favourite shows
This was such a good show. Sad that it only lasted 3 seasons
Yep. 3.
@@OMGpandemic yup only 3. *NOT A SINGLE MORE*
we are infact living in that happy universe where this maniacally funny show only ran for 3 seasons
While I do know it only lasted three seasons and would have loved it to last way more, I also feel oddly thankful that that was the case. As if it had probably been for the best.
Totally, I'm so glad that it never received a completely unnecessary continuation courtesy of, let's say, Netflix, seven years after it was cancelled. How mad would that have been, right?! 😂
This dude totally gets it. My pitch for an Arrested Development movie was that everybody gets a notification of Lucille-1’s funeral. They all pass it off as a ruse for Lucille to manipulate them to reunite.
Then they realize it was true.
Then one by one, each character tries to take the place of the matriarch, with their own hilarious spin with their own neuroses on display.
Eventually, the family all submit to the fact that Lucille was the glue that held the family together.
Cut to a picture of Lucille. In loving memory.
The end.
Brilliant and helps the grieving process. Now we just need Hurwitz’s contact!
This would be a great final episode/short movie!
DUDE, i would love to see this!
How each character will attempt to become the matriarch:
- Tobias sees it as his way to finally fit back into the family. He sees it as a position just opening up for him. He figures the easiest way in is through Buster. If Buster accepts him as a mother figure, the others will fall in line. So Tobias becomes an ANALRAPIST one more time, in order to get Buster free, he has to declare Buster insane. Tobias’ job title makes him very popular in prison.
- Buster creates a “Lucille-3” doll using the Franklin puppet, which covers his lost hand for the majority of the movie. He talks to the puppet like Norman Bates talks to his mom.
- Michael always thought of himself as the glue that held the family. He will get the biggest reality check when he realizes no one takes him seriously without Lucille’s backing.
- GOB sees it as a competition. He wants to be more Mom than Michael. He takes things way too far as always. GOB asks Tobias for a character study tape he did on Mom when he was trying to impersonate each family member back in Season 5. He finds a tape in the attic titled “Tapping Lucille”- which he misinterprets as “tapping into Lucille”. As a character study video. Turns out it’s a homemade porno with her and George Sr. (or Oscar- neither of them can tell who it actually is, which leads to their story). GOB accidentally traumatizes himself by watching his worst nightmare come true.
- George Bluth and Oscar Bluth have their own subplot where they will fight for who loved Lucille more. When they realize they can’t tell who was tapping Lucille in the tape (because they are identical)- they realize that she loved them both equally. Or not at all.
@@IAMTHESTARMAN get this amazing pitch to Ron Howard and AD’s writing team!! Between you and the OP we finally have the movie on our hand(s)!
Hands down, the absolute best sitcom of all time. I'm not saying series like Seinfeld or The Office aren't great or anything like that, but the writing in Arrested Development was so insanely clever that it simply put it on a whole other league.
I'm glad you didnt mention something like trailer park boys
Arrested Development is way better than those 2
You say this but sadly the show HAD those two extra seasons...
Yes, seasons 2 and 3. They were also top-notch.@@ryderls2729
@@ryderls2729 I think you replied to the wrong comment lol
Arrested Development is one of only a handful of shows where I genuinely laughed out loud at something that happened. The one with the mole and the Japanese investors.
Same. Not many shows that get you to literally laugh out loud anymore.
I think mine was the Mariachi band playing SOUND OF SILENCE and Gob actually making the 4th wall breaking comment that he's heard the soundtrack every previous time it played.
nope, just remembered... the most genuine LOL moment was when Master and I paused to read all of Oscar Bluth's prison newsletter...
~long story short, he explains a recent absence in publishing the newsletters... he'd gotten distressed burning ants in the prison yard with a magnifying glass... until eventually he just started stomping on the ant hill screaming "DIE YOU BLACK BASTARDS!" ...
"I got stabbed...a lot..."
Godzirra!
That scene makes my head spin it’s so good
I see Arrested Development as a sort of Shakespearean tragedy, with every character’s flaws getting in the way of each other’s growth.
Arrested Development: A Shakespearian Comedy
Succession: A Shakespearian Tragedy
@@firiel2366 I would agree that Arrested development has a very comedic tone, but it also has a tragic plot
Has anyone in this family ever SEEN a chicken?
I still think about “Bob Loblaw’s Law Blog” constantly. Genius 😂
I think the part about Maeby's absent parenting is a bit off. Tobias did not become an actor until the season 1 so for the majority of her childhood, he was a psychiatrist. He could have been too busy as he was also an analyst- with his first job, I guess you could say he was too busy ~analraping his clients to take care of his child.
