If you haven’t watched “Arrested Development”, then you’re missing out on the best writing on television. The fact that those writers can consistently come up with such strong jokes, some of which span several episodes, is just plain impressive.
The premise of the show is as follows. George Bluth runs a construction company that builds homes, not unlike the ones you’re likely to see in the suburbs of any major city. Unfortunately, however, George has been dipping his hand in the company kitty (and other things in his secretary Kitty) and becomes jailed for an accounting scandal on the first episode of the first season. After that tramatic event, the family starts to fall apart. It’s up to the only responsible member of the Bluth family, George’s second oldest son, Michael, to try to keep the family in order.
Michael’s older brother GOB is a failing magician and “gigolo” who seems to have never worked in his life. Lindsay is Michael’s twin sister who married a failed (and possibly gay) psychiatrist named Tobias Fünke as a rebellion against her parents. Lindsay used to spend all her time (and her family’s money) supporting causes that she didn’t fully understand, like HOOP—an anti-circumcision group, but now she spends most of her time whining about how she can’t go shopping for new clothes anymore. Tobias, who has lost his license to practice psychiatry, is an aspiring actor who has done a stint as an understudy for the Blue Man Group.
Lindsay and Tobias have a daughter Maeby who is supposed to be around 15 years old, but has now scammed her way into a position as a studio executive where her father was (at one point) a security guard. Michael’s youngest brother, Buster, is a mama’s boy in the strictest sense of the phrase. His mother has groomed him to the point where he doesn’t function without her nearby. Speaking of their mother, Lucille is an alcoholic who never has a kind word for her children, except when she’s trying to play one off another to serve a personal purpose. Finally, Michael’s son George Michael is the classic nice guy… stepped on by everybody except his girlfriend, Ann who is the daughter of a pastor and a tightly wound Christian.
As you can see, it’s a dense show. It’s only been around two seasons, but there hasn’t been an episode that hasn’t made me laugh out loud. The point of this extremely long post? I’m just hoping to encourage people out their who haven’t seen the show to TiVo it and check it out—you won’t be sorry.