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.
