I say this as a huge fan of the show, as someone who's seen every episode multiple times and profoundly admires the series: Why is this the enduring, ever-prominent cult series of the decade? The show went off the air three years ago, and even when it aired, was an abject ratings failure. Though popular on DVD and online, it's not the most popular — heck, Planet Earth has been on Amazon's best-seller list for over two years; Family Guy and American Dad are both more popular on Hulu. And yet it's the Bluths we come back to time and again.
There are other shows that got canceled before their time, other instances of brilliance, other comedic gems. But Arrested Development is in a pop culture category all its own. What is it that keeps this show in the zeitgeist, PopWatchers?
Comments (1-30) of 71 Add your comment
Because it’s all about the fantabulous cast and the stories! What other show had such wacky characters played by an amazingly talented group of actors?
Arrested Development is one of those shows you can watch over and over again and find a new joke every time. No matter how many times I see an episode I always catch something I didn’t notice before. And for some reason the humor is so different from anything else that’s ever been on TV. What a gem. Please let there be an AD movie!
Not only do I watch the DVDs all the time, yesterday, I started watching it on Hulu while I work. Makes the day go by MUCH faster!
It’s because there’s always money in the banana stand.
Three Words:
Spicy Club Sauce.
I have never seen a sitcom with more inside jokes, and winks to previous episodes than AD. It keeps me coming back for more and more!
I’m with Victoria – I buy other DVDs of shows thinking I’ll watch them multiple times, but I actually watch Arrested Development over and over again, catching new stuff each time – I also just marvel at the writers’ faith in the viewers to have jokes that expand over several episodes.
Because it is awesome.
Come on!
This was one of the funniest shows ever; that’s why it remains in the zeitgeist.
I totally agree with Victoria. Every time I re-watch an episode I see or hear something new. Excuse me, do these effectively hide my thunder?
I’m guessing two reasons:
The cr*p that’s followed it has been dismal. A few have been close but none quite have the same chemistry, timing or ability to sell the implausible as plausible. Their use of topical items in the plot were unsurpassed.
The high profile projects of the alumni and the almost constant undercurrent of a follow up movie. Not to mention the use of stars that were apparently about to have career “come backs” or new directions such as Liza or Ed Begly Jr. Even strange ones like Scott Baio or James Lipton as the prison warden I’d most want locking me down at night.
“I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it!”
Unlike most shows (I’m looking at you Family Guy) Arrested Development was intelligently written, witty and fresh. The brilliance of the writing allows the show to be viewed multiple times, and always deliveres.
It’s hysterical, well-written, with a superb bunch of actors who nail their characters in every scene. It’s stands up very well to repeated viewings and I always catch something I miss every time. And of course, it’s oh-so-quotable. Come on!
AD is one of those shows where you know the joke is coming but it is still funny. The characters said so many things that we think but are afraid to say (her?-in reference to Bland, I mean Ann) in polite conversation. So many little inside jokes that keep people coming back for more. It required commitment to watch though because there were so many references to previous episodes but it delivered for the die hards every time.
It’s like comparing apples and some fruit nobody’s ever heard of.
Arrested Development was easily one of the best (if not the best) written shows in the last decade. Let’s be real about 1 thing: ratings are not indicative of the quality of television these days. Perhaps not enough people tuned into A/D because they weren’t witty enough to appreciate the humor (my nice way of saying they lacked the mental capacity..oops). Or maybe because it was the kind of show with complex hilarious characters/plots that developed more and more with every episode. Which should be a great thing right? Well for the short attention span of reality TV loving America-it wasn’t. Here’s why: It’s not the kind of show that you could just watch for the first time mid-season and know exactly what is going on-it has it’s own context.So the show couldn’t lock down those occasional watchers.sigh.
The show is brilliant, hilarious, acute social criticism with just the right amount of whimsical cynicism needed to not take itself too seriously. Truly a fantastic piece of work!
Well, it’s easy to stay in the zeitgeist when you’re THE BEST SHOW EVER. COME ON!
But in all seriousness, it’s been said…the cast was fantastic, the writing top-notch, and I think it’s the best thing Ron Howard and Henry Winkler have ever done (and Charlize Theron as MRF…HA!). Being instantly quotable is also a plus.
But I think the big thing that keeps this on everyone’s mind is that a lot of people discovered this AFTER it was cancelled on DVD. I know a lot of my college buddies only got hooked after a friend brought the DVDs on a bus trip. The same thing happened with shows like Family Guy and Futurama (although Adult Swim really helped them out).
Why you ask? Simply because it’s the most creative, inventive, and hilarious show ever made. I could watch every episode 1000 and I still find something new everytime. Because no other show ever made has character quite like Tobias, Buster, Gob or Lucille
Big yellow joint. Big yellow joint. I’ll meet down at the big yellow joint.
Because it was the best thing to happen to television during my lifetime. It’s sad that so many people still don’t know about it.
And, personally, because when my husband describes the show to “newbies”, he goes through the characters and refers to Lucille as “my wife when she’s older”. Now, where’s my rape horn?
It ain’t easy bein white
It ain’t easy bein brown
This is the greatest show in the history of mankind. I mean whats not to love about the boozy grandma “Good for her”. The zany brother “I’ve made a huge tiny mistake.” The hot sister “You may not want to sit to close to that because you drenched in alcohol” and the is he or isn’t he gay husband “Oh put me in bed with a Clint Eastwood and I wouldn’t just lay there, if that’s what you’re thinking Michael.” All these characters are archetypal characters that you see in most sitcoms yet it was done in an inventive and fun way that everyone will always remember.
Why are we still bananas for AD? Well I don’t wanna blame it all on 9/11 but that certainly didn’t help!
I think it’s because being a fan of AD meant you automatically belonged to a club. Since it was very specific humor, not everyone got it. Those that did felt (still feel) they’re special. The fact that Fox kept moving the show around increased the “us” vs. “them” mentality.
I love AD, but more importantly I live in Austin and am going to go get myself a frozen banana!
Because it has a character named Bob Loblaw.
We re-watch it from start to finish each summer. Always something new to catch; always another way to taste the happy.
It’s a she-mal-e!