*analrapist
Thank you, glad I'm not the only one who noticed that lmao
UM ACTUALLY-
I remember young Maeve being forced by her parents to get up stage with them to sing as a family. What job did he have when that happened?
@@skaetur1 He was still a therapist, they were just shilling drugs lol
I do not think his character traits changed that much from his analrapist days, only his delusional job
"How much could one banana cost Michael, $20?"
Here's some money. Go see a Star War.
*10
@@Olderaccount17 **adjusted for inflation 😂
Ron Howard's narrator adds so much to the show, it wouldn't be the same without him
Dan Howard
The episode Pier Pressure (yes even the name is a brilliant pun), with all the George Sr. lesson flashbacks, culminates in a fake drug bust to set up George Michael by Michael, and ends with a fake police raid with George Sr. teaching Michael the lesson not to give lessons to his child. It's when I knew this show was something special . Possibly best run of all time S 1-3
One of the funniest things about that episode is that the government had a program that paid studios to make anti-drugs episodes, and that episode might have been one of them(they did it with a lot of shows), but instead of being anti drug it was anti "teaching people lessons the wrong way". Someone made a video about that program focused on the "Beer Bad" episode of Buffy if you're more curious
i knew it was special when michael visits prison in the stair truck and convicts use it to escape. 12/10
I love the "Charlie Brown" walk gag, especially in front of Snoopy's doghouse, with Snoopy on top! 😂
i know we use the word “criminally underrated” a lot but istg THIS show and it's always sunny in philadelphia are among the most underrated sitcoms (or anti-sitcom? in it's always sunny's case) of all time
madlad sunny isn't underrated, look at its rum
they are two of my favourite shows ever and some of the funniest shows I've ever watched. they thrive with the jokes you'd get upon rewatching
I legitimately thought you were going to unravel a secret from the show that I wasn’t aware of.
My sibling and I had a lot of problems with my mother during our younger years, we are much better now; but this show helped us SOOOOOO MUCH through all of it; we could laugh at the same pain that Lucille put upon the kids, and we really enjoyed the camaraderie, however brief it was, between the siblings; this show was a godsend for us as kids, and as the older sibling, I cannot thank it enough for helping me justify what was going on to my younger sibling.
Im really glad the show was able to do that for u and ur sibling.
And judging by your pic, I'm guessing Team Venture helped y'all through a lot of those times as well
Bojack Horseman deals with these themes more explicitly, would recommend
The casting is absolutely incredible.
“take a look at banner Michael” best tv quote of all time!!
So many jokes that you can’t stop laughing. Those characters are full of depth and so outrageous. Truly a shame it wasn’t on longer.
I once heard it said, and forgive me I don't know where, "For some of us, family is more than a word. It's a sentence."
Those first 3 seasons are amazing. I've rewatched them countless times. So many iconic moments and lines.
We don't talk about 4 & 5.
That's sound early similar to Pirates of the caribbean
For real
Haha so true. I feel the same way about Community as well.
First three seasons were the best ever. Just perfect. Too bad no one watched it because it was way ahead of it’s time
No one watched it? Are you sure about that?
@@Ammut6 Yes, no one watched it when it was originally aired. That's why it got canned. The cult status came later ... as usual.
It’s well revered by the industry ppl tho remember the David Cross rant vid ? Lmao
@@Ammut6 you obviously haven't seen the show, because the narrator, Ron Howard, has mentioned it a couple of times to let our friends know about Arrested Development...in the show!
i will NEVER get over the blue man group bit tobias did. absolutely iconic
Me too. Every scene where he put his own make up on, he missed the same spot on his back!
David cross is a comedic genius. I can’t imagine anyone else playing Tobias.
I can't imagine anyone else playing any of them. The casting was flawless.
There were SO many episodes that I couldn’t watch from start to finish because of just how painfully cringe they were. Yet I’d go back because of just how hilarious they were.
There's not one eepisode that I didnt watch from start to finish. I wish they would make another season or a spin off!
You should watch the absolutely amazing Britcom _Peep Show_ . If you can sit through that without cringing yourself into oblivion, AD has nothing on you.
I agree with a lot that you said in this, but I don't think Micheal is necessarily a "helicopter parent". In a lot of episodes he wants only to spend more quality time with his son as he never received that from his dad but also learns throughout the show that he has to give his son some space and stop worrying if his son still loves him (because thats what happened with him and George Sr). Micheal is generally a great dad in this show, who is trying to overcompensate the lack of love and affection he didn't receive from his dad, which leads to some blind spots (also these are for the sake of comedy).
