Product Details

• Actors: Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, David Cross
• Directors: Anthony Russo, Greg Mottola, Jay Chandrasekhar, Joe Russo, John Fortenberry
• Writers: Abraham Higginbotham
• Format: Widescreen, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: October 19, 2004
• Run Time: 491 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (798 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002PYS7Y
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #727 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #34 in Movies & TV > DVD > Comedy
• Learn more about "Arrested Development: Season One" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Winner of the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy its first year out, Arrested Development is the kind of sitcom that gives you hope for television. A mockumentary-style exploration of the beleaguered Bluth family, it's one of those idiosyncratic shows that doesn't rely on a laugh track or a studio audience; it's shot more like a TV drama, albeit with an omniscient narrator (executive producer Ron Howard) overseeing the proceedings. Holding the Bluths together just barely is son Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman), the only normal guy in a family that's chock full of nuts. Hardworking and sensible, Michael's certain he's going to be given control of his family's Enron-style corporation upon the retirement of his father (Jeffrey Tambor). The fact that he's passed over instead for his mother (Jessica Walter) is only a blip when compared to his father's immediate arrest for dubious accounting practices, and the resulting freeze on the family's previously limitless wealth.

Bereft of money, and even less family love, the Bluths have to band together in their moment of need--not easy when everyone's looking out for number 1. In addition to his scabrous parents, Michael has to contend with his lothario older brother (Will Arnett), his basically useless younger brother (Tony Hale), his greedy twin sister (Portia DeRossi), and her sexually ambiguous husband (David Cross). Michael's only comrade in sanity is his son George Michael (Michael Cera), but then again, the teenage boy harbors a secret crush on his cousin (Alia Shawkat). A peerless ensemble led by the brilliant Bateman (who ever knew he could be this good?), all the actors are pitch-perfect in their roles, delivering the dryly funny, sometimes absurdist dialogue with the speed and flair of classic farce. The unusual tone of Arrested Development takes a bit of getting used to--it's far different from anything you'll see on TV, even HBO--but once you buy in to the Bluths' innumerable dysfunctions, you'll be laughing your head off for hours.--Mark Englehart

Product Description

22 episodes on 3 DVDs. 2003/color/8 hrs., 11 min/NR/widescreen. In this critically acclaimed hit sitcom, you'll meet the suddenly penniless, and equally clueless, Bluth family. Accustomed to their wildly affluent lifestyle, they can't seem to grasp the fact that now the head of the family (Jeffrey Tambor) is in the slammer for shifty accounting practices - and he's loving every minute of it. Even worse, since the family assets have been frozen, they may actually have to go out and get jobs! The only one who understands the seriousness of their predicament is Michael (Jason Bateman), who realizes it's up to him to guide his eccentric family into this new chapter of their lives: Chapter 11.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

304 of 323 people found the following review helpful

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

By A Fan

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

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!!!

58 of 62 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Comedy Emmy - Biggest upset since the Miracle on Ice September 22, 2004

By Burnsy

Format:DVD

Simply put: The best new sitcom to hit the small screen since Curb Your Enthusiasm. This is clearly the best that network television has to offer, a refreshing change from the cookie-cutter "dysfunctional family" or "oversexed pals" sitcoms that have been shoved down our throats for the last decade.

AD features what is, far and away, the most original and imaginiative group of characters in TV history. While credit goes to the creators for that, it is the actors that truly make these characters work. The show is perfectly casted, with Will Arnett (GOB) and David Cross (Tobias) particularly shining. Jason Bateman has revived his career as Michael, best described as the least crazy one.

The poster who compared AD to Malcom in the Middle is off his/her rocker, and those who compare this show to Scrubs do it a great disservice. Scrubs, which I love, doesn't have the same creativity behind its plots; it's also much more jokey. AD is much more subtle and creative - and, in the ultimate compliment to a sitcom - even has shades of Seinfeld, where several plot lines will tie in at the end. Still, the show maintains its own identity, mixing original characters, witty dialogue and sometimes outrageous stories to perfection.

Through only one season, AD has quickly become one of my three favorite shows ever. The DVD is a no-brainer, day-of-release purchase that may even force me to use a vacation day...

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Life among the rich and stupid January 3, 2005

By Wheelchair Assassin

Format:DVD

As reality TV continues rearing its ugly head on every major network, Arrested Development has arrived at just the right time for those of us itching for something intelligent to come over the airwaves. With corporate malfeasance (rightly or wrongly) assuming so much of the public spotlight over the past several years, Arrested Development casts a light on the people behind such shady goings on, and in this case the picture is not pretty. It's loosely classifiable as a sitcom, but Arrested Development is shot with more of a documentary/reality show style, giving it a distinctive look and feel that you just won't find in most of network TV's decidedly formulaic fare. Not since The Simpsons was in its prime about a decade or so has a show so effortlessly balanced wit, randomness, and unapologetic vulgarity (as of this writing, rumors that The Simpsons is still on have yet to be substantiated).

