Image Credit: Ed Araquel/FOXIn an interview with the New York Times, Mitchell Hurwitz discussed the tricky task of building viewer support for his new series Running Wilde. Despite starring starring TV beloveds Will Arnett and Keri Russell, the Fox series failed to stoke any real critical love. In a wily hail mary, the man who created cult triumph Arrested Development said that perhaps he could parlay some of that enduring good will for his new series. Dangling the long-promised movie carrot in front of Arrested‘s diehard fans, Hurwitz joked “It’s like, Buy this magazine or we kill this dog. Watch this show or you don’t get an Arrested movie,” he told the reporter. “I really want to make this movie, I swear. Or, alternatively, don’t watch the show, and everyone send me a nickel. Those are the two choices.”
Tell me PopWatchers. I love Keri Russell. I love Will Arnett. I love Arrested Development. So why have I never bothered to catch an episode of Running Wilde? Am I missing out? If the answer is a regrettable no, then what pop culture bullets would you take if it meant upping the chances of ever seeing Arrested Development on the big screen? I suppose I would watch my first episode of Jersey Shore (though I would get so enormously drunk beforehand that I wouldn’t be able to remember the next morning if it was Snooki or Sophia Loren who punched the Situation in the face). Or I’d watch the fourth hour of the Today show for a week straight. Watch the scene of Oprah’s Australian vacation giveaway on high decibel repeat? And I’d do it all for you Lucille Bluth.
Read more:
Running Wilde video interview
Are you sad Running Wilde is not Arrested Development?
Go ahead, shoot the hostage. I loved Arrested Development, but I will not negotiate with a terrorist.
I guess I should also add/admit that despite the glaring warning of the too-punny title, I DID watch a bit of the show. It wasn’t good.
Haha, you watched it after all your tough talk!
Did you swing by and pick up “Raising Helen” at your nearby Redbox as well?
Oh, and you KNOW I was even madder that I watched it when it ended up being lousy! Gotta trust the rule…
Very punny re: ‘Raising Helen’ – you know, I never say it due to the rule (of course) but I just looked it up and the premise sounds ALOT like your wife’s new movie ‘Life As We Know It’.
Touche.
I can’t decide what annoys me more: a punny title like “Raising Helen” (or running Wilde) or a title like “Life as We Know it”, which could apply to about 500 different movies. (I think I may have to go with the latter.)
After “Sit Down Shut Up” and “Running Wilde”, I don’t WANT Mitch Hurwitz to write an AD film. AND MY USERNAME IS MICHAEL’S DEAD WIFE. He must got hit by lightning and lost his talent.
Oh, and I refuse to watch “Raising Helen 2″ because they kill off my (imaginary) BFF, Christina Hendricks.
I think this show is great. I do not know why it is catching so much flak. I think it is hilarious. I hope it stays on air because if it doesn’t, I would put money on it being another Arrested fiasco, becoming a ‘cult classic’ too late for it to continue running.
no kidding. reaaly, mitch? that’s your threat? to a movie that will likely NEVER get made anyway? kind of sad dude. let me be clear. LOVE will arnett. LOVE keri russell. and LOVE arrested development. running wilde? not so much. the show’s borderline unwatchable it’s so bad. it’s just not funny. i’m giving it one more ep, out of pure support, and then i’m done dude. like the arrested development movie. done.
How about “Hey, Mitchell! Make the Arrested Development movie, or we’ll quit tuning in for your crappy new pilots!”
I watched the first episode. It was unfunny. Running Wilde is no longer on my DVR list, and I can’t muster up enough love for Arrested Development to force myself to watch another episode of this series.
So true, after the first episode I cancelled the series pass I had automatically given it on my DVR. I say shot the dog, sorry Scooby but that movie was never going to get made anyway.
oops, that should be “shoot”. Back away you grammar nazis!
Word.
Eh, Running Wilde has some funny moments, but it tries way too hard to force you to care about the characters. And I’m happy to give up the Arrested Development movie, sorry Mitch.
Running Wilde is ok so far. I haven’t gotten to the 2nd ep yet, but i thought the pilot was mildly amusing and showed potential. people should give it a chance
I love Keri Russell and Will Arnett, and I found the pilot almost unwatchable. The second episode as better, but tonight’s third outing will seal the deal. If it improves, I’ll keep watching. If not, so long.
The first episode was not very good, but the second was much better, very funny.
I haven’t loved the first two episodes of “Running Wilde,” but I feel that people are judging it too quickly. Not every show is as wonderful as “Arrested Development”; it usually takes a show a few episodes to hit its stride. So I will continue to watch it for now, at least.
