Arrested Development - Season One

Rating:

I loved the few episodes of this show that I saw when it originally aired. The beauty of the DVD series collection is the ability to watch every episode back to back and I love these episodes--so funny!

The regular cast is brilliant: Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambor, Portia de Rossi, Michael Cera, David Cross, Tony Hale and all the rest. So many comedic heavy hitters on one show!! And it never overwhelmed, always funny in a delicate way. The cameos are well worked into the plot, and they are seamlessly integrated into the cast. Liza Minnelli is especially hilarious as Lucille #1's rival and Buster's girlfriend. Also included in this season: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Amy Poehler, Henry Winkler, and Jane Lynch.

This brilliant series about a dysfunctional family falling apart in the midst of corruption, embezzlement, fraud, and some "light" treason (yes, "light" treason), with only Michael the reliable son to save them from themselves, was cancelled too soon by the short-sighted executives at Fox.

This series is a must own for the merits of the excellent comedy alone. No other trinkets can make this series any more appealing. The comedic genius of this series can sell itself.

Rating:

I can watch these episodes over and over again. The nuances of each character are portrayed flawlessly by each cast member.This season was purchased for my mother and she just laughs out loud (which is no small feat). She tells me she is looking to buy the next season now. So glad that I found this show and hoping that the people that brought this series together would create something else as hysterically funny.

Rating:

I watched the first 2 episodes and half the third. I realize in the views of AD's thousands of rabid fans, that doesn't qualify me to have an opinion. But in case there is anyone out there who's still on the fence about it, here's my take:

The writing is smart. The setup is intriguing and amusing. Jason Bateman and Michael Cera are appealing. A few of the other characters are fun to watch. But on the whole, I don't enjoy shows where almost none of the characters are appealing personalities and nothing good ever happens. The whole point (at least in the first few episodes) seemed to be that things would go from bad to worse, no one else in the family could be trusted to behave like a rational adult, and poor Michael and/or George Michael would be left holding the bag, every time. I don't get that much enjoyment from watching other people's misery, even if it's meant to be humorous.

Rating:

"Arrested Development" Season One is a perfect comedy. Combining elements of comedy, parody, and satire better than any show in memory, and adding sly plot twists in every episode makes for intelligent humor that is far more sophisticated than other network television fare.

The performances and characters are extremely well-developed, yet subtly nuanced. It's impossible to single out a cast member for excellence, as everyone plays their part so beautifully. Jason Bateman as Michael is most central to the plot, and couldn't be more perfect: whatever he does in the future will be unable to live up to this effort. Likewise, Jeffrey Tambor is wonderful as the imprisoned Bluth family patriarch. The show makes excellent satirical points about the irresponsibility of celebrity wealth, and can be viewed on many levels, although I prefer it as straightforward comedy.

The DVD set contains numerous bonuses including the extended pilot, commentaries (which are almost as funny as the show), a couple of behind the scenes documentaries, and the original music used in the show. Some viewers may find the show to be a bit racy, though normally in an intelligent, innuendo-laden way.

This series is a gem: this season is probably the best of the three, and was more than deserving of its Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Rating:

One of the best tv shows that ever aired, fox is stupid for canceling it. I believe a movie is being made from it!