At the center of everything is Jason Bateman as genial widower Michael Bluth, the one sane member of a wealthy but deeply dysfunctional family, charged with holding it together after his corrupt father's incarceration. It's not easy, as Michael is surrounded by a collection of screwballs the likes of which you can scarcely imagine. Fortunately, the characters on Arrested Development are far more than just zany caricatures; they're all brilliantly drawn and distinctive, aided by some masterful performances from the show's cast. Yes, they're all isolated from reality and toxically self-absorbed, but the Bluth family still manages to come across as sympathetic. Michael's twin sister Lindsay (Portia de Rossi, who rarely fails to make my eyeballs bulge) is a pretentious "liberal activist" whose advocacy of fashionable causes is in sharp contrast to her vanity and terrible parenting. Her husband Tobias (David Cross, whose fake mustache is a hysterical running joke in itself) is an utterly oblivious husband and father who's just left his psychiatry practice to pursue his pipe dream of becoming an actor. Michael's older brother George Oscar (Gob) Bluth II (Will Arnett) is a smarmy, womanizing magician who never fails to take advantage of Michael's decency. The youngest brother, perpetual student Buster (Tony Hale), is prone to outlandish panic attacks and hasn't managed to separate himself from his mother quite yet.

Speaking of the family matriarch, Jessica Walter turns in arguably the best performance of them all as Lucille Bluth, easily one of the most delightfully evil characters in TV history. Domineering, manipulative, and occasionally downright cruel, Lucille is the most narcissistic member of a family full of narcissists. She plays her children against each other, shows questionable loyalty to her husband, grubs money relentlessly, and constantly makes cutting remarks about Lindsay's weight in spite of her awe-inspiring gorgeousness. For his part, George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), in addition to his amoral business practices, isn't exactly the best father in the world. In one especially hilarious series of flashbacks, we see his way of imparting everyday lessons to his children, which always involved some horrible simulated tragedy befalling a one-armed friend of his. And while the relationship between Michael and his awkward son George-Michael does provide a bastion of tenderness amidst all the screwiness, it's also worth noting that George-Michael has a forbidden crush on his rebellious cousin Maeby.

But wait, there's more! We're also treated to some hilarious and out-of-left-field special guest appearances, including Henry Winkler as the family's incompetent attorney Barry Zuckerkorn; Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as the "blind" prosecutor on the Bluths' case; Liza Minelli as Lucille's vertigo-plagued best friend/social rival who briefly becomes Buster's girlfriend in one of TV's all-time great mismatches; and Carl Weathers as, well, Carl Weathers. I feel I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention "Annyong," Lucille's adopted Korean son who gets his name from the Korean word for "hello," which happens to be all he says for his first five episodes or so.

There isn't one episode on this season that's not up to par, not one. All are brilliant in their own way, juggling plot strands in a Seinfeld-esque manner, but with non-linear plot structures more akin to the shamefully neglected classic Andy Richter Controls the Universe. With numerous flashbacks and the deadpan narration of Ron Howard filling in any gaps, Arrested Development is able to truly go where network comedy has rarely gone before. While many episodes do end with important life lessons, generally centering around the importance of family togetherness, the morals don't come until after various plot strands have come together in an all-hell-breaks-loose climax. Some of the more outlandish climactic set pieces include a phony drug bust involving a bunch of male strippers in phony cop outfits; George Sr. attempting to escape from a Christmas pageant while dressed as a character in a painting; Michael and Gob wrestling ineptly over a woman while Buster desperately tries to get himself punched in the face; and Gob's failed attempts to trick the family's accountant into thinking he's killed a stripper.

Accompanying the twenty-two episodes of this first season are a bevy of extras, almost all of which are worth watching. Most notably, we get an extended version of the pilot (complete with dirty words), commentaries that consist largely of the cast members ripping on each other and making off-color remarks, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and some loving tributes from TV Land. On the whole, the special features provide a great deal of insight into how the show's unique look and feel were created, how the cast was selected and how they interact, how reams of material are cut down to one 20-minute-or-so episode, and scads of other random information. Suffice to say that Mitchell Hurwitz, the show's creator, is clearly one very smart man.

With the Simpsons still in decline and Family Guy yet to return, I think I can safely go out on a limb and proclaim Arrested Development the best show on network TV right now. By defying virtually every television convention known to man, Hurwitz & Co. have created something truly innovative and warped, which is no small task with cable channels relentlessly pushing the envelope. Unfortunately, shows this original and challenging to the viewer don't typically last too long, but here's hoping this one proves to be an exception. So far the second season has been almost as good as this one, so if there's any justice Arrested Development will succeed in catching on where previous excellent Fox series like Andy Richter Controls the Universe and Undeclared failed.