Product Details

• Actors: Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Alia Shawkat
• Directors: Anthony Russo, Greg Mottola, Jay Chandrasekhar, Joe Russo, John Fortenberry
• Writers: Abraham Higginbotham
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: October 19, 2004
• Run Time: 491 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,082 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002PYS7Y
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,262 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Arrested Development - Season One" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Level-headed son Michael Bluth takes over the family business after his father is imprisoned.
Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 19-OCT-2004
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

237 of 243 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Of The Funniest TV Comedies (Complete), November 8, 2006

By 

Ralph Brown (Suffern, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arrested Development: The Complete Series (Seasons 1-3 Bundle) (DVD)

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT's rocky history is well known. Loved by critics and its fans, it fought to find an audience, and its final season was a short affair. However, the ride from the shows premier (included uncensored and expanded along with the aired version) to its conclusion (and, YES, it has a conclusion) is hilarious and worth many returns. There are so many jokes and resonating gags that multiple viewings are REQUIRED, but your first visit to the world of the spoiled Bluth family will be a reward for unfamiliar viewers.

Here are three seasons of laughs. The series begins with the arrest of the Bluth patriarch and continues as the clan's only responsible member, Michael (portrayed by Jason Bateman), tries to keep the family's business afloat while his mother, siblings, and other family members selfishly grab for every freebie and dollar. His mother, Lucille, is a cold, controlling alcoholic whose loyalty to her family keeps her one step from pure villainy. His siblings include an older brother, Gob, a magician (of little skill), a younger brother, Buster, a mama's boy who eventually loses a body part to a nasty seal, and a sister whose marriage is ... complicated. Throw in a long-suffering son infatuated with his cousin and an uncle who is the twin of his father, and you can see how complicated Michael's life becomes.

Not your average family, not your average TV comedy (this is NOT a sitcom performed live in front of a studio audience but is filmed more like a documentary with the camera floating around like an unseen voyeur -- think the old comedy series SOAP updated a la THE OFFICE). The jokes come fast and furious. It's all absurd and incredibly entertaining.

For the record, the series is presented widescreen, and there are deleted scenes and audio commentaries for selected episodes. To tell you the truth, I haven't even skimmed these extras, but I have watched the series in its entirety far too many times to disclose without embarrassing myself. It's too bad that ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT didn't achieve the ratings necessary to keep it afloat, but it has more laughs than comedies that lasted twice as long.

289 of 306 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where's the 6 stars option?, November 8, 2004

By 

A Fan (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Arrested Development - Season One (DVD)

I arrived late to this dance. I don't really have any structure to my TV viewing, other than Sunday nights on HBO. Despite reading positive reviews and hearing accolades for this show I missed the entire broadcast season. What that means to me is that I've just immersed myself in probably the funniest 22 episodes of broadcast comedy ever (that includes Seinfeld and the old Dick Van Dyke show). This first season is chock full of running gags, absurd situations and some of the funniest deadpan dialog deliveries ever recorded on video. It's impossible to single out a cast member because they all make important contributions, even the guys who walk on for a line or two. Watching them in sequence does maintain some continuity of narrative but you'll find yourself returning to some special favorites. The bring your daughter to work episode brings out the absurdity of the whole practice while delivering some of the best laughs of the whole series. BUY THIS!!!

116 of 121 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best TV show ever, December 4, 2006

By 

Kathleen M. O'Neill "Nashville songwriter & i... (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Arrested Development: The Complete Series (Seasons 1-3 Bundle) (DVD)

I'm not usually one for superlatives or hyperbole, but this truly is the best TV show I know of. It's clever, it's hilarious, it's self-referential, it's perfectly written and flawlessly acted, it dragged me along from episode to episode like some kind of addict. And when it was over -- I mean, really really over -- I felt a bittersweet mixture of the loss of future possible episodes and a total satisfaction in having been well and thoroughly entertained.

As for the DVD set, in my mind, the only reason to own a TV series on DVD is if I feel I'll watch the shows again and again. And with these, there is no question in my mind. There's more to them than you can usually get in one viewing, and they just get better each time. The only concern for me is whether I should buy an extra set in case my primary set gets damaged. It's THAT good.