Still one of the smartest sitcoms to ever exist!
The smartest*
20 years later i'm still discovering new depth, new references. AD was a lightning strike of genius.
@@ziff_1tru dat
That was a brilliant video essay! I never thought about the trauma aspect of this show, you are spot on dude. My mom and stepdad just moved out of state and my siblings are on their own for the first time (I've done it before) and we're all realizing how much trauma and codependency we all have now that our mommy isn't here to wipe our butts and give us a lollipop when we're being a good boy. That makes this show so much more fascinating and funny...in a depressingly existential way hahaha
I didn't realize Mitch Hurwitz was Koogler in the Community episode about Meow Meow Beenz. "He's not that old".
Arrested development was just next level...just so well written
I love Arrested Development - it's got something that no other show I've seen has. And so much meme potential. There's so many moments from the show that just make me laugh so hard, so many that I quote with my roommate. Thanks for the video!
I've been rewatching this show again- in its prime its the funniest live action show of all time in my opinion. Theres so many jokes and running gags in each episode from incredible writing. Hats off to the creators of AD.
This show, at its peak, was the most brilliant sitcom to ever grace the airwaves.
I have seen the Fox seasons of AD at least two dozen times in my life. I defended an interesting fourth season but ultimately gave up after the first half of the fifth. But then you go and include a clip of Michael's "Wellllll, that's enough family stuff for today," and I snort Crystal Light Fruit Punch all over my keyboard and monitor. Quite possibly THE funniest television sitcom of all time. It has few rivals.
Great video!
buster and lucile are just peak comedy.
at least for the first 3 season the shows ability to produce comedy so hilarious that thrives on the flawless people the family is made of is a big accomplishment.
Both the writing and cast was perfect for this show, and even though that there's been plenty of shows riding the, I don't know what to call it, docu-drama-comedy thing (Office, Parks and Rec), this series definitely stood out.
"Hey whatcha tryin' to say to meeee?"
Will Arnett is everything
Loved your analysis on George Michael and Maeby especially. Great video essay. Wish there was more explanation of "Why"/"How" it was funny and not just dramatic though.
I think you changed the title after I left this comment, and I'm glad. You originally implied the video would be about why the humor worked or something lol...
What kills me is that even though its been years since I last watched the show, the moment the car window came down I knew he was gonna say "that's why you always leave a note!" Guess I learned my lesson as well
Great video!
Little note that alcoholism and addiction aren’t self explanatory for why a person would not care about the safety of their children. Some addicts clearly don’t but plenty do and are struggling! Just posting some food for thought (: loved the video and this show!
The first 3 seasons are the funniest thing ever
my favorite arrested development joke is so quick and tiny but it absolutely killed me when i first saw it. its in an episode with annyong and theres a scene with a long shot where micheal pulls up to the banana stand and you can see from a distance that annyong looks up at him, where a subtitle briefly flashes "hello," because that's all annyong says. its a second long but it was such a good little addition that i had to pause the episode to laugh
There’s no show that will ever be as good as intelligent as this show.
6:48 Sorry this wrong, Tobias only had recently become obsessed with being an actor, when Maeby was young he was a psychiatrist (or more specifically, an analrapist)
it’s not the pronunciation i’m worried about 😟
Tobias’ license plate was comedy gold: ANUSTART- A New Start
the first three seasons of arrested developmente are just perfect, one of the best comedies i have ever seen
“Serial addict” is a very interesting way to describe Lucile Bluth 😂
She's so frail
You guys should do a video about the cultural impact the Nanny had
4:25 the Paris Hilton comparison is in appearance only. That woman is incredible. She duped every toxic man in America, by simply looking good.
This show forever changed how the way I listen to The Final Countdown
4:32 Tobias isn't gay. He's Buy-curious.
Buster is permanently stunted. I guess you could say he’s trapped in a state of incarcerated potency.
This video...is excellent....Thank you, makers! It confirms what i've been feeling about AD for years (ever since it became my favorite sit-com by far): that it's hilariousness is rooted in portraying real pains of family disfunction. It's got that Richard Pryor quality to it, in that so much of what i'm laughing at is pure pain and serious emotional stuff that wouldn't normally be funny at all. imo, It's more funny than anything else out there because it's got the rare combination of carefully good and layered comedy writing, AND at the same time, careful attention to the details of real psychological insight concerning social dysfunction. It's brilliant. The only negative is that we didn't get more seasons of it😞
One of the best comedy shows of all time.
the most brilliant comedy ever written. i laugh my ahh off with any scene
Gob isn’t a magician, he is an illusionist!!!!
