Arrested Development

I thought it was awful and was thrilled when it and we were finally put out of our misery with it's cancellation.

But that's just my opinion.

Fortunately, we don't listen to Billy. Because he has no taste.

Because it was hilarious. All the bizarre storylines, from going to POW camps, to the brother being a nevernude, to George Michael being...George Michael. It was strange and bizarre and as off-kilter as Seinfeld when it first aired.

PeeDee said:

Fortunately, we don't listen to Billy. Because he has no taste.

Because it was hilarious.

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I'll give you my stock answer....

So hilarious that no one watched it and was cancelled.

'Nuff said.

It was a stupid stupid pointless show.

Great comedy is based in truth. There wasn't a hint of truth or reality which made the show just one dumb gag after another and you could care less about the family, the characters, the storylines or the entire show in general.

And that's why no one watched. And that's why it got the axe.

IMO

Good riddance, AD.

I agree with your definition of comedy...but I still enjoyed the show. So poo poo on you.


Anyway, it's a moot point since whether it was comedic gold or a waste of space...it's axed either way. So that takes care of that.

Well, I watched it, and I laughed.

PeeDee said:

I agree with your definition of comedy...but I still enjoyed the show. So poo poo on you.

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Fair enough. I'll take that poo poo and run with it.

Thank you.

We just had, like, the wussiest fight ever on these forums. We're a disappointment. Good thing this isn't Pay per view.

BillyT, you sound like a big "According to Jim" fan. Good for you. I hope I'm wrong. What current comedies do meet your standards?

AD was a classic. I'll miss that "analrapist" Tobias of course. Jason Bateman, who never really impressed me before, was the perfect deadpan snarky protagonist. And, of course, George Michael was hilarious. A great classic that of course most people wouldn't find as funny as Jim Belushi mugging for the camera.

Arrested Development had intelligent humor. Some of the jokes were so subtle you had to think about them. I've watched through the entire series three times now and I sometimes still pick up a joke or two I never realized was there. That's what I love about the show, and unfortunately, one of the reasons why I think it failed.

Ahhh yes, it suffered the old "If there's no laugh track, how do we know what's funny?" syndrome.

beezle said:

Ahhh yes, it suffered the old "If there's no laugh track, how do we know what's funny?" syndrome.

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Just like ER.

I loved this show (and have the DVD's) Fox changed the days and times several times midseason and I had a hard time catching it (pre-dvr for me.)

I loved Buster and his Lucille 2. The mother often said things that, well... I could hear my mother saying. It always made my sisters and I laugh.

I'm with Billy on this one. AD was absolute nonsense. I tried watching it but just found myself lost trying to figure out what the heck was going on or why anyone found it even remotely amusing.

loved it

AD is the only television series i ever bought the DVDs for. Even so, i still watch the reruns. The Office is the only other television show i watch, luckily it did well enough to start that they don't flip the times on me.

The writers for this show blow my mind.

They'd spend three episodes carefully setting up gags, then let 'em all rip in some flawless rube-goldbergesque set piece that averages about 40 punchlines per minute. Never before has a show made me say "how the f*** did they come up with that?" so often.

Great show. Shame they couldn't find a way to keep it on.

(Raised hand)

Arrested Development was awesome.

Agreed.

I think one of my favorite lines was when Buster lost his hand. "Watch out! There's a LOOSE SEAL!"

Tobias Funke: I blue myself.
Michael Bluth: There has got to be a better way to say that.

Oh yes, this was one of the few shows in recent years that I sought out. Bizarre, yes, but it made me laugh.

I don't think it's a show you can start watching in the middle - there's too many inside jokes, especially in the later seasons.

If you watched it from the beginning and didn't like it, then I want nothing to do with you.

merper said:

If you watched it from the beginning and didn't like it, then I want nothing to do with you.

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*shrugs and walks away*

Shadow_Ferret said:

*shrugs and walks away*

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Don't worry, Shadow, not many TV shows in American history were able to shed viewers at a faster rate than AD. Every year less and less people watched...7 million, to 6 million, to 4 million to adiosland....

People ran from this thing like ...uh...some metaphor for people running from something in a panic. Volcano or something.

Anyhooo...

R.I.P. AD

Better luck next time.

Cause we all know ratings are the only mark of a good show. Not like fox had a dozen other good shows that tanked in ratings, got cancelled and came back, because they were actually quite good. Shows with names like Family guy and Futurama and Firefly.

If only I had such examples to use!

Not that I'm saying AD is going to come back, but if every critic - and I'm not even talking high brow critics - were raving about it, there has to be a reason. Whatever, though, it's really your loss.

merper said:

Cause we all know ratings are the only mark of a good show.

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Yes. Exactly.

Four seasons and shedding millions of viewers each season until you were left with practically nothing is a good sign the show stinks.

But art is subjective.

The show didn't stink for people who like it. That's fine.

There were just very few of those people by all historical TV standards.

LOSING VIEWERS year after year is just not good.

Maybe if it had maintained it's season 1 ratings or leveled off after season 2, I could say the show was okay and shoulda stuck around ...but people fled from this thing year after year. So, whatever the rarified few of you saw in this thing, the vast vast majority of people didn't.

The way this show lost viewers was the sign of a not very good show by all historical standards of measurement.

But at least you can watch the show on DVD to your hearts content.

Enjoy the gags.