People are treating “Running Wilde” as though it was made by some random guy who claimed to bew making an “Arrested Development”-like show. People are so disloyal and so quick to feel betrayed. The only show Hurwitz created that last longer than a season was “Arrested Development”, and look how great that got as it developed. If it had gotten canned after two episodes, people wouldn’t be missing it at all.
**** too many typos in that one.
claimed to BE**** making…
that LASTED**** longer…
It’s the same humor as Arrested Development. So, how can you not love it? Unless you’re dumb and let it all fly over your head. Keri Russell isn’t all that great, but Will Arnett and Peter Serafinowicz definitely make up for it.
“Keri Russell isn’t all that great”? I will not take your post seriously then!
I actually liked it more than I thought I would. Will Arnett’s always great and some of the zany humor hit the mark. The one big thing that I would change really soon is the voice over narration (either make a different character/narrator speak or get rid of it), which doesn’t really hold a candle to Ron Howard’s
I watched two episodes of Running Wilde and barely laughed at all. It was funny and was trying way too hard. The characters were such cliches and I found that the premise didn’t interest me much once I started watching the show.
I meant to say that it wasn’t very funny.
As much as an Arrested Development movie might be fun, I think that ship might have already sailed.
.
Hurwitz, Arnett, and Cross got me to watch Running Wilde when I ordinarily would not have bothered. They had a chance to win me over and didn’t. The only thing that would get me to reconsider is hearing that it got significantly funnier. Otherwise, it will suffer the same fate with me as “Sit Down Shut Up” did – off my radar.
So…if we start some kind of campaign to send Hurwitz nickels…
Quick! To Facebook!
the 2nd episode was better than the first – also, awesome AD reference with Will Arnett telling David Cross to “why do you keep saying that!” when he kept saying “Come On!” so funny!! I will keep trying….
Agreed. Loved the “come on” reference and I will keep trying as well. I am hoping it will get better. There are so many great ingredients.
running wilde is much like arrested development – it gets better each time you watch it. i rewatched the first couple of episodes and caught many jokes that i missed the first time around (ex: in the pilot, steve’s “nanny” says that since nobody rsvped to the party, he’ll grab a bunch of tourists and tell them it’s a taping of the price is right. later in the episode if you pay close attention to the party scene, the guests all have giant price tag nametags on and the orchestra is playing a version of the price is right theme song).
i think it will take a few more episodes before it really hits its stride, but i can’t wait to see more.
Very much agreed.
Several of you have said it was funny after watching the same episode multiple times…why would I want to do that?? I “got it” immediately with Arrested Development and my other favorite comedies. I’m a fairly sharp gal, and not willing to watch something over and over again. It has to be funny the first time.
You got every joke in every AD episode the first time you watched? Even the ones that foreshadowed events that hadn’t happened yet? I doubt it.
Actually, Mark, I did. Yes, it got BETTER every time, but it was still hilarious the first time.
Right. It got better every time. That’s why we would watch the Running Wilde episodes a second time…
Mark! You underestimate me.
But I guess my point was that I watched Running Wilde and didn’t laugh at all. I’m an easy laugher. It just wasn’t funny, and I wouldn’t go the effort of watching ANYTHING more than once to try to wheedle the funny out of it. Shouldn’t have to.
Well, sure, that makes sense. I happened to think that both Running Wilde episodes were funny, so I watched them again, and thought they were even funnier. I guess I’m having trouble understanding why somebody who loves AD wouldn’t find anything to laugh at in Running Wilde. Even if you don’t think it’s as good (I don’t either), I mean, it’s still funny. My complaints when comparing it to AD are that the girl isn’t as good a narrator as Ron Howard, and there aren’t as many amazing characters. The humor is very similar, though.
I had trouble understanding that too. I REALLY loved AD, but was missing the easy laughs with this one.
Maybe, just for you, I’ll give “Running Wilde” (ugh, that name!) another shot this week.
I’d recommend it. And try to go into it without thinking “I am SO ready to hate this!”
Very well, then.
I’m in the camp of people who believes the “AD” movie is never going to happen, but…
…wouldn’t it make more sense that if we DON’T watch this show and it gets canceled that Hurwitz and Arnett will be free to make, oh I don’t know, the “AD” movie?!
That’s what I was thinking, the sooner this show gets canned the sooner Hurwitz and Arnett are free’d up to get the AD movie off the ground (although I’m hopeful, I’ve resigned myself into believing that it’s never going to happen at this point,
)
The best part of the show is the next-door neighbor Fa’ad. He is hilarious. I’m still watching, it’s ok now, and hopefully will hit its stride soon.
Agreed – my husband and I really enjoy Fa’ad, and we thought that while the pilot was iffy, the next episode was much better. We’re optimistic that the series will settle in and get even funnier. I mean, no show will ever have quite the depth and hilarity of Arrested Development, but we stuck out Parks and Recreation and look what happened.