Great video, Great show!
Thank you!
Not joking... My therapist kinda had to watch this show (at least some episodes) because I brought it up at least once every session for almost two years
And then I convinced my gf to watch it with me so she at least could take it with some humor the trauma that is meeting my weird family eventually
Holy hell perfect upload.
“No touching!!” My brother couldn’t understand why I found it so funny one episode. I couldn’t even explain. Lol such a great show
“…sleight of hand magician.” ILLUSIONIST, MICHAEL
This is probably my all time favorite show.
AD was comedy genius.
A RUclips, armchair therapist’s, post explaining AR is another sign of the sad times we live in.
The density of humor in this series is very much like another short lived series called Party Down. 2 seasons of GOLD!
Jason Bateman - unapologetically Jason Bateman
It was heavily inspired by the UK Office as well. Will Arnett said so on a podcast with Ricky Gervais
When she gave her mother a She male tshirt, damn near killed me
Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walters) is an iconic character, she was why I watched the show ❤
Despite everyone else hating it i honestly loved the first version of season 4 told via episodic focus on everyone individually.
One of the highest laugh to episode ratios ever. Where Tobias combines 'analyst' and 'therapist' to form 'analrapist' (and apparently doesn't see a problem with that) is so genius because it's so obvious - you can't believe that it wasn't used thirty years before. It's like the whole show was about talking about stuff we all knew but didn't mention because it was too awkward.
The best show. The writing is amazing
This is the best sitcom ever made imo. I've watched it in it's entirety more times than I can count.
The Good Place developed its characters as good as Arrested Development did. But the central thesis of The Good Place is about overcoming your trauma and becoming better at any stage of your life.
And that ain’t funny
One of my favorite parts about this show is how John Beard was the news anchor in the show and then on the actual news after the show was over in California. It really was a lead in!
What an excellent review of an excellent show! I know way too many fans who dismiss the gold that is 4 and 5 (THERE ARE DOZENS OF US WHO APPRECIATE IT) but I like that you reference the consistency of the trauma that follows George M-Harris and Maeby into adulthood. It also further exposed how horrible every Bluth as individuals without the group dynamic to bounce off each other.
Personally I find the finale of S5 to be a masterpiece, and I’m open to discussion. Unless you’re only here to say 4 and 5 didn’t happen. There are already comments for that and you’ll be more celebrated there. I won’t hear it, and I won’t respond to it 😜
im right there with you. id watched AD a couple of times but never season 5 for some reason, and i just it. it honestly makes so much sense that buster did what he did. i honestly thought they were gonna spiral george michael into being an alt-right rich kid lol i think seasons 1-3 are like "oh look how dumb rich people are lol" to 4&5 being "ok so this is why the world is fucked bc rich people are dumb and never face any of the consequences of their actions".
This show would be huge if it came out after Succession
Having watched this and the Glass Onion video back to back, you really always have a very interesting and original outlook on things.A lot of channels here look like they copy paste each other, but you always come out with something fresh and interesting
Most underrated show ever😂
My favorite thing about Arrested Development is how the audience is rewarded for watching each episode, mostly in order. The running jokes just build on each other, which would be confusing to start at the end of the series. Still funny, but absolutely hilarious when you remember a subtle joke from like episode 1
i wish this channel would talk about british sitcoms like friday night dinner
a brilliant analysis i loved it. And I like also to remember how it was the “cool quirky show” for us college kids to watch back in ‘09 in college after it had already ended but already had a “cult” following also.
Trying to pick a favourite character is tough but for me its gotta be Gob or Lucille.
Or Sally Sitwell
Arrested development was iconic
this show gave me one of the biggest laughs of my life!!
The Nanny is definitely up there.
Great analysis. I never thought of it that way. AD always struck me as different from other brilliant comedy shows, but I couldn't put my finger on why.
My favorite running gag was the one never delivered that Tobias isn’t gay, he’s actually an albino black man
Brilliant analysis!! It's nice to put in words the insight you get watching the show!
What about Annyong? The forgotten adopted chilld.
Annyong
loved this show so much
This is the best show every made and always will be my favourite, I just wish they made more than three seasons
Fox did everything they could to destroy this like they did with Firefly
@user-np9zg3jg1f oh wow! Thank you. I sent it right now. This is so cool.
Tobias is not gay. He may be misleading to the audience but he has never stated he was gay. Only because he acts "gay" doesn't mean he is.