Arrested Development

The past two days I have been watching the first, second, and third seasons of Arrested Development.

This is a very good series. There is this insane rich family who are suddenly not rich anymore because of some very shady dealings from the father who founded the business. Jason Bateman plays the straight man and the only responsible character. His only real weapon is his sarcasm and sense of family loyalty.

Well pretty much all of them have a sense of loyalty to their family but they really REALLY don't have a clue about anything else. All of the characters have their own unique personalities and approach to being shallow.

From Gob (pronounced Jobe) and his attempts at being a magician to Lindsey and her forgetfulness that she has a daughter named Maeby and Lindsey's complicated husband.
To Buster, the special sibling who has a weird relationship with his mother the lush.

This show is great for pop culture junkies, you will notice many pop references put to film. For example there is a red dog house with a dog sleeping on top of it but only if you look quickly. Many many of these can be found if you look hard enough. The dialog is sharp, witty, and very funny with nearly every line being some kind of joke of some sort.

Remember the old show Soap? Well you can almost call this show Soap 2. There are more site gags, more laughs, and to be honest this show is far more entertaining. The story arcs last several episodes and the overarching storyline of George Sr. and his legal problems lasts the duration.

Even the narrator (Ron Howard) gets into the act with witty narrating. There is a plethora of guest stars through out the entire run of fifty three episodes. This show struggled to find a steady audience and finally got axed.

It is a shame. This is a good and very